Grass Pitch Maintenance Machinery & Equipment

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. 

Applicants will need to complete a PitchPower inspection for all their pitches that will be improved using the machinery/equipment before they can apply. 

Further details on PitchPower can be found here. 

We can accept a grant application from you if the PitchPower Assessment Report recommends that machinery/equipment is required to improve the condition of your pitches. 

Applicants will also be required to evidence that users of the machinery have a good understanding of how to use it safely and how to get the best use from it. The Foundation therefore requires a minimum of two members of the organisation to complete the Grounds Management Association (GMA)’s online Level 1 Football Grounds Maintenance course. This short course from the Grounds Management Association costs £42 and the certificate of completion will need to be submitted to the Foundation prior to the release of any grant. You can register here.

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 would request that it’s only used by suitably trained operators. 

Grant applications must be for grass pitch maintenance machinery and equipment specified within your PitchPower Assessment Report. If you’re seeking funding towards an item not listed on your PitchPower report, then you should discuss the need for this with the Regional Pitch Advisor that completed your report. 

Pre-owned machinery can be considered providing two like-for-like quotes are provided and it's purchased from a reputable dealer and comes with a minimum 12-month warranty. 

Line markers can’t be requested in isolation and must be part of a wider application. In certain cases, robotic line markers can be considered but this must be in consultation with the Regional Pitch Advisor and for sites which have ten or more pitches at the site. 
 

If you're looking to apply for a Robotic Mower, as recommended in your PitchPower assessment report, you'll also need to consider the following:

• Site shouldn't be a public open space (i.e. recreation ground, however it may be publicly accessible i.e. public footpath).
• Quotations should ideally be on the basis of an on-site assessment from the dealer to make sure the site is suitable.
• The site should have power supply and appropriate positions for outside charging station. 
• A location at height i.e. club house/pavilion should be available to mount the required GPS reference station/s.
• Robotic mowers will require an unrestricted travel path between their charging station and the work areas. (i.e. no kerbs, stairs, public roads or fences).
• The applicant organisation should be aware of the need to interact with mobile phone applications on a regular basis and the need to be technology literate. 
• The applicant organisation should be aware of ongoing costs such as monthly support fees, servicing, parts etc. 
• If successful with application, equipment to be covered by suitable insurance.
• Secure storage when not in use.
• Maintained in accordance with manufacturers recommendations. (i.e. regular cleaning robotic mowers are not maintenance free)

*Provision should be made for traditional maintenance in the first few weeks following installation as initially there can be teething issues depending on the complexity of the site. 

It's also important to not that you should not have received Football Foundation funding for mowing equipment in the last 2 years.

Tenure required

There’s no security of tenure requirement for the purchase of pitch maintenance machinery, but the applicant will be liable for the machinery for the length of the five-year clawback period. 

Suppliers

The Foundation doesn’t currently have a preferred suppliers list. Applicants should source quotes for pitch maintenance equipment from a reputable dealer. 

Documents required

To ensure your application is processed you should include the following documents: 

• PitchPower Assessment Report clearly identifying the equipment required*. 
• Two like-for-like quotations for each item of equipment from different suppliers 
• Evidence of partnership funding 

*Grass pitch maintenance machinery and equipment that hasn't been identified within the Pitch Power report or recommended by the Regional Pitch Advisor won’t be eligible for funding.

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. 

Please be sure to submit two separate application forms – one for the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund and a separate one for Maintenance Machinery & Equipment. This’ll speed up the assessment process and allow us to provide you with a decision sooner. Submitting one application form for both types of grants will result in your application needing to be withdrawn and one of the team will be in contact to ask you to re-apply.