Following on from the recent announcement that Staffordshire’s grass pitches are to receive investment from the Football Foundation to support clubs to prepare their pitches for the 2020/2021 season, The Staffordshire FA are also delighted to announce that a further £1.1million of investment has been secured to further enhance football sites across the county.

Since 2012, The Staffordshire FA have been providing support to clubs, leagues, Local Authorities, Education sites and other facilities who manage their grass pitches, providing specialist advice in partnership with the Grounds Management Association to volunteer and professional grounds staff. This has involved visiting 110 sites with over 300 grass pitches included in the site assessments and guidance reports that have been provided. 

Further details with regards to the Pitch Improvement Programme can be found by CLICKING HERE 

All clubs who had previously requested a Pitch Improvement visit and met the eligibility criteria were then able to secure investment through the new Football Foundation Enhanced Pitch Maintenance Grant. Clubs and leagues who own or have a lease/licence of their site can access grants for a 6 year period to help them put into practice the guidance they have been provided with. This includes securing contractors to complete work such as slitting, seeding, applying fertiliser and deep aeration of their pitches. This can also include the purchase of products such as seed if the club has the capacity to do the work themselves.

The recent investment has been secured by clubs and leagues who have shown a great desire to improve their grass pitches but may not have had the resources to do so. 18 grants have been awarded so far, totalling £790,900 to clubs and leagues across the county. This will have a fantastic impact on 91 pitches with an additional £309,100 provided by each club/league to help part fund their project. 

The club and league members who will be benefiting from this investment are as follows:

Brocton Football Club (Silkmore Lane)
Burntwood Dragons & Phoenix FC (Hospital Road Playing Fields)
Blurton Ladsandads (The Meadows Primary Academy)
City of Stoke FC (Whisper Lane)
Eastwood Hanley FC (Trentmill Road)
Foley Meir FC (McIntosh Arena)
Four Oaks Boys Club (Mill Green Sports Ground)
Hanley Town Juniors FC (Abbey Lane)
Hawkins Sports FC
Kidsgrove Ladsandads (Birchenwood Playing Fields)
Madeley White Star FC (Manor Road)
Mercia JFC (The Friary School)
Milton United FC (Hardman Football Centre)
Newcastle Ladsandads (Pool Dam)
Rushall Olympic FC (Blue Coat C of E Comprehensive)
Trubshaw Cross Ladsandads
Waterhouses Parish Council (Waterhouses Playing Fields)
Wyrley Juniors FC (Harrisons Ground)

The Staffordshire FA Pitch Improvement Programme continues to enhance the development of the county’s grass pitches and with over 1,100 grass pitches in Staffordshire, we still have plenty of pitches to help improve. This investment will help a significant amount of players and volunteers have a better matchday experience, but we are keen to expand the programme further and support more clubs to secure investment and provide guidance and advice for their individual situations. The programme also works to upskill the ground staff workforce and secure additional investment for clubs to purchase machinery, improve their facilities and ensure all goalposts in the county are safe and secure for use. Securing further investment is key to success and we are keen to work with any club, league or organisation to enhance their grass pitches.

If your club, league or organisation is interested in finding out more about the Staffordshire FA Pitch Improvement Programme, please contact Kevin Staples for further details on 07969 294084 or email kevin.staples@staffordshirefa.com   

For further details on the Football Foundation and their opportunities, please CLICK HERE 

If you are member of grounds staff, or keen to find our more information about the GMA, please visit their website as well as details for their online learning programme.