There’s good news for Bexley Park as Parkwood Rangers FC have been awarded a £5000 Pitch Preparation Fund grant from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation.

]The Pitch Preparation Fund was set up in support of the game, which is currently facing unprecedented challenges because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Fund is providing grants to clubs that have lost out on normal revenue streams during this difficult period.
The funding will enable Parkwood Rangers, who play Adult, Ladies, Vets and junior boys and girls football, to prepare their football pitches so that they are match-fit for when it is safe to play football again, following Government advice.

They can use their grant towards to help pay for the cost of materials, work such as verti-draining, chain harrowing, rolling, over-seeding, fertilising, weed-killing, and routine preparatory work such as grass cutting and the setting out and line-marking of pitches.
Clubs and other organisations are also being given access to the Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community.

This is a free online resource the Foundation developed with The FA and the Grounds Management Association, containing advice and guidance. Anyone in Bexley Park can sign up at https://thefa.hivelearning.com/groundskeeping.

Gavin Davies , Club Secretary , said: “This is amazing for the football club. The funds from the Football Foundation funding program will go a long way to help us as a club. Our funds have taken a hit with Covid-19 and this will help us greatly. Thanks to everyone at the football foundation who helped us with this bid”.

Roberto Salvati, Club Chairman said “ Safety is always a concern. This money will be used in pitch investment to make sure they are up to standard. It is vital that clubs get the support from the football foundation. This funding program is much needed and we are grateful for the support.

Robert Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This is a vital grant to help Parkwood Rangers and Bexley Park Sports and Social club to get their pitches match-fit.

“The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation exists to help provide quality infrastructure at the lower-levels of the game. Pitch Preparation Fund grants like this one are giving a helping hand to clubs across the country to get their playing surfaces ready for when the game is allowed to begin again following government advice.”

The Football Foundation is a charity funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England.

For more information please contact:

• Parkwood Rangers FC Communications Team at parkwood.rangers@yahoo.com
• Football Foundation Communications Team at events@footballfoundation.org.uk

The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation is the largest sports charity in the UK. It champions and supports fair access to quality football facilities for everyone, regardless of postcode, gender, race, disability or place.

The Foundation receives money from the Premier League, The FA and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, through Sport England. This is matched with partnership funding and awarded as grants to create outstanding grassroots facilities that enable better games and attract more players, helping to transform communities.

The Football Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary next year. Since 2000, it has awarded more than 17,300 grants to improve facilities worth more than £684m – including 829 artificial grass pitches, 3,175 natural grass pitches and 1,100 changing facilities. This has attracted an additional £870m of partnership funding – totalling over £1.5bn investment in grassroots football so far.

Through the Foundation, the Premier League, The FA, DCMS and Sport England have come together to create the National Football Facilities Strategy (NFFS) that will guide work over the next 10 years to transform many more local facilities. Local Football Facility Plans (LFFP) are being created to identify priority projects where demand is greatest, and the impact will be strongest and help stimulate the action required to deliver them.

Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation.