Power Up Your Grass Pitches
The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation has announced the launch of its ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign, which will revolutionise the state of grass football pitches in England
The biggest sports charity in the country is on a mission to improve over 7,000 grass pitches by 2024 and 20,000 by 2030, to ensure the 12 million grassroots football players across the country have great places to play.
Around 87% of affiliated football is played on grass pitches, but with over 150,000 matches cancelled due to poor pitch quality during the the last season alone, play is often brought to a halt. Improving facilities means that more people across England will get to enjoy playing the nation’s favourite sport, transforming people’s physical and mental wellbeing, as well as supporting local communities and economies.
To help make this ambition a reality, the Football Foundation has developed an app which is now being rolled out across the country. PitchPower is an online tool that gives every community football club and organisation in the country the ability to carry out their own grass pitch inspections, providing fast and accurate data which is less time intensive and more efficient than in person inspections.
Once an inspection is submitted, Regional Pitch Advisers at the Grounds Management Association produce an assessment report with bespoke advice and recommendations to improve the grass pitch quality at a site. Clubs and facilities are then eligible to apply for funding from the Football Foundation to support pitch improvements identified through the app.
Along with PitchPower unlocking funding, clubs and organisations will also be encouraged to upskill their workforce by having access to a range of free courses from the Grounds Management Association and join a community of professional and amateur groundskeepers on the free Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community App.
To learn more about how the Football Foundation can help you improve your pitches, please visit their website, by following the link below.
VISIT THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATION WEBSITE
For further advice and support in applying for funding to improve the quality of your grass pitches you can contact Steve Maker, our Head of Football Development and Investment who can help guide you through the process, please email steve.maker@hertfordshirefa.com.