Football in Newton-le-Willows received a boost in April as Newton-le-Willows FC was awarded a £2000 grant by the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

The £2000 grant, part of the Foundation’s Return to Football Fund, is helping Newton-le-Willows FC to restart following the lifting of government restrictions on grassroots football. The grant was made possible thanks to funding from The FA and Sport England through the Football Foundation.

This money will be used to cover the cost of adapting to COVID-19 rules as Newton-le-Willows FC returns to play the beautiful game

Jeff Taylor, Chairman of Newton-le-Willows FC said: “we were naturally delighted that the restrictions were lifted to return to football in a safe an organised environment. As a community Charter Standard Club, we pride ourselves on doing things in the correct way especially when it concerns the welfare of our members. This welcome grant from the football foundation has allowed us to invest correctly to make this happen. We are grateful to the Football Foundation for yet again showing their support in what we do.”

Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This grant award to Newton-le-Willows FC towards the adaptation for COVID-19 is vital for the local community as they get back to playing football. Our Return to Football fund is supporting clubs across the country, helping them to kick-start our national game again locally and try to recover from the effects of COVID-19. ”

“This is part of our wider ambition to transform our grassroots game and unlock the power of pitches, something we hope to get back to in full force as restrictions are lifted.”

The £2.1M Return to Football Fund is directly targeted at groups of people whose participation has been affected most by COVID-19, offering Clubs up to £2,500 each.

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. In March, the Foundation declared “Game on” and announced three funds to get football’s 12 million grassroots players back on the pitch.

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.

On behalf of everyone at Newton-le-Willows FC, thank you for ensuring a safe return to the game we love!