Tom Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, will visit George Salter Academy’s two new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitches (AGP) on Friday 27 April at 2pm. The project was made possible thanks to a grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation.

The grant helped George Salter Academy to replace their two existing sand-dressed AGPs, which were in poor condition due to age, with new floodlit all-weather playing surfaces. The new facilities were officially opened by the Deputy Mayor of Sandwell, Cllr. Susan Eaves, in November 2017.

The improved surfaces are benefiting the school’s partner clubs Tantany Lions FC and Greets Green Albion FC, as well as the Birmingham FA who use the pitches to deliver courses. The Albion Foundation, charity arm of West Bromwich Albion FC, also use the facilities to deliver community outreach sessions such as Premier League Kicks.

The project received a £462,000 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation.

Since 2000, the Football Foundation Funding Partners’ investment has provided 390 grants worth £21.3m towards grassroots sports projects worth over £49.5m across the whole of Birmingham.

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 17,000 grants worth more than £615m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of £817m – £1.4bn of investment into the grassroots game.