GLOUCESTERSHIRE FA has welcomed more financial aid football’s governors are offering hard-pressed grassroots and semi-professional clubs amid ongoing testing times.

Almost 800 teams operating at all levels of the local non-League game in Gloucestershire and Bristol recently benefited from a £7 million national distribution overseen by the Football Foundation to help clubs prepare their pitches for the upcoming season.

Gloucestershire FA has itself taken steps to ease the cash burden on clubs it serves, including the waiving of affiliation fees, supporting the submission of small grants for essential ground maintenance and offering clubs free entry into all its 2020-21 county cup competitions.

With the coronavirus situation still striking hard at the heart of football across the amateur board, the Football Association, backed by Premier League, Government and Sport England through the Football Foundation, is now parading a fresh £2.19 million national pot that is sure to benefit more of our local clubs and their devoted volunteers.

This latest initiative, the Club Preparation Fund (CPF), has been designed to help football clubs and community organisations prepare their buildings for safe reopening in line with Government guidance pertaining to hygiene and social distancing.

Grants of £500 are being made available through the scheme and more than 4,000 grassroots and National League System clubs and organisations across the country will reap the benefits.

With Covid-19 still prevalent the money will help them pay for and install vital hygiene facilities such as hand sanitiser and soap dispensers along with paper towel dispensers and waste bins.

That is just the start as Gloucestershire FA football development manager Matt Boucher explained: “This new Club Preparation Fund will help our football clubs and community organisations prepare their buildings to safely reopen in line with Government guidance around hygiene and social distancing.

“The grants will cover areas such as safety screening, contactless payment systems and signage along with important maintenance work to hand basins and hot water provision as examples.

“The money can also be used to help fund professional inspections that may be necessary due to a prolonged period of closure resulting from the pandemic, including inspections of water quality, gas and ventilation.

“The Club Preparation Fund is part of a mission from the top to support clubs who have lost out on normal revenue streams during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Matt highlighted: “Here in Gloucestershire 795 teams, which is a fantastic number, will benefit from grants to help with pitch preparation and we’re sure many more will benefit from this latest CPF initiative as people continue to ready their club buildings for football’s full return.”

Anyone wishing to apply for Club Preparation Fund grants should review the full eligibility criteria before applying via the Football Foundation website – footballfoundation.org.uk – no later than Sunday.