This new funding constitutes the first ever investment from the new Fund and will help develop new sports facilities, such as floodlit 3G pitches (AGPs) and modern changing rooms, right across the country.
By providing more high-quality facilities, coupled with coaching at the appropriate age group, the Fund aims to improve the experience for regular players, as well as attracting new players to the game.
“The Fund makes a huge impact in the communities that the facilities serve.”
Alex Horne General Secretary, The FA
Many of the new facilities will serve to strengthen the connection between professional football clubs and their local communities, particularly in the most deprived areas of the country, through the professional clubs’ community trusts’ outreach work.
Funded by The FA, Premier League and the Government, via Sport England, the Fund is delivered by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity.
Alex Horne, General Secretary of The FA, said: "The Premier League & FA Facilities Fund is crucial to our aim of improving facilities up and down the country.
"From small grants of under £10,000 to some of the largest grants of up to £500,000, the Fund makes a huge impact in the communities that the facilities serve. Renewing pitches and expanding our 3G pitch network is an important ambition for The FA."
And Helen Grant MP, Minister for Sport and Equalities, added: "The Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund, backed with investment from Government, shows what can be achieved with a strong public and private partnership in sport.
"By building fantastic all-weather 3G pitches across the country we will boost grassroots football, encourage participation all-year round and also help develop the next generation of talent."
Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the Premier League, claimed: "The Premier League's commitment to and investment in grassroots facilities is unprecedented and unparalleled.
"These new and upgraded sites will be of huge benefit to local communities, allowing even more schools, clubs and casual players to enjoy their sport. We want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved in the game.
"They will also enable professional clubs at all levels to engage with their communities, becoming hubs to deliver outreach work that improves the lives of local people, and promotes health, education and social cohesion.
"Our continued investment in the grassroots of the game will see hundreds of millions of pounds more flow into the game at this critical level in the coming years benefiting hundreds of thousands people as well as laying the foundations for the future development of English football."
Phil Smith, Sport England Director of Sport, said: "I’m really pleased so many great grassroots projects are benefiting from the new fund. We know people have a better experience of sport when they have good facilities to play on.
"By ensuring these are available in local communities across the country we’re not only improving the sporting experience of existing players, we’re also helping attract new ones."
Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation – the charity that delivers the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund – said: "The Football Foundation has ensured that this new investment is being targeted into projects where it will have the most impact.
"The facilities that will be developed in this first funding window of the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund will elicit significant increases in participation in football and a wide of range of other sports. They will also help to regenerate communities and encourage links with the professional game, where appropriate."
