Tooting & Mitcham boosted by £6,800 grant which will fund pitch improvements

Tooting & Mitcham United FC have been awarded funding totalling £6,800 from the Premier League, the FA and the government’s Football Foundation.

The funding includes £5,000 from the pitch preparation fund for pitch improvements on the club’s main pitch, the 3G artificial pitches and Farm Road Playing Fields. As well as a further £1,800 towards new 9v9 goals and a line marking machine for Farm Road Playing Fields to enable the pitches to be marked out for next season.

PPF was set up in support of the game, which is currently facing unprecedented challenges because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The fund is providing grants to clubs that have lost out on normal revenue streams during this difficult period.

The funding will enable Tooting & Mitcham United FC, to prepare their football pitches so that they are match-fit when the facility reopens and it is safe to play football again, following government advice. The pitch preparation grant can be used to cover 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.

Caroline McRoyall, chair of Tooting & Mitcham United FC, said: “This funding will help the club to ensure the pitches are maintained and ready to go when we get the green light to resume football as normal. In what has been a challenging time this is very good news and we thank the Football Foundation for their support”

Robert Sullivan, interim chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “We know the huge benefits playing regular football can have on individuals’ physical and mental well-being.  That’s why we’re committed to transforming the face of grassroots football facilities in this country.  It’s therefore very welcome news to hear that this funding will support Tooting & Mitcham United FC in developing their pitches for their local community.

The Football Foundation is a charity funded by the Premier League, the FA and the government, through Sport England.

PHOTO BY KEITH GILLARD