Football in North Yorkshire and Teesside was given a boost today with £35,000 worth of investment from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation.

The funding is being awarded as grants from the Foundation’s Club Preparation Fund. This has been created to help clubs prepare their buildings to safely reopen in line with Government guidance around hygiene and social distancing, and The FA’s plans for a ‘phased return’ that were announced on 18 July.  

70 grants were awarded to clubs across the county totalling £35,000. This will benefit 782 local football teams in the area.

These Club Preparation Fund grants will go towards football sites to satisfy the extra hygiene measures that Government guidance requires. This includes:

• Installing hygiene facilities, such as hand sanitiser dispensers, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers and waste bins

• Modifications, such as safety screening, contactless payment systems and signage

• Facility maintenance work, such as repairing hand basins and hot water provision

• Professional inspections that may be necessary due to the prolonged period of closure resulting from the pandemic – including inspections of water quality, gas and ventilation

The investment follows the Foundation’s Pitch Preparation Fund that awarded £7m to 2,902 organisations across the country. This is enabling over 9,000 football pitches to be made match-fit, and is benefiting more than 33,000 football teams.

The successful clubs being offered Club Preparation Fund grants in North Riding are:

• Kader F.C.
• Duncombe Park F.C.
• Fishburn Park F.C.
• Great Ayton United F.C.
• Polton Allstars F.C.
• Huntington Rovers F.C.
• Wigginton G'hoppers 82 Jnrs F.C.
• North Riding County Football Association
• Scalby F.C.
• Spennithorne & Harmby F.C.
• Redcar CF F.C.
• Northallerton Town Juniors F.C.
• Whitby Town F.C.
• Lealholm F.C.
• Poppleton United F.C.
• Northallerton Town F.C.
• Kirkdale United F.C.
• Kirklington F.C.
• Cargo Fleet Juniors F.C.
• Dringhouses Sports & Social Club
• Marske United F.C.
• Marton Juniors F.C.
• Brompton (Northall) Jnrs F.C.
• Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation
• Grangetown Boys Club F.C.
• Easingwold Town Afc
• Ayton F.C.
• St Marys 1947 F.C.
• Cayton Playing Fields Association
• Bedale Juniors F.C.
• Crayke United F.C.
• Bedale Afc
• Elmpark Juniors F.C.
• Staithes Club Bar And Function Room Limited
• Hamilton Panthers Juniors F.C.
• Carr Vikings Juniors F.C.
• T.I.B.S Juniors F.C.
• Saltburn Athletic Juniors F.C.
• Pickering Town Community F.C.
• Haxby Town. F.C.
• South Park Rangers F.C.
• Seamer Sports F.C.
• Richmond Town F.C.
• Scarborough Athletic F.C.
• New Marske F.C.
• Osbaldwick Juniors F.C.
• Laurence Jackson Sports Village
• F1 Racing F.C.
• Redcar Town F.C.
• Kirkbymoorside Juniors F.C.
• Cleveland Juniors F.C.
• Strensall Tigers F.C.
• York Railway Institute F.C.
• Normanby United F.C.
• Poppleton F.C.
• Rawcliffe Juniors F.C.
• Great Ayton Cricket And Football Club 
• Redcar Athletic F.C.
• Guisborough Town F.C.
• Goldsborough F.C.
• Tockwith Sportsfield Trust
• Sleights F.C.
• Old Malton St Mary's F.C.
• Coulby Newham Juniors F.C.
• Polton Allstars F.C.
• Terrington Village Hall And Recreation Ground Committee
• Catterick Village Juniors F.C.
• Loftus Cricket & Athletic Club
• Thornaby F.C.
• Nunthorpe Athletic Juniors F.C.