There’s good news for Upper Norwood as Wanderers Football Club have been awarded a £2500 Pitch Preparation Fund grant from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation.
The Pitch Preparation Fund was set up in support of the game, which is currently facing unprecedented challenges because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Fund is providing grants to clubs that have lost out on normal revenue streams during this difficult period.
The funding will enable Wanderers, who play in the Surrey South Eastern Combination and London Ladies Casual Football League, to prepare their football pitches so that they are match-fit for when it is safe to play football again, following Government advice.
They can use their grant towards to help pay for the cost of materials, work such as verti-draining, chain harrowing, rolling, over-seeding, fertilising, weed-killing, and routine preparatory work such as grass cutting and the setting out and line-marking of pitches.
Clubs and other organisations are also being given access to the Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community. This is a free online resource the Foundation developed with The FA and the Grounds Management Association, containing advice and guidance. Anyone in the Norwood / Gipsy Hill area can sign up at https://thefa.hivelearning.com/groundskeeping.
Mark Wilson, Club Secretary at Wanderers, said: “We have been really fortunate to have had such great support from the Football Foundation. Not only were we able to attract capital investment towards the goals and netting last season but this additional grant to support our pitch improvement plans is fantastic. There is still a long way to go before we are fully ready to hold competitive matches at Virgo Fidelis, but we are now one step closer.”
Robert Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This is a vital grant to help Wanderers get their pitches match-fit.
“The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation exists to help provide quality infrastructure at the lower-levels of the game. Pitch Preparation Fund grants like this one are giving a helping hand to clubs across the country to get their playing surfaces ready for when the game is allowed to begin again following government advice.”
The Football Foundation is a charity funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England.