Grants, often for up to £25,000, are available to transforming the landscape of grassroots sports facilities across England.
The Football Foundation is England’s largest sports charity, co-funded by the Premier League; the Football Association (The FA) and the UK Government through Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The Foundation also directly supports projects in Wales through its sister organisation, the Cymru Football Foundation (CFF), but does not support projects in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The Foundation is dedicated to transforming the landscape of grassroots sports facilities across England. It aims to give every community a great place to play, fostering health, wellness, and local social cohesion. It awards grants – many for £25,000 - to modernise community assets. This includes building artificial 3G pitches, refurbishing natural grass pitches, and creating modern changing pavilions.
The following grant opportunities are currently available on the Foundation’s website:
Lionesses Here To Play Fund:
- HERe for Teams - grants of up to £1,500 to set up a new team or England Football programme and ensure it has everything it needs like equipment and kit.
- HERe for Facilities - grants of up to £25k for items to make facilities more inclusive, safe and welcoming for women and girls.
Catering Units: Grants up to £50k to allow grassroots organisations to install a Catering Unit, at their site, to both generate income and improve the experience for players and spectators.
Goalposts: Grants of up to £25,000 to help cover the cost of new or replacement goalposts.
Storage Containers: Grants of up to £25,000 for secure storage containers, giving clubs the space they need to store their equipment and free up room on site.
Portable Floodlights: Grants up to £25,000 for new or used Portable Floodlights for use on artificial and natural turf training areas.
Changing Pavilions and Clubhouses: Grants of up to £25,000 for minor and major works to improve existing changing facilities or build new ones.
3G Maintenance and Equipment: Grants up to £25,000 to purchase pitch maintenance equipment, recommended by either pitch manufacturers, installers or specialist pitch consultants.
Fencing: Grants of up to £25,000 to help cover the cost of new or replacement fencing.
FIFA Quality 3G Pitches: Grants to enable the Foundation to create a network of FIFA Quality Standard 3G pitches across England.
New Grass Pitches: Grants up to £25,000 to build new grass pitches.
Small Facility Improvement: Grants of up to £25,000 to improve the condition of small-sided artificial pitches (up to 37m x 27m, including FA standard 5v5).
Grass Pitch Drainage: Grants of up to £25,000 are available, provided this doesn’t exceed 75% of the total project costs.
Grass Pitch Maintenance and Equipment: Grants towards the purchase of new and previously owned pitch maintenance machinery and equipment recommended through a PitchPower Assessment Report.
Hubs Programme: The Hubs programme aims to create financially sustainable grassroots sports facilities with multiple 3G grass pitches. The programme is targeted at local authorities and whilst the Foundation’s investment is football-led, Hubs will support the delivery of a wide range of other sports, activities and programmes. The facility mix of a Hub can be tailored to meet local need - there’s no one-size fits all.
Further information on all of the above programmes, including details about how to apply, can be found on the Football Foundation website.
They also host on their website Local Football Facility Plans. See the Plan for Bath and North East Somerset.