Footballers in Warrington, Cheshire were celebrating today following a £5,000 Grow the Game grant awarded by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity.
The funding boost will allow Orford FC to create new football opportunities for local children and adults of all abilities in a safe environment within the Orford area of Warrington. A particular emphasis will be placed on developing the club from the younger ages up, whilst at the same time developing further opportunities for girls.
The grant comes at a time when the club have been chosen to be the primary club on the Orford Park Project, a unique regeneration venture that will use sport, leisure, health, education and lifelong learning to increase the health and well being of the local community. The project, which is also part funded with a Football Foundation facility grant of £1m, will provide the club with some of the best football facilities in the town.
Funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government via Sport England, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 8,000 grants worth more than £420m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £520m. .
Steve McAlley, Junior Secretary & Development Officer at Orford FC, said: “Children in Orford have been neglected of real local football opportunities in the past, with many travelling long distances outside the area to play. Orford FC is a community focused club, and will continue to use our growing links with groups and schools in the area to help us develop.
“The Football Foundation grant will allow us to do this by helping to fund more opportunities for the children of Orford to play football on their doorsteps.”
Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation said: “We warmly congratulate Orford FC and Liverpool County FA for their hard work and dedication in securing this award.
“Since the Foundation was set up in 2000 it has worked closely with the Liverpool FA to support 143 grass roots sports projects across the county with grants worth £11m. These grants have attracted further partnership funding of £40m into the area’s grass roots.
“This new project in Warrington is but one example of thousands across the country that the Football Foundation is supporting with money provided by our funding partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government.”
