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About 4,000 grassroots clubs and organisations are set to benefit from a £2.19million scheme funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government through Sport England.
The new Club Preparation Fund, managed by the the Football Foundation, will help football clubs and community organisations prepare their buildings to reopen safely in line with Government guidance around hygiene and social-distancing.
Grants of £500 will be available through the Fund to grassroots clubs, including Step 7 clubs, in the FA National League System (Steps 1-6), Welsh Cymru Premier and FA Women’s Pyramid Clubs, through to The FA Women's Pyramid (Tiers 1-5).
The grants will help clubs adapt their facilities via three key "controls": promoting good hygiene; keeping facilities and equipment clean; and maintaining social-distancing and avoiding congestion.
"The Club Preparation Fund is a continuation of the support to assist the return of football by helping clubs prepare their buildings for the COVID-19 environment."
Items such as hand sanitiser, paper towel dispensers and waste bins along with essential maintenance work, including running water, are all extra hygiene measures that need to be facilitated as football returns.
Applications for funding are available until 19 July and can be made on the Football Foundation website.
The Club Preparation Fund follows the £7million Pitch Preparation Fund, which is benefiting more than 9,500 pitches, helping clubs who have lost out on normal revenue streams during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robert Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: "We had a great response to the recent Pitch Preparation Fund, with clubs welcoming our emergency support to get nearly 10,000 playing surfaces across the country match-fit.
"The Club Preparation Fund is a continuation of the support to assist the return of football by helping clubs prepare their buildings for the COVID-19 environment."
We've helped prepare the pitches, now we're supporting you to make your building safer for the return of football.
— Football Foundation (@FootballFoundtn) June 25, 2020
The Club Preparation Fund. Launching Monday 👀
Clubs have faced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic and Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters understands the value of offering help.
"It is important that clubs are provided with the support they need to prepare for football’s return," he said. "Along with the other funding partners, we were pleased to see thousands of clubs at different levels quickly benefit from the Pitch Preparation Fund.
"This further contribution is being made available to support more vital work and ensure premises are safe, in line with the latest Government guidelines."
The Football Foundation is a charity funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England.
