Hundreds of Sunderland children to benefit from £90,000 Football Foundation grant

North East Sport Youth FC, which are based at Monkwearmouth Academy, provides coaching and competitive matches for 16 teams and 200 children between the ages of four and fifteen.

The teams compete in the Russel Foster and Durham leagues and like many local teams the ongoing inclement weather has led to degraded pitches and a catalogue of match cancellations.

In a bid to both improve pitch surfaces and reliability, club chairman Peter Curtis applied to the Football Foundation to access funding from their Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund and has secured £90,000 which is to be spread over the next six years.

Along with the funding, the Foundation will also provide expert advice and contacts to implement the use of fertiliser, aeration, seeding and other maintenance practices.

Peter said: “We currently have four 11-aside and two nine-aside pitches and these processes will improve grass growth, remove divots and old dead grass. We have had a lot of games called off due to problems such as the pitches being waterlogged. This money will also help to improve drainage which means we will now be able to ensure more games go ahead.”

With the pitches used on week nights for training, Peter also hopes the new playing surfaces can help to develop the children’s skills as well as expanding the club’s number of teams.

He said: “A good playing surface is vital for kids to develop their skills. With more durable pitches, we also hope to expand our teams and get more children onboard. We are particularly looking at increasing our provision for girls football.

"We provide football year round, including over the school holidays, and so these pitches provide a setting for children to go and enjoy their football in a safe environment.

"The pitches are also used by Monkwearmouth Academy and so this funding will benefit the whole community. This funding really is going to give us a better playing environment and a positive future for the next few years.”

The grants are key to the Foundation’s aim to deliver 20,000 good quality grass pitches by 2030.

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Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund grant award to North East Sport Youth FC is vital for the local community in Sunderland.

"Together with our Funding Partners – The Premier League, The FA and Government – we’re on a mission to transform the quality of grass pitches in England. Our Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund is vital to support clubs across the country, helping them enhance and sustain their pitches to improve access to good quality facilities for grassroots players.

“Better quality grass pitches means fewer postponements and more opportunities to play; part of our wider ambition to help unlock the power of pitches and get more people involved in sport, regardless of their background, age or ability.”

Peter also thanked Monkwearmouth Academy and Durham County FA for their support in putting the bid together.