Loughborough Dynamo given £5,000 grant opportunity

LOUGHBOROUGH DYNAMO 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 clubs now have the chance to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to help establish community-focused projects with the aim of developing young talent, promoting non-league football to a wider audience and attracting 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.

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.” • Entain – owner of Ladbrokes – has launched a multi-million pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. The programme includes a flagship partnership with The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues - collectively known as The Trident League, as well as a partnership with the UK sports charity SportsAid. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/ sustainability/pitching-in/