Access Support from the Pitch Improvement Programme
Access professional support to maintain and improve your grass football pitch through the Pitch Improvement Programme.
The FA Facilities & Investment Team has been working in partnership with Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) to develop a Grass Pitch Maintenance service that can be utilised by grassroots football clubs to improve the quality of grass pitches.
The key principles behind the service are to provide football clubs with advice/practical solutions on a number of areas, with the simple aim of improving the club’s playing surface.
A number of professional football club groundsmen have been identified and signed up to the service and will be available to visit selected clubs. To qualify for a visit, a club will need to own their own site or be responsible for maintenance of the grass pitches.
Process
• Complete the PIP EOI form and return to the relevant Football Development Manager
• You will be contacted by the IOG Regional Pitch Advisor to arrange a pitch visit
• After the visit you will receive a report detailing what is required to manage, maintain and develop your pitch(es)
• You will receive a second visit from the IOG regional Pitch Advisor at a later date to monitor progress made
Pitch Assessment Visits
Rob Donnelly from the IOG will carry out site visits and offer practical and realistic advice on pitch maintenance based on a club’s budget, level of expertise, access to equipment and time available. Every participant will receive a summary report containing recommendations of how to progress the site’s maintenance programme. Visits are available to identified clubs who own their own site or are responsible for pitch maintenance and their pitch providers and can be requested via the Expression of Interest form.
Funding Guidance
Pitch Assessment Visit reports may, where recommended, identify areas of need for further investment such as machinery or drainage. Where this is the case we will support you to use the report as the basis for funding applications to bodies such as the Football Foundation.
For further information on how you can access this support, please contact Bob Leeds on Bob.Leeds@Amateur-FA.com or download the FAQ form below.