SFA will assist grassroots football with support fund

The SFA has launched Give for Grass roots, a new support fund that will allow football fans help grass roots clubs continue to provide for children within their local communities.

With Covid-19 having had a severely detrimental impact on grassroots football across the country, many clubs are facing financial difficulty, with the potential for thousands of young players to drop out of playing the game.

Some 57% of scottish grass roots clubs are facing critical financial challenges in the months ahead, with both player and volunteer numbers already lower compared to pre-lockdown levels.

The Grassroots Football Support Fund, Give for Grassroots, has been set up by the SFA, with support from its charity partner ‘The Scottish Football Partnership Trust’ (SC044867).

It will help ensure young players across the country have the opportunity to return to the game they love.

Launched as part of Uefa Grassroots week, the SFA have already kicked off the Give for Grassroots Appeal with a £50,000 donation to the initiative – and are now encouraging fans across Scotland to donate.

All donations will be managed by the Scottish Football Partnership Trust, allowing affiliated grassroots football clubs to apply for funds to give the growing number of disadvantaged young people in their community the chance to play and remain part of the football family.

SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “There is a real danger that many children across Scotland will be lost to the game as a result of their grassroots clubs suffering financially from the impact of the pandemic, which is a situation I am not willing to countenance.”