The Football Foundation has released new research today, which illustrates the impact of its work in partnership with the North Riding County FA over the last decade.
As the UK’s largest sports charity, the Foundation helps improve local sports facilities with money from its core funding partners: The FA, the Premier League and Government (via Sport England).
Since the Foundation was set up in 2000 it has worked closely with the North Riding FA to support 184 grassroots sports projects across the county with grants worth £8.3m. These grants have attracted further partnership funding of £9m into the area’s grassroots.
This investment has so far provided North Yorkshire with a lasting legacy of:
• 22 new pitches – real and artificial
• 24 new changing pavilions
• 29 Grow the Game grants towards club development
• 91 new, safe goal posts
• 6,150 free junior football kits
Recently footballers in Brompton, Northallerton, celebrated the completion of a new state-of-the-art sport pavilion and changing rooms at their local recreation ground. The project, which began in 2006, had a total project cost of £346,000 and was funded thanks in part to a grant of £286,589 from the Football Foundation. The new building, which is run by the Brompton Recreation Association, will now provide changing rooms, toilets, showers and a meeting room for organisations using the recreation ground. The main beneficiaries of the facility will be the youngsters at Brompton Junior FC who run a number of teams for boys and girls, ranging from Under-5 to Under-18 level.
The new state-of-the-art facility will encourage participation in football, enabling communities to become more active. Local clubs, schools, colleges and other community organisations will feel the numerous benefits for many years to come.
Prior to the establishment of the Football Foundation in 2000 there was a recognised under investment in football facilities. Subsequently, a determination emerged to rebuild the country’s dilapidated community football facilities.
After more than a decade of Foundation investment, monitoring and evaluation evidence demonstrates that participation on sites that are enhanced with Foundation funding increases by an average of 50% when they open, and by a further 25% over the following four years.
Steven Wade, County Development Manager for the North Riding County FA, said: “The Football Foundation has provided phenomenal support for clubs at grassroots level across North Riding. The funding provided by the Football Foundation has seen the development of first class facilities across the county and helped to increase the number of people playing the game. We look forward to continuing to work alongside them to improve the quality of football provision across Teesside and North Yorkshire.”
Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “The Football Foundation’s work with the North Riding FA has achieved major improvements to the grassroots across the county. We have done this with investment made by our funding partners, the Premier League, The FA and Government via Sport England.
“The Foundation will continue to work towards rebuilding facilities at the community level, enabling many more local people to gain access to regular football and other sports in their communities and improving the quality of their experience.”
