It goes without saying that this is a difficult time for many grassroots clubs.
Whilst thousands of volunteers up and down the country continue to put in the hard yards, rising costs - both at home and in clubs themselves - mean many will find themselves stretched even further than usual.
In situations like this, it’s often the case that any special or big project a grassroots club has planned, such as new equipment, an upgrade to facilities, or even simply a new kit, will be put on pause.
As such, it brings us great pleasure to see our mates at Grassroots have launched their own fund in order to help clubs in need of a little help to make a big difference.
Powered by Utilita High 5, the fund is open to both clubs and leagues that are FA accredited and are in need a helping hand.
From big projects to simply saying thank you to a valued volunteer, the fund aims to put a smile on the faces of those involved in grassroots football.
Paul Kirton, founder of Team Grassroots, said he is expecting a flood of applications, so encouraged people to get theirs in as soon as possible.
"As a regular on the sidelines of grassroots football, and as a manager of a youth team, I know how valuable the Grassroots Fund is to our community." he explained.
"For two years Utilita has powered the fund enabling us to allocate important support to such deserving people.
"We are bracing ourselves for thousands of applications this time around as volunteers are feeling the pinch so aren’t able to put their hands in their pockets as they previously would have."
James Hayes of Utilita added: "Now in its second year, the fund has been popular with clubs that just need that little bit of support.
"Last year the fund received Just over 2000 applications and we were able to allocate funds to around 600 of them. We imagine as the cost of living crisis bites we will see the number of applications rise further still.
"Behind the scenes we have been working hard to encourage stakeholders to support a much bigger fund to help young people who are eligible for financial support at school, to make sure they don’t drop out of football on affordability grounds. So far, we’ve hit a few brick walls, but we won’t stop trying to make that happen.”
Support will be tailored to meet the needs of every successful application, such as vouchers for building materials that can fix up a clubhouse, contributing towards the cost of tradespeople, or support to recover from crime and vandalism.
Grassroots will make the final decision on applications and, in a bid to ensure the process works as speedily as possible, they’ll aim to respond to applicants within 28 days.
Head to https://www.teamgrassroots.co.uk/grassroots-fund-powered-by-utilita-energy-high-5-2/ in order to find out more information and an application form.
This is an extract from Kick N Mix, our grassroots football newsletter, sign up using the form above.
