Home Advantage Programme
100% grants of up to £250K aimed at supporting local authorities and grassroots clubs to get the most out of the nation's grass pitches
Eligibility
Clubs and leagues looking to be part of the programme will need the support of their local authority and County FA and will be unable to submit an application in isolation. Local authorities and County FAs will lead on the submission during the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage.
All applicants must be willing to take on a long-term lease (minimum of 25 years) of a local authority-owned grass pitch site. Licenses for the pitches are not eligible - they must be covered by a lease.
The local authority must have submitted a PitchPower inspection of the site.
You're eligible for the Programme if you're:
- An England Accredited grassroots club
- A league
- A football charity
- A National League System England Accredited Club Step 1-6 (only for pitches at the site that are used for community football)*
- A regional feeder league
- A local authority
You're not eligible for the Programme if you're:
- A non-Accredited grassroots club
- A site without a submitted PitchPower Inspection
- A local authority without an eligible organisation that applies on their behalf (details below)
- An individual or sole trader
- A commercial/for-profit entity
About the Programme
What we'll fund:
- Income generator items such as catering cabins to help you generate the income needed to sustain your new home
- 6-year revenue for grounds maintenance
- Grounds maintenance machinery
- Storage
- Groundskeeper qualifications/training
- Site security fencing
- Organisation training & support
- Goalposts
- Legal fees & insurances
- Portable floodlights
- Changing Room/Pavilion refurbishments
- Project development costs
What we won't fund:
- Routine maintenance works such as grass cutting, hedge cutting, line marking
- Purchase of capital items not listed
- Any general costs associated with running the club
Grant criteria
As part of the Home Advantage Programme funding agreement, projects will need to agree a 25-year lease for the site to be eligible for funding. Licenses will not be eligible as part of the funding agreement.
Applicants will need to complete a PitchPower inspection within 12 months for all their grass pitches before they can apply.
Further details on PitchPower are available here or please speak to your County FA.
Application process
The Home Advantage Programme is focused on not only providing projects with great facilities and better quality pitches, but also upskilling organisations to ensure they can operate their sites for many years to come.