People living in Sutton Coldfield/Aldridge/Walsall are set to benefit from fresh investment into local football facilities. Four Oaks FC have been awarded a grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, to upgrade their home ground at Mill Green.

The Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity and exists to improve the experience of playing football for everyone, by championing fair access to quality facilities.

This grant will enable Four Oaks FC, which plays at Mill Green in the WJYL & CWJYL, to give 170+ players the chance to play football each week and to improve their playing facilities.

Players will be able to enjoy better quality pitches, which will represent a significant improvement on the existing playing surfaces , which are prone to waterlogging and in need of renovation etc.

Four Oaks FC worked with the Football Foundation and the Staffordshire FA to secure a £20,160 grant towards the project.

Steve Ward, Chairman of Four Oaks FC, said: “Football makes a huge difference to the players, coaches and community here. We see first-hand the impact on players’ confidence, physical health and mental focus. To receive this funding from the Premier League, The FA and the Government through the Football Foundation means a lot to us, as it will help us to improve grassroots sport in Sutton Coldfield, Aldridge and Walsall and get even more people involved in the nation’s favourite game.”

Kevin Staples, Head of Strategy & Investment of the Staffordshire Football Association, said: “Improving grass pitches across the County is a high priority for the Staffordshire FA. Working with our clubs and leagues, we are focusing our Pitch Improvement Programme across key football sites so that it can reach as many clubs as possible. We are dedicated to help provide advice and guidance from pitch maintenance experts to improve our pitches and upskill the workforce. Four Oaks FC have invested time and effort into this programme, and we hope that the new investment the club will be receiving will further enhance the club’s facilities and overall provide better grass pitches for all of their members to use.”

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “We’re dedicated to improving grassroots football facilities because we want to encourage more people to get involved in our nation’s favourite game, regardless of their background, age or ability. That’s why I’m delighted that this funding will support Four Oaks in developing better playing surfaces for the local community.

“Made possible by investment from the Premier League, The FA and the Government, via Sport England, the Football Foundation is supporting the grassroots game by improving access to high-quality football facilities across the country. We believe in the power of pitches to transform lives and strengthen communities and so we’ll be investing £1bn across the country over the next 10 years.”
ENDS

Notes to editors:

Founded in 2000, the Football Foundation is the largest sports charity in the UK funded by the Premier League, The FA and Government, via Sport England. It develops new and refurbished grassroots sports facilities in order to improve the quality and experience of playing sport at the grassroots level. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded over 17,377 grants worth more than £684m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of £870m – totalling over £1.5bn of investment into the grassroots game.

By providing more high-quality facilities, coupled with coaching at the appropriate age group, the Football Foundation aims to improve the experience for regular players as well as attracting new players to the game. Many of the new state-of-the-art 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.

For more information please contact:
• Jack Cavilla on 0345 345 4555 Ext: 4292 or jack.cavilla@footballfoundation.org.uk
• Steve Ward on 07415 649643 or steve.4oaks@btinternet.com