Pitch Preparation Fund
A new £9.56m fund aimed at helping clubs and organisations get their natural and artificial grass pitches ready for when the Government advice allows football to start being played again.
The Premier League, The FA, the Government and Sport England have come together through their Football Foundation to launch the new ‘Pitch Preparation Fund’.
Am I eligible?
Our Pitch Preparation Fund is here to try and support as many clubs and organisations as possible to be ready for when football returns.
However there are a few criteria we need you need to meet before you can get started on the application.
Every applicant must be a club or organisation with a minimum of 12 months’ security of tenure over the pitches they wish to improve by freehold, leasehold or licence, and have the legal responsibility for maintaining them.
Check out the full eligibility criteria below.
Who is eligible?
- Grassroots football clubs (including Step 7)
- FA National League System clubs (from Steps 1 to 6)
- FA Women’s Pyramid clubs (Tier 1-5)
- County FAs
- Professional Club Community Trusts
- Leisure Trusts (with an annual turnover of less than 500k)
- Welsh Premier League clubs
Who is not eligible?
- Clubs and Organisations without a suitable security of tenure
- Clubs and Organisations that do not maintain their own pitches
- Education establishments
- Local Authorities
- Town and Parish Councils
- Leisure Trusts with an annual turnover of more than £500k
- Clubs and Organisations that had already received a grant via the Sport England Community Emergency Fund towards pitch maintenance works
- Clubs and Organisations that have recently received an ‘Enhanced Grass Pitch Maintenance’ grant from the Football Foundation (unless the First Team pitch had been excluded from the application)
About the Fund
So you've confirmed your eligibility and it's now time to find out how much you can apply for and what the money can be used for.
We've broken it down for you below.
How much can I apply for?
| Maximum grant value for Stadium Pitch | |
| National League System Clubs (Step 1-6) | Up to £1,500 |
| FA Women's Pyramid (Tier 1-5) | Up to £1,500 |
| Welsh Cymru Premier League | Up to £1,500 |
| Maximum grant value | |
| Eligible affiliated Grassroots Clubs and Organisations (including step 7) that maintain: | |
| One full-size pitch (or equivalent*) | Up to £1,500 |
| Two to three full-size pitches (or equivalent*) | Up to £2,500 |
| Four or more full-size pitches (or equivalent*) | Up to £5,000 |
| *A full size equivalent pitch includes all 11v11 and 9v9 pitches. A Mini Soccer pitch counts as 0.5 pitches |
What can the grant be spent on?
Funding is available to help cover the costs of:
- Aeration
- Chain harrowing
- Consumable materials
- Fertilising
- Flail mowing
- Grass cutting
- Line marking
- Over seeding
- Turfing
- Weed killing
- Vertical Decompaction
For 3G pitches it can also be used for;
- Deep cleaning
- FA Pitch Testing
- Maintenance
Any work that has been completed since The FA suspended football on the 16 March 2020 is eligible to be funded.