There’s good news for Reds in the Community / Barnsley football Club having been awarded a £2,500 Pitch Preparation Fund grant from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation.

The Pitch Preparation Fund 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 Reds in the Community / Barnsley Football Club, who play in the Championship, to prepare their football pitches so that they are match-fit for when it is safe to play football again, following Government advice.

They can use their grant towards 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.

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 Barnsley can sign up at https://thefa.hivelearning.com/groundskeeping.

Wayne Bullimore, Chief Executive Officer at Reds in the Community, said:

“We are delighted and so grateful to the Football Foundation with the award of this grant. It has been a challenging period for most organisations and in particular the charity sector.

There has been no income stream that has remained untouched or unaffected. This grant will ensure our facilities remain maintained for the benefit of all our work and beneficiaries regardless of our cashflow position for many years to come.

This extraordinary turn of events has brought about many positives and the pulling together of the extended ‘football family’ has been a particular highlight for me. Thank you, Football Foundation !”

Robert Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said:

“This is a vital grant to help Reds in the Community and Barnsley Football Club get their pitches 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.”

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

Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation.