Widening of the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund

GRASS PITCH MAINTENANCE FUND

Funding to improve football pitches

March 2023

Welcome!

WHY YOU ARE HERE

WHY YOU ARE HERE

From April 2023 Educational Organisations and Town & Parish Councils will also be eligible to apply for funding to improve your grass pitches. Here’s what we want to tell you about today:

THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATION

FOOTBALL FOUNDATION

The funding for grass pitches is coming from the Football Foundation.

o The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s charity.

o We exist to improve grassroots football facilities.

o The Foundation has invested more than £877m of the Partners’ funding over the past 23 years in to more than 23,000 projects

o By improving local football facilities, we want to get more people involved in football, regardless of their background, age or ability.

o By unlocking the power of pitches, we can help transform the lives of players and strengthen communities.

THE STATE OF GRASS PITCHES

GRASS PITCHES TODAY

Cuts in local authority funding have led to a decline in the quality of grass pitches in England.

Grassroots football clubs tell us that pitches are their biggest issue.

1 in 8

Only 1 in 8 grassroots clubs are satisfied with the quality of their grass pitches

1 in 3

Only 1 in 3 grassroots pitches are rated as ‘good’ quality

150k

150,000 matches were postponed during the last full football season

THE GRASS PITCH REVOLUTION JOURNEY

o Unprecedented investment in grass pitches by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government through their charity, the Football Foundation

o A performance standard for monitoring football pitch quality

o Ambition to have 5,000 ‘good’ pitches by 2024, as part of the overall aim to have 20,000 quality grass pitches up and down the country over the next 10 years

JOIN OUR GRASS PITCH REVOLUTION

WHAT IS AVAILABLE?

o A 10 year maintenance plan to improve your pitches

o A 6 year grant, providing up to £3,200 inc. VAT for every one of your 11-a-side pitches in the first two years and tapered down over six years (£2,560 for 9-a-side and £1,920 for Mini Soccer pitches)

o Grants available to employ contractors, purchase materials and purchase a soil sampler

o Maintenance plan based on the recommendations in your PitchPower Assessment Report

o Grants are to support grassroots community football. Benefits to new organisations through improved curricular use, additional community access, customer satisfaction.

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE FUNDING?

o Improve and sustain the quality of grass pitches

o The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has created a new standard grass pitches

o To bring a minimum of 20,000 pitches up to a “Good” standard

Your PitchPower Assessment Report will tell you what level your pitches are at.

Pitch would be considered very good for community football

Pitch meets the standard desired for community football

Pitch requires improvement

Pitch requires significant improvement

NB. Other standards exist for higher levels of the game.

WHAT SUPPORT WILL IT HELP PAY FOR?

You can receive a grant to pay for a pitch maintenance contractor to help you improve your grass pitches with enhanced maintenance work. determinedbytheGMAwithinyour

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Y5&Y6=33%

WHAT MATERIALS WILL IT HELP PAY FOR?

If you want to do it yourself, you can receive grants to support the cost of materials.

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Youmusthave qualifiedpersonnelto carryouttheworks*

*GMA Level 1 or equivalent

AM I ELIGIBLE?

PHASE 1 (Existing offer)

Grassroots clubs

Leagues

Charities

PHASE 2 (New offer - April onwards)

Town & Parish Councils (New)

Education Sites (New)

Grassroots clubs

Leagues

Charities

Criteria – affiliated grassroots football & tenure / Landlord permission

Criteria No.1

You have a PitchPower Assessment Report

• You are the freeholder, or:

• You have a 10 year lease / licence, or:

• You have written permission from the land owner

Criteria No.2

You have permission to do the work

Criteria – affiliated grassroots football Service Level Agreement

WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED?

