Darlaston Town (1874) FC has been awarded a grant of £6,000 from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, to help improve the quality of its grass pitches at its home ground The Paycare Stadium, Bentley Leisure Pavilion, Walsall WS2 0EA.

The £6,000 six-year tapered grant, part of the Foundation’s Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund, will help Darlaston Town to improve the quality of the grass pitches for the benefit of players of all ages including their youth teams and ladies team.

The investment was provided following the completion of a pitch inspection using the Football Foundation’s specially developed app, PitchPower, which is a mobile tool used for assessing the quality of grass football pitches. [Organisation] will now be able to use the grant to complete the maintenance work identified in their PitchPower Assessment Report, which includes applying fertiliser, aeration, seeding, and other maintenance practices.

These grants are key to the Foundation’s aim to help create 5,000 more quality pitches before the end of 2024, in line with the FA’s Grassroots Strategy. Alongside its PitchPower assessment tool, the Football Foundation has also created an online groundskeeping community called The Hive to provide expert support and advice to clubs. Anyone in [area] can find out more and sign up at https://footballfoundation.org.uk/grass-pitch-improvement

Darlaston Town Chairman Neil Chambers said “Since moving to the site in 2015 we have prioritised the improvement of both facilities and pitches. This grant will help considerably in our wish to improve the quality of the playing surface on our pitches allowing all players to improve their technique”

Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This grant award to Darlaston Town towards their planned pitch improvements is vital for the local community in Darlaston and Bentley as they get back to playing football. Our Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund is supporting clubs across the country, helping them enhance and sustain their pitches to improve access to good quality facilities for grassroots players.”

“This is part of our wider ambition to get more people involved in football, regardless of their background, age or ability. By unlocking the power of pitches, we can help transform the lives of players and strengthen communities through the nation’s favourite game.”

The Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund provides eligible clubs and leagues with a tapered six-year grant to help them sustain pitches already at a 'good' level or higher and enhance pitches that are either considered 'poor' or 'basic'.

The grant comes as part of an investment of more than £16m that has been made available to help clubs prepare for the restart of grassroots football following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity and exists to improve the experience of playing football for everyone, by championing fair access to quality facilities.