FA set up emergency fund for clubs affected by Storm Desmond

THE Football Association have set up an emergency fund worth £750,000 to help grass-roots clubs that were affected by the recent Storm Desmond.

Half a million has been invested by the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund (funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government/Sport England) with a further £250,000 coming from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (funded by the Premier League).

A number of clubs from across the north of England have borne the brunt of the storm with strong winds and heavy rain causing postponements and damage to facilities.

The fund, aiming to rebuild and repair pitches and facilities, has been co-ordinated through the Football Foundation and will be administered by the six County FAs across the regions affected – Cumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland and West Riding.

FA Chief Executive Martin Glenn said: “Once the scale of the impact of the recent storms became clear, The FA and its funding partners came together to make funds available to support stricken clubs.

“The funds are intended to make facilities safe and fit for purpose again, which is one way in which we can help communities return to normality after the devastating impact of the floods. We know we need to offer access to this money quickly and we are making sure this will happen through the County FAs.”

The funding is available for grassroots football clubs and those across all levels of The FA National League System (Step 1 to Step 7) with facilities that have suffered damage. Clubs who feel they have been affected should talk to their local County FA. The following link contains contact information for all County FAs: http://www.thefa.com/countyfa.