England Manager Gareth Southgate joined forces with the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation today to announce that by 2025, the charity plan to commit 40% of its investment, worth a projected £92 million over the next three years, into multi-sport projects that support both football and an additional sport, such as rugby, cricket, netball, and basketball. This will benefit the landscape of sport across the country, ensuring people will be able to access more places to play for the nation’s favourite sports.
England Men’s Head coach Eddie Jones joined Southgate at Gunnersby Park Sports Hub to make the announcement and launch PitchPower, the Football Foundation’s web app that will revolutionise the condition of grass pitches in England. Initially launched to football in 2020, the app is set to go live for Rugby Union at the RFU’s ‘Pitch Up For Rugby’ season opener on 17th/18th September.
Free to use, PitchPower will see every community club and organisation given the ability to carry out their own sport specific grass pitch inspections. Once an inspection is submitted, grass pitch experts at the Grounds Management Association produce an assessment report with bespoke advice and recommendations to improve the grass pitch quality at a site.
Along with the support in inspections, £15 million of Sport England National Lottery funding will be made available via the Foundation to support the improvement of grass pitches at cricket, Rugby League and Rugby Union grounds across the country over the next three years. From Spring 2023, clubs and organisations using PitchPower to submit their inspections will have the opportunity to apply for funding to support making the improvements identified through the app.
The multi-sport commitment will also see the first Football Foundation PlayZones open in 2023, thanks to additional investment of £13.5m from the Premier League. These small-sided sports facilities will provide accessible outdoor facilities that bring communities together through recreational forms of football and a range of other sports.
Director of Rugby Development at the RFU, Steve Grainger, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Football Foundation on this exciting initiative and want to thank them for their multisport commitment. Good quality natural turf pitches are critical in getting Rugby Union played and our partnership to develop the Pitch Advisory Scheme has got off to a flying start, with over 500 face-to-face pitch consultations having been completed in the last six months.
“As our game diversifies with more women and girls playing, growing mini and junior sections in clubs and demand for matches to be played throughout the week, many pitches are coming under more and more pressure The PitchPower app will have a real impact in helping to manage this, enabling us to reach a much higher number of clubs and improve these much-needed community assets.
“We’re looking forward to the app going live in tandem with our Pitch Up For Rugby activity on 17/18 September as community clubs celebrate the start of the grassroots season.”
Eddie Jones said: “Having access to quality pitches is essential for all sports at all levels. This initiative will have a really positive impact on the grassroots game. The rugby season is about to start and people up and down the country will be taking to the field playing the game they love. That our community clubs will have access to this support and funding will make a real difference to rugby in England.
Access PitchPower and find out more about it here: footballfoundation.org.uk/pitchpower/how-it-works
