It might be summer but the countdown to the 2007/08 season has begun - Read on to find out how the Football Foundation might be able to help your club or organisation throughout the upcoming campaign………
The Football Foundation is not only the largest sports charity in the UK but a unique partnership between The Football Association, Premier League and Sport England that aims to improve grassroots facilities around the country.
The Football Association have committed a massive £15m per annum to the project over the next three years and YOUR club, school or Local Authority could benefit.
Formed in 2000, the Football Foundation has contributed £204m into projects costing £402m with a further 200 applications being worked up by The FA to be assessed for possible investment.
With 75% of all Football Foundation money ploughed into grassroots facilities, The FA’s National Facilities Manager, Steve Williams, explained more about the application process: “From the time applications arrive at the Foundation, small projects tend to take up to eight weeks before they gain approval while you’re looking at double that time for the larger projects.
“We have 38,000 affiliated clubs across all levels of football in England but, with circa 80% of these clubs playing on public sector land, most applications tend to be from local authorities, town and parish councils or schools who are looking to build facilities that can be used by the wider community,” said Steve.
Research recently revealed that providing better changing rooms was seen as a priority by 34% of players across all levels of football in England but Foundation applications can range from a set of team kit through to state of the art clubhouses.
With The FA having invested £50m into the charity since the turn of the millennium, Local Authorities are relying on the Football Foundation more than ever as Steve explained: “The demands for community and public services, provided by Local Authorities, is increasing all the time so the Foundation play a vital role when it comes to providing sport facilities for clubs.
“With so few clubs actually owning their own ground, be it freehold or leasehold, and with most based in rural locations, there’s a lot of work to be done in urban areas especially.” added Steve.
For more information on how the Football Foundation can help your club, school or local authority initially log onto www.footballfoundation.org.uk
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