Football across Northumberland FA was given a boost today with £25,500 worth of investment from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

The funding is being awarded as grants from the Foundation’s Club Preparation Fund.  This has been created to help clubs prepare their buildings to safely reopen in line with Government guidance around hygiene and social distancing, and The FA’s plans for a ‘phased return’ that were announced on 18 July. 

51 grants were awarded to clubs across Northumberland Newcastle and North Tyneside totalling £25,500  This will benefit 668 local football teams across the county.

These Club Preparation Fund grants will go towards football sites to satisfy the extra hygiene measures that Government guidance requires.  This includes:

• Installing hygiene facilities, such as hand sanitiser dispensers, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers and waste bins
• Modifications, such as safety screening, contactless payment systems and signage
• Facility maintenance work, such as repairing hand basins and hot water provision
• Professional inspections that may be necessary due to the prolonged period of closure resulting from the pandemic – including inspections of water quality, gas and ventilation.

NFA's Acting Chief Executive, Andrew Rose-Cook, said: “We know from talking to our local clubs that everyone is keen to get back to football as soon as they can. Covid-19 has had a huge impact on club finances, so we’re delighted that so many of our local clubs have won funding from the Football Foundation for this vital work.”

The investment follows the Foundation’s Pitch Preparation Fund that awarded £7m to 2,902 organizations across the country.  This is enabling over 9,000 football pitches to be made match-fit, and is benefiting more than 33,000 football teams.

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