Football’s English Premier League has announced that grants totalling £16m (€19.1m/$20.9m) will be made available to National League and women’s clubs to make improvements to their stadiums.
The grants will be available between now and the end of next season. The £16m total is more than double the existing annual investment provided by the Premier League to support stadium improvements for lower-league clubs.
The Premier League’s stadium fund grants will enable clubs to invest in projects across a range of areas, including the ongoing improvements required for stadiums to meet the standards of the league that clubs play in.
The Premier League has also pledged to provide specific support for clubs in their recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to help them enhance links with their local communities.
These grants will allow clubs to develop areas such as clubhouses, hospitality areas, catering and other facilities to benefit fans and increase revenue streams. Applications for the club development fund will open on April 6, with applications for the stadium fund to open on March 30.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “The strength of our football pyramid is unique in world football and the Premier League has a long-standing commitment to provide funding for clubs at all levels.
“With our increased financial support, we are helping clubs plan for the future and improve their long-term sustainability. This is particularly important as they recover from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know how important it is for the Premier League to support all levels of the game. Football clubs are vital to local communities and we hope this funding will help them develop multi-use facilities to support football for the whole community.”
Since 2000, the Premier League has provided more than 5,200 grants worth over £177m to support the development of stadiums and fan engagement projects across all levels of the sport through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund.
The new Premier League Stadium Fund forms part of the £1.6bn the Premier League will invest between 2022 and 2025 to support communities and the wider game. Clubs that play at Step 1 to 6 of the National League system and Tiers 1 to 4 of the women’s football pyramid will be eligible to apply for grants through the fund.
The Football Foundation will manage the administration of the grants to clubs.
Image: Richard Webb/CC BY-SA 2.0/Edited for size
Share this