Football in Northamptonshire was given a boost today with £37,000 worth of investment from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation.

The funding is being awarded as grants from the Foundation’s Club Preparation Fund. This has been created to help clubs prepare their buildings to safely reopen in line with Government guidance around hygiene and social distancing, and The FA’s plans for a ‘phased return’ that were announced on 18 July.  

74 grants were awarded to clubs across the county totalling £37,000. This will benefit 646 local football teams in the area.

These Club Preparation Fund grants will go towards football sites to satisfy the extra hygiene measures that Government guidance requires. This includes:

• Installing hygiene facilities, such as hand sanitiser dispensers, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers and waste bins

• Modifications, such as safety screening, contactless payment systems and signage

• Facility maintenance work, such as repairing hand basins and hot water provision

• Professional inspections that may be necessary due to the prolonged period of closure resulting from the pandemic – including inspections of water quality, gas and ventilation

The investment follows the Foundation’s Pitch Preparation Fund that awarded £7m to 2,902 organisations across the country. This is enabling over 9,000 football pitches to be made match-fit, and is benefiting more than 33,000 football teams.

The successful clubs being offered Club Preparation Fund grants in Northamptonshire are:

• Weedon F.C. (Sat)
• Byfield Tigers F.C.
• Pitsford Pumas F.C.
• Halse United F.C.
• Syresham F.C.
• Wittering Harriers Youth F.C.
• Milton F.C.
• Braunston F.C.
• Raunds Town F.C.
• Wellingborough Town F.C.
• Kettering Hawks F.C.
• Northampton O.N.Chenecks F.C. (Sat)
• Spencer Community Trust F.C.
• Gunthorpe Harriers F.C.
• Grendon Sapphires F.C.
• Blisworth F.C.
• Wilby Rising FC
• Northampton Gregory Celtic. F.C.
• Billing United Youth F.C.
• Kettering Orchard Park F.C.
• Mayfield Park S.C.
• Corby Hellenic Fisher Youth F.C.
• Oundle Town F.C.
• FC Peterborough CIC
• Middleton Cheney F.C.
• Netherton United Youth F.C.
• Brackley Town FC
• Crick Athletic F.C.
• AFC Houghton Magna
• Rothwell Corinthians F.C.
• Thrapston Sports Association
• Towcester Town F.C.
• Moulton F.C.
• Northampton Sileby Rangers F.C.
• Corby FC Siam
• Long Buckby A.F.C. Saturday
• Desborough Town F.C.
• David Green United F.C.
• Northampton Sixfields Rangers F.C.
• Irchester Sports Association
• Netherton United Ladies & Girls F.C.
• Roade FC
• Deanshanger Athletic F.C.
• Daventry Town FC
• Kettering Town FC
• Wellingborough Old Grammarians SA
• Finedon Volta F.C. (Saturday)
• Mawsley Youth F.C.
• Higham Town F.C.
• Peterborough Sports FC
• Corby Pegasus F.C.
• Stanwick Rovers F.C.
• Kings Sutton F.C.
• Central Sports
• Mears Ashby Athletic F.C.
• Corby Stewart & Lloyds F.C.
• Corby Kingswood F.C.
• Rothwell F.C. Aztec
• Brafield Corinthians F.C.
• Harpole F.C.
• Heyford Athletic F.C.
• Woodford United FC
• Weldon United F.C. Saturday
• Corby Town Girls FC
• Rushden & Higham United F.C.
• Spratton F.C.
• Cogenhoe United F.C.
• West Haddon Albion F.C.
• Wollaston Victoria F.C.
• Peterborough Northern Star F.C.
• Earls Barton United F.C.
• Woodford Community and Sports Complex
• Wellingborough Whitworth F.C.
• Bugbrooke St.Michael F.C.