Grassroots football facilities in Doncaster and Rotherham get £750,000 boost

Grassroots football facilities in South Yorkshire are among those across England set to benefit from an initial £39 million of Government funding.
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The huge investment is part of a major commitment to levelling up access to physical activity across the nation.

116 projects across England – including two in Doncaster and Rotherham – will receive funding to create and improve pitches, changing rooms and pavilions, so that more local communities can access high-quality facilities.

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Projects have been chosen for their ability to deliver improved facilities in deprived areas, support multi-sport use and increase participation among currently under-represented groups, including women, girls and disabled players.

Grassroots football facilities in South Yorkshire are set to benefit from a share of £39 million funding (photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for Nike)Grassroots football facilities in South Yorkshire are set to benefit from a share of £39 million funding (photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for Nike)
Grassroots football facilities in South Yorkshire are set to benefit from a share of £39 million funding (photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for Nike)

£39m will be provided for football facilities in England this financial year, out of a total of £230m set to be invested to help to build or upgrade up to 8,000 quality pitches across the UK over the next four years.

Scotland will also receive a total of £2m, Wales £1.3m and Northern Ireland £700,000.

The Dinnington Resource Centre in Rotherham has been awarded £498,672 by the Football Foundation, which is more than 60 per cent of its total project value of £804,785.

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The grant will help pay to convert the existing Stadia grass pitch to a new floodlit 3G Football Turf Pitch at the home of Dinnington Town FC in South Rotherham.

The project will continue to provide a base for partner club Dinnington Town FC, which currently has 17 teams as well as enabling training for other clubs such as Laughton Boys Club, Aston Rangers and plenty of programmes for the whole community, including: Wildcats Sessions, Disability Programmes, Walking Football, and Kicks programmes.

It is part-funded by FCC Communities Fund (£100K), Viridor Credits (£100k) and CISWO (£90k) with smaller contributions from Dinnington Town Council and Dinnington Town Football Club.

The Adwick Park Community Group & Sports Academies in Doncaster was awarded £249,842 which is just over 40 per cent of its total project value of £598,610.

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The grant will be used to construct a new changing pavilion and clubhouse which will support their members, including football, cricket and bowls teams.

The project will have a focus on female and disability provision.

The Football Foundation grants include contributions from SportEngland, the Premier League, and the English Football Association.

UK sports minister Nigel Huddleston said: “We are committed to improving access to high quality sports facilities for the underprivileged and underrepresented across England.”

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He added that this investment will ensure more people can enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of these facilities in their local communities.

Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the FA, said that this investment from the government will help people to get active again as we emerge from the pandemic.

He added that it will encourage new participation at every age group and from historically under-represented groups, level up health inequalities in left-behind communities, and make the playing experience enjoyable for everyone that plays the game.

Richard Masters, chief executive of the Premier League, said that this further investment into football facilities will enhance the existing significant contributions they have put into developing thousands of grassroots projects over the last two decades through the Football Foundation.