3G Maintenance Machinery and Equipment
Funding of up to £25,000 for 3G pitch maintenance machinery and equipment
Eligibility
Criteria
You don’t have to be a football club to apply to the Football Foundation, however, grassroots football must be an integral part of your offer.
Who is eligible?
- A not-for-profit football club or voluntary group
- A Local Authority
- A County FA
- A Professional Club Community Organisation
- An educational establishment providing facilities for the community
- A registered charity
- A not-for-profit company
- A community interest company (CIC) or other social enterprises
- A company limited by guarantee
Who is not eligible?
- An individual or sole trader
- A national governing body
- A commercial/for-profit entity
- A club within the Premier League, Football League, National League System (Step 1 to 6), Women’s Football Pyramid (Tier 1 – 4) or the Welsh Premier League
- Educational establishments providing facilities solely for their students
About the grant
To apply for a grant towards 3G pitch maintenance machinery and equipment, you must first agree to keep your facility on The FA 3G Pitch Register for the duration of the terms and conditions of the award.
The 3G pitch should be tested, and then tested again every three years for grassroots football or every year for football in the National League System. This will enable the 3G to be used for affiliated league matches and therefore help the 3G pitch to be used to its maximum potential by programming matches at peak times.
The machinery should be purchased in line with the recommendation of your pitch manufacturer, pitch installer or specialist pitch consultant.
If successful with your application, we expect your equipment to be covered by suitable insurance and securely stored when not in use. It should be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, and we'd request that it’s only used by suitably trained operators.
If your pitch was delivered with a grant from the Football Foundation and maintenance machinery was provided as part of the project, replacement machinery should be funded from the machinery and equipment sinking fund, as identified in the business plan for the site, and not through an additional grant from the Foundation.
Grant limits
Are you a Football Club looking for funding?
Please note that only the Chair, Secretary or Treasurer of that Club can submit an application form.
Applications submitted since 1 July 2023 by other members of the Club will be rejected. You’ll be contacted by the Football Foundation team and asked that an authorised person complete a new funding application.
When it comes to the acceptance and claiming stages of your grant, the secondary contact nominated to co-sign the required forms must also fulfil one of the roles of Chair, Secretary or Treasurer of the Football Club.
Document & tenure requirements
Tenure required
There is no security of tenure requirements for the purchase of pitch maintenance machinery, but the applicant will be liable for the machinery and equipment for the length of the five-year clawback period.
Documents required
Before you apply, you'll need the following documents:
- 3G Pitch Test Certificate, or agreement to add your pitch to The FA 3G Pitch Register
- Two like-for-like quotations for each item of equipment from different suppliers
- Evidence of partnership funding
- If previously owned pitch maintenance equipment is to be purchased, 12 months warranty from a reputable dealer is required
- Photos of existing equipment being replaced and where new equipment will be stored.
Once you’ve submitted your application, we’ll send you a confirmation email. Your application will then be assessed by our Grant Management Team and you’ll receive an email normally within ten working days with a link to download your decision letter and T&Cs on your Football Foundation account.