West Kirby United FC — Pilot —

96 teams

Number of postponed matches reduced from:

11 pitches across 6 sites under Club, LA and Schools ownership

£1,800

per pitch has seen all of the pitches go from below to exceeding the new Good standard within one season

24% 4%

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP

We will help you identify the right work needed to improve your pitch

We are providing new tools to make it easy to manage the process

We will get you started with 100% funding for two years, paid in advance

You will be responsible for providing PitchPower inspections — 2 times per year

You will need to fund the maintenance plan to keep pitches at GOOD standard from year 7 onwards

PITCHPOWER

PITCHPOWER

o Digital assessment tool that allows you to submit a pitch inspection yourself, including uploading photographs of the playing surface and soil, and answering questions about your pitch(es)

o Self assessing, significantly reduces the time it takes to receive the report compared with organising site visits, and more frequent inspections allow for better comparisons to assess progress

o It’s completely free to use

o User guide and instructional videos on Football Foundation website

o Please ensure you use PitchPower on all pitches you want funding for/you maintain

PITCHPOWER – THE REPORT

o Submissions are reviewed by Grounds Management Association Regional Pitch Advisors, who provide recommendations for maintenance and machinery to help you improve your pitch, and training to improve your grounds team

o We aim to return a competed report from your Regional Pitch Advisor within 21 days of submitting your inspection

Onward Journey to Funding:

o You’ll need to submit an inspection and then have received a report before you can apply for any funding from the Football Foundation

o We use what’s recommended in the report as a basis for your application

FOOTBALL FOUNDATION GROUNDSKEEPING COMMUNITY APP

CONNECTING THROUGH THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATION GROUNDSKEEPING COMMUNITY APP

o The Football Foundation

Groundskeeping Community App is a free platform that helps connect you to expert grass pitch knowledge and support at the touch of a button

o Free to join

o Access ongoing advice and education about pitch maintenance

o Peer-to-peer advice

o Specific guidance from the GMA about winter pitches, end of season works etc

Football Foundation Grass Pitch Revolution

WHAT’S NEXT?

MAKE YOUR APPLICATION

Funding is offered on a first come first served basis

You will find out if you’re successful within two weeks for grants of less than £50k, up to four weeks for grants in excess of £50k

a year

Thanks for joining us

WEBINAR QUESTIONS – ELIGIBILE ORGANISATIONS

Can local authorities (LA) apply?

This Fund is currently only open to grassroots clubs, leagues, charities, town and parish councils and education sites. LA-maintained pitches can still access funding if the application comes from an eligible organisation and has the LA’s permission to do so. There will be other funds available to LAs, including a new LA Grass Pitch Programme, which provide machinery grants of up to £100k. Information will be sent to all LAs when this programme is due to launch, which we expect to be this summer.

Can schools that are LA-maintained apply or just Academies?

LA-maintained schools are eligible to apply if they host grassroots community football on their pitches.

Can an eligible organisation apply on behalf of an LA?

Yes, as long as they have the permission of the LA to do so. To obtain this permission, the LA and applicant would need to sign our Grass Pitch Maintenance Agreement pro forma agreement.

Can Social Clubs who hire out pitches apply?

What is the definition of affiliated grassroots football?

Yes, as long as you have affiliated grassroots football on the pitches and the landlord’s permission to carry out the maintenance or a lease/licence.

Where the Club is affiliated to their County Football Association (County FA).

Can Borough Councils apply?

Is the Fund available to Community and Town Councils in Wales?

Not at the moment. We will be launching some new funds which other types of councils will be able to access in the future.

No, PitchPower is currently only available in England.

WEBINAR QUESTIONS – ELIGIBLE PITCHES

Can we get funding for our rugby pitches too?

We will be supporting rugby pitches through PitchPower after 17 April. Any applications for rugby pitches will be assessed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League (RFL), so clubs will need to speak to their respective non-governmental bodies (NGBs) first. Applications for football and rugby pitches will need to be separate as you'll receive two different PitchPower Report IDs – one for each sport.

Is this Fund available for school pitches used only by the school?

Are pitches used by FA affiliated youth teams and also by pub teams eligible.

Is funding be available for all our pitches or just the ones used by the youth teams?

Can any size 11-a-side pitch qualify as the size can differ depending on the age of the players?

Is this Fund only available for existing pitches? We don't currently have pitches in but would like some put in.

If your pitches are already “good”, does that make you ineligible for any financial assistance?

No, to be eligible for this Fund, schools need to host community affiliated grassroots football on the site/pitches.

Yes, these pitches are eligible.

Both youth and adult usage are eligible so we'd encourage you to apply for all pitches.

Yes, the GPMF covers all 11v11 pitches as long as pitches are within the recommended FA guidelines.

