PRESS RELEASE : UK-wide funding confirmed to 2025 for the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 12 January 2023.
The Government has today confirmed the allocation of a £230 million uplift to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for investment in football facilities across the UK.
As part of its ongoing commitment to delivering the grassroots facilities every community needs and levelling up access to high quality pitches, up to a further £168 million will be invested into facilities in England by 2025 – on top of a continued £18m annual commitment. It will be delivered by the Football Foundation – a partnership between the Premier League, The FA, and DCMS – to improve and upgrade pitches and facilities across the country.
In addition, a further £18.1 million will be invested in Scotland, £12.6 million in Wales and £6.29 million in Northern Ireland respectively by 2025. The UK Government’s direct investment into Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be delivered in partnership with the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales and the Irish Football Association.
This funding will deliver improvements to hundreds of sites, with at least half of the investment going directly to the most deprived areas. It builds on the successful delivery of over £43 million across the UK last year.
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each FA will invite and select projects across a range of facility types – from the creation or upgrade of changing rooms, grass pitches and 3G football turf pitches and pavilions, to floodlights, fencing and improved disabled access.
Grassroots football clubs, local authorities and schools with a relevant project that could benefit from this investment in the next two financial years are encouraged to contact their relevant delivery partner: the Football Foundation in England; and the relevant Football Association in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Projects in all four home nations will continue to be selected for their ability to deliver improved facilities in deprived areas, support multi-sport use and increase participation among currently underrepresented groups, including women, girls and those with a disability. To ensure that as many people as possible from underrepresented groups are able to access quality sports facilities, 40 percent of the investment will fund sites that support regular use of a sport other than football.
Projects benefiting from investment in 2022/23 will be confirmed shortly.
