The Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund, is available to football clubs, schools, councils and local sports associations and is focused on supporting the development of new or refurbished local football facilities.
Managed by the Football Foundation on behalf of the funding partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government, via Sport England – the Fund is a three-year £102m commitment to improving the nation’s grassroots football facilities.
The new £102m investment will enable the Football Foundation to continue to support grassroots facility projects across the country, which will improve the experience of playing the national game at the lowest levels and help to increase participation in football.
Eligible projects
The Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund gives grants for projects that:
• Improve facilities for football and other sport in local communities
• Sustain or increase participation amongst children and adults, regardless of background age, or ability
• Help children and adults to develop their physical, mental, social and moral capacities through regular participation in sport
The types of facilities that are given money include:
• grass pitches drainage/improvements
• pavilions, clubhouses and changing rooms
• artificial turf pitches and multi-use games areas
• fixed floodlights for artificial pitches
Applications from football clubs, professional clubs' community trusts, multi-sport clubs, local authorities, all educational establishments, registered charitable organisations, not for profit companies limited by guarantee, industrial and provident societies and unincorporated not for profit organisations are welcomed.
All applications must have security of tenure either by freehold or leasehold. A minimum of 25 years security of tenure is required by leasehold.
Priority
Priority for applications involving professional club community programmes will be given to projects that are located within areas of high deprivation (as defined by the Governments Indices of Deprivation). For projects outside of these areas, priority will be given to those that can demonstrate that it draws a significant proportion of its participants from neighbouring deprived areas.
Schemes that are a joint application between professional club community schemes and grassroots football will be prioritised, as will those supporting 3G AGPs.
Applications for support are likely to exceed the capital grants available and therefore applications will be assessed and weighted towards priority projects.
Grant limits
The maximum grant available from the Foundation for each facilities project is £500,000.
The minimum grant available from the Foundation through this scheme is £10,000, however there will be an opportunity to apply for smaller grants in Summer 2014.
Applicants must demonstrate a financial need for grant aid and contribute all of their available money to the project. Financial contributions from other funding organisations are also expected.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate that all available options for match funding have been exhausted and to be able to provide evidence for this. As a guide, projects would normally be expected to secure 50% match funding although each project will be assessed based on individual circumstances.
For further information and to apply, visit; www.footballfoundation.org.uk/funding-schemes/premier-league-the-fa-facilities-fund/, or contact 0845 345 4555, or email: [email protected]