This Fund can be for existing or new pitches, but we would need to ensure the pitches are added to Active Places as we use this as a test to make sure the site is legitimate in the funding journey.

We still have funding available for “good” pitches. This funding is less than if your pitches are below “good” but is covered at 100% by the Foundation for years 1-6 at £960 per pitch.

WEBINAR QUESTIONS – ELIGIBLE PITCHES

Do you have to have other ancillary facilities on the site to apply?

We are currently unable to host any affiliated football as our pitches are not useable all year round. Would we need to improve the pitches before we could apply?

If a club has recently received funding for a 3G pitch through the Football Foundation but also has grass pitches, can we still access this Fund?

If a club has received funding for some of our pitches, but we have other pitches that also need attention, can we apply for those?

If a club based at our site has applied before, does this supersede their funding?

Do potential projects have to highlighted in a Pitch Playing Strategy (PPS)/Local Football Facility Plan?

Are grants targeted to certain areas (i.e. areas of low IMD) or open to all areas?

There is no requirement for ancillary facilities to be eligible for this Fund.

We want to support you improve the pitches and this Fund can do this. Please liaise with your local County FA and as long as they're in agreement, we will look to fund your pitches on the condition that affiliated grassroots football will be on the pitches once they have improved.

If you've received funding from the Foundation for a 3G pitch since May 2021, you will not be eligible for this Fund as the expectation is that the income from the 3G pitch project grant will be used to maintain the grass pitches.

Yes, you can. We cannot double fund the same pitch, but we can fund any new/additional pitches.

As part of the grant application process, it would be checked that the site had not previously received funding and we wouldn't double fund the same pitches if a club is already in receipt of funding for them.

There is no need for the project to be highlighted in the PPS or Local Football Facility Plan.

Any pitch/site is eligible for funding as long as the applicant is from one of the eligible organisations and you have community grassroots football on the pitches/site.

WEBINAR QUESTIONS – WHO SHOULD APPLY

If using a school site, should the school or the individual club using the site apply?

If we have multiple clubs playing at each of our Council sites, should they come together to bid, or should one club only apply?

If you have two sites with pitches, should you do two separate funding applications?

Either the school or club could be the applicant as long as the school is supportive.

For each site, there would need to be a lead applicant so it would be best to have one club per pitch that they use.

You should do a separate PitchPower inspection and application for each site. We use ActivePlaces to determine what constitutes a site so useful as a way of checking if your sites would be classed as teo separate locations

Can all pitches be done on one application, or do you need separate applications for each pitch?

You should inspect all pitches you are responsible for at a site on PitchPower. This information is then pulled into the grants portal when you apply for a grant and so you will apply at a site level (i.e., for all pitches at a site, not individually).

WEBINAR QUESTIONS – ELIGIBLE WORKS

Will you cover pitch levelling and the licences required for the import of soil?

This would depend on the scale. Once you've used PitchPower, we'll be better placed to advise if this is the best fund for you or if another fund would be more appropriate.

Would the funding cover the cost of equipment/machinery?

Purchase of equipment is not eligible via this Fund, but we do have a separate equipment/machinery fund that is available for machinery/equipment recommended within your PitchPower report. You can find out more here: Football Foundation | Grass Pitch Improvement

Can you use the funding to pay for GMA Level 1 courses?

Yes, you can spend the funding on two GMA Level 1 courses. Further information on the GMA Level 1 course can be found here:

(ONLINE) Level 1 Football Grounds Maintenance | Grounds Management Association (thegma.org.uk)

Could the grant be used for drainage issue?

Not if it’s to install drainage or rectify any damage to a drainage system. However, it could be used to make sure that water can access the drainage system through decompaction. The best thing to do would be to use PitchPower and explain the issues you're facing so the GMA can provide the best advice and then we can look at the best fund available to support you.

Is there is any funding to help us create an extra pitch for children?

You can find a full list of the funding available from the Football Foundation on our website, which includes the creation of new grass pitches https://footballfoundation.org.uk/looking-for-funding. Please contact your local County FA to discuss any potential project.

WEBINAR QUESTIONS - ELIGIBLE WORKS

Do you have lists of "approved" contractors?

