£5k grants to help fund club projects
NORTHERN Premier League football clubs have faced a year like no other in 2020, but help could soon be at hand thanks to the Trident Community Foundation.
Pitching In Northern Premier League clubsnow have the chance to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to help establish community-focused projects.
The aim of the grant is to assist initiatives which develop young talent, promote non-league football to a wider audience and attract volunteers.
The Trident Community
Foundation has been founded by a combination of
Entain’s grassroots sport investment programme, Pitching In, and the three Trident Leagues – The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues.
Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, has donated £150,000 to establish the TCF Fund for distribution over the remainder of the 2020/21 season and the project has the firm backing of Pitching In ambassador Stuart Pearce.
“Initiatives like this are close to my heart as I am proud of my non-league background,” said former City boss Pearce, who began his career with
Wealdstone before going on to win 78 England caps.
“Non-league clubs are the hubs of their communities and people have connections to these clubs going back generations. Bringing people together, especially in these fractured times, is vitally important and initiatives such as this will help do that.
“The timing is absolutely spot on. The true mark of help is when people really need it – and the football community at this level really needs it.”
Following a simple application process, potential projects will be reviewed by the
TCF board – which will be chaired by David
Emery, editor-in-chief of The Non-League Paper and consists of three Trident League chairmen and two Entain representatives.
Pitching in Northern Premier League chairman Mark Harris is part of the TCF board and hailed ‘a hugely welcome piece of good news’ in a year like no other.
“We are delighted and extremely grateful to Entain for helping us get this off the ground,” Harris said. “It is unique and it will make a real difference to our clubs.
“A number of our clubs have been doing fabulous work in their local communities this year.
“Some have been involved in supporting food banks and picked up on Marcus Rashford’s initiative to feed children. That just shows what our level of the game is about.
“Challenging doesn’t even begin to describe this year. But the key thing is that through sticking together, and through initiatives such as the TCF Fund, there can be a bright future.
“Our non-league system is unique. We must protect it and cherish it, and initiatives like this help do just that.”
Trident Community Foundation chairman David Emery said: “I am very honoured and proud to have been asked to chair the TCF board.
“I started covering non-league football at my local paper when I was 17 and it is the bedrock of our sport.
“The timing is perfect and we hope the leagues will start kicking off again very soon.”