Celebrating 25 Years of the Football Foundation: How investment in 2001 helped Sheffield United Academy thrive

As the Football Foundation marks its 25th anniversary, we’re celebrating a quarter-of a century of grassroots transformation. 25 years ago, the Premier League, The FA, and the Government came together with a shared ambition: to give every community a great place to play.

Since then, that ambition has taken root in towns, cities, and villages across the country, transforming the grassroots game forever. Over the past 25 years, the Foundation has invested more than £1.3 billion into creating new or improving existing pitches, facilities, and providing opportunities for communities to get active.

But the Football Foundation story is also about helping clubs at every level reach their potential. In 2001, Sheffield United received a game-changing £838,000 grant from the Football Foundation for the Sheffield United Academy. That funding built state-of-the-art pitches and modern changing rooms at their Shirecliffe training base. Facilities that were designed to inspire players and coaches to excel.

Sheffield United CEO, Stephen Bettis told us:

Like many other clubs, Sheffield United have benefited greatly from the invaluable support of the Football Foundation. We’d like to congratulate the Football Foundation on this milestone and look forward to working together in the future