Football in Birmingham and the surrounding areas was given a boost today with £68,000 worth of investment from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation.

The funding is being awarded as grants from the Foundation’s Club Preparation Fund. This has been created to help clubs prepare their buildings to safely reopen in line with Government guidance around hygiene and social distancing, and The FA’s plans for a ‘phased return’ that were announced on 18 July.  

136 grants were awarded to clubs across the county totalling £68,000. This will benefit 1,974 local football teams in the area.

These Club Preparation Fund grants will go towards football sites to satisfy the extra hygiene measures that Government guidance requires. This includes:

• Installing hygiene facilities, such as hand sanitiser dispensers, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers and waste bins

• Modifications, such as safety screening, contactless payment systems and signage

• Facility maintenance work, such as repairing hand basins and hot water provision

• Professional inspections that may be necessary due to the prolonged period of closure resulting from the pandemic – including inspections of water quality, gas and ventilation

Oliver Hitchcox, Facility & Investment Lead at Birmingham County FA, said: “We are delighted that a significant number of teams within Birmingham County FA are going to benefit from this funding. It will enable them to safely return to football, in line with Government and FA guidelines. We are grateful to the Football Foundation and their partners for the ongoing support they have provided for our clubs.”

The investment follows the Foundation’s Pitch Preparation Fund that awarded £7m to 2,902 organisations across the country. This is enabling over 9,000 football pitches to be made match-fit, and is benefiting more than 33,000 football teams.

The successful clubs being offered Club Preparation Fund grants in the Birmingham county region are:

• Bustleholme F.C.
• Balsall & Berkswell Hornets F.C.
• Prinny F.C.
• Stratford Town Colts FC
• Coventry Sporting F.C.
• Warley Sports Club
• Penn Colts F.C.
• Halesowen Town FC
• Leek Wootton F.C.
• F C Premier Saturday F.C.
• Romulus FC
• Atherstone Town F.C.
• Weddington Sports F.C.
• Solihull Moors FC
• Hollyfields Centre Club Ltd
• Coton Green Minor F.C.
• Solihull Moors FC
• Yardley Dynamo F.C.
• Kingshurst Pavilions Sports Club Boys F.C.
• BUlkington Sports and Social Club
• Tividale Sports & Social Club
• Tividale Academy F.C.
• Dudley Sports F.C.
• Woodbourne Sports Club 
• Claverdon FC
• Coventry Alvis F.C.
• Nuneaton Harriers Community Association 
• Coldlands Colts F.C.
• Triplex Sports Association
• Hillmorton Juniors F.C.
• Copsewood sports& Social
• Walsall FC Community Programme
• Coventry Sphinx F.C.
• Leafield Athletic Ladies F.C.
• Kings Heath Sports F.C.
• Edgbaston Spartans FC
• Kinver Colts F.C.
• Lye Town F.C.
• A F C Gornal
• Birmingham Moseley Rugby
• A F C Bentley
• Maypole F.C.
• Alvechurch F.C.
• Tipton Town F.C.
• Kenilworth Sporting F.C.
• Belvedere Park F.C.
• Gornal Athletic F.C.
• Boldmere St Michaels Women F.C.
• Enville Athletic Youth F.C.
• Kineton Sports And Social Club
• Austin Ex Apprentices F.C.
• Jet Blades F.C.
• A F C Birmingham 
• Hampton F.C.
• Racing Club Warwick F.C.
• Wake Green Amateur F.C.
• Solihull Ladies United F.C.
• Paget Rangers  F.C.
• Henley Forest of Arden F.C.
• Colron Boys F.C.
• Southam United Minor F.C.
• Rugby Town FC
• Coundon Court F.C.
• Leafield Athletic F.C.
• Sky Blues in the Community
• Silhill F.C.
• Glades F.C.
• Bourton and frankton
• Coventry United Juniors F.C.
• Coventrians F.C.
• Hurley Kings F.C.
• Hednesford Town FC
• Marston Green Minor F.C.
• Moseley Cricket Club
• Leafield Athletic F.C.
• Rugby Borough F.C.
• Coventry United FC 
• Solihull F.C.
• A F C Wulfrunians
• Aston Old Edwardians Association Ltd
• Coventrians Jaguar Youth F.C.
• Sutton Coldfield Town FC
• Northfield Town Junior F.C.
• Attleborough Sports J F.C.
• Alcester Town F.C.
• Nuneaton Borough F.C.
• Cradley Town F.C.
• Tamworth FC
• Rubery Juniors F.C.
• St Peters Celtic FC
• Shipston Excelsior FC
• Sporting F.C.
• Dunlop F.C.
• Exhall Boxing Academy 
• Bolehall Swifts F.C.
• Highgate United F.C.
• Bartley Reds FC
• Welford Juniors F.C.
• Knowle F.C.
• Wednesfield F.C.
• Phoenix United Minor F.C.
• Leamington FC
• Stratford Town FC
• Kenilworth Wardens Cricket Club Limited
• Tysoe United Juniors F.C.
• Boldmere Sports & Social Falcons F.C.
• Stourbridge FC
• Wolston Leisure & Community Centre
• Coventry Saracens Junior F.C.
• Sutton Coldfield Town Juniors F.C.
• Bedworth United FC
• Walsall Phoenix F.C.
• Ambleside Junior F.C.
• Continental Star F.C.
• Griff and Coton Manor JFC
• Earlswood Town F.C.
• Witherley United F.C.
• T L Darby F.C.
• Coleshill Town FC
• Stoneleigh F.C.
• Erin Go Bragh Development Association Li
• Wolston Juniors F.C.
• Chelmsley Colts F.C.
• Folly Lane B C O B Assoc F.C.
• Kewford Eagles F.C.
• Redditch United FC
• Handsworth G S O B F.C.
• Whitley Juniors F.C.
• Old Wulfrunians club
• Northfield Little League Football
• Sutton United F.C.
• Central Ajax F.C.
• West Midlands Police Sports And Social C
• North Warwickshire Recreation Ground Scheme 
• Darlaston Town (1874) C I C F.C.
• Sportsco F.C.