Pitch perfect! Hailsham secure £1,500 Football Foundation grant for vital work

The PPF was set up in support of clubs facing unprecedented challenges because of the Covid-19 outbreak and who have lost out on normal revenue streams during this difficult period.

The funding will enable SCFL side Hailsham Town to prepare their pitches so they are match-fit for when it is safe to play football again.

They can use their grant to help pay for the cost of materials, work such as verti-draining, chain harrowing, rolling, over-seeding, fertilising, weed-killing, and routine preparatory work such as grass cutting and the setting out and line-marking of pitches.

Stuart Fairway, Stringers’ club secretary, said: “This is a very welcome grant which will help us to address some long-standing issues with the pitch.

“Along with other improvements which are and will be taking place at The Beaconsfield, we hope that it will have a real impact for years to come.”

Robert Sullivan, interim chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This is a vital grant to help Hailsham Town get their pitch match-fit.

“The Premier League, the FA and government’s Football Foundation exists to help provide quality infrastructure at the lower levels of the game. Pitch Preparation Fund grants like this one are giving a helping hand to clubs across the country to get their playing surfaces ready for when the game is allowed to begin again following government advice.”

Clubs and other organisations are also being given access to the Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community. This is a free online resource the foundation developed with the FA and the Grounds Management Association, containing advice and guidance. Anyone in Sussex can sign up at https://thefa.hivelearning.com/groundskeeping