We don't have this currently, but we do have guidance on how to choose a suitable contractor. There is also some great information on this within our Groundskeeper Community Group, which you can join for free here: Football Foundation (hivelearning.com)

Can we complete the works in-house? Can the funding be used for training staff or new machinery?

This Fund can only be used for purchasing materials/consumables and bringing in an external contractor, not the purchase of equipment/machinery is ineligible. However, the Foundation does have another fund which can be used for this. You can find out more here: Football Foundation | Grass Pitch Improvement. In terms of completing the works in-house, we would be able to support the purchase of materials for in-house works, but not the cost of a groundskeeper/volunteers.

If the funding is provided and then the works delivered don’t get the pitch(es) to the required standard, is it possible to come back for more funding?

If the funding/works that are recommended do not get the pitches to “good”, then we can look at an alternative fund for drainage etc. However, we're confident in most cases that if the funding is used correctly, then the pitches will improve.

WEBINAR QUESTIONS - PITCHPOWER

You can register at www.pitchpower.org.uk. You'll then need to join or create an organisation and then find your site and add pitches. To help with this, we have plenty of information on our webpage: Football Foundation | PitchPower I can’t find PitchPower on the App Store?

How do I start a PitchPower report?

How much does a Pitch Power inspection cost?

Can these PitchPower reports be done any time of the season/year?

Is there training in how to undertake the PitchPower inspection?

PitchPower is a web app and so cannot be found on the App Store. If you search for PitchPower online or go to www.pitchpower.org.uk, you should be able to locate it.

PitchPower is completely free to use.

Yes, PitchPower inspections are open all year round.

There's not training outright, but it's an easy process and we continue to refine it to make it as easy as possible! You can find information on how to use the app here: Football Foundation | PitchPower

If we already have a PitchPower assessment report, does this need to be repeated to apply for a grant?

Do you provide help in generating the necessary tender documents based on the outcomes of the PitchPower report?

You could use the current PitchPower assessment as a starting point, but one of the conditions of the grant is to do them regularly so you would be expected to do them approximately every six months or so we can see if the works are working.

We do not provide the tender documentation but there are great examples of this on the Online Groundskeeping Community, to which you can sign up here: Football Foundation (hivelearning.com)

WEBINAR QUESTIONS – FUNDING DETAILS

Is this £3,200 per pitch limit to funding per year?

Yes, this limit is per year and the funding will be tapered as the project progresses.

With the grant being tapered down, would we have to commit to topping up to the full amount each year?

The Foundation will fund the first two years at 100%. After that, if your pitch is "good" or better, you will be able to maintain the pitches at that level at a lower cost than in the previous years. If the pitches are not "good" after the first two years, then we would expect you to spend the full amount required to improve the pitches.

is there a requirement for partner funding?

Partnership funding (33%) is required over the duration of the six years. The Football Foundation will pay 100% in years one and two, 67% in years three and four, and 33% in years five and six.

Can partnership funding come from any source or does it have to come from organisational budgets?

Partnership funding can come from anywhere.

In London this will not give us any kind of enhanced maintenance!

We've researched the amount of money it takes to improve and maintain pitches and the figures provided are a result of that research. We've been offering this funding for over three years now and recently increased the amounts to factor in inflation. There are numerous live projects in the London Boroughs that are successfully maintaining and improving their pitches via this Fund.

WEBINAR QUESTIONS – OTHER

When will the application forms to apply for funding be available?

is there a deadline for applications?

The application form will be live from mid-April 2023.

There is no deadline for applications. However, the sooner the better as it is not an unlimited budget.

If I apply for Fund, can I still use my pitch for our annual gala and other events?

Yes, potentially. When you are completing your PitchPower inspection, please detail what events you have on the pitches and the GMA will provide recommendations based on the usage. We would not support those pitches/sites which would be negatively impacted by usage as this would not be an effective use of investment.

What happens if you don't maintain your pitches over ten years?

They're likely to regress and therefore lead to a poor experience for those using them. The plan is to get the pitches to a good standard and maintain them there. It costs more money to improve the pitches to a good standard than to keep them at good which is why we fund the first couple of years at 100% - to support the applicant improve the pitches before they need to start contributing financially to the project.

Where can I access all the template agreement documents?

These can all be found on the Foundation’s website here: Football Foundation | Grass Pitch Improvement