England’s Football Foundation welcomes new funding for grassroots facilities

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The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation have welcomed the news that a further £205m (over $371m) of government funding will be made available to invest in community sports facilities across England for the next three years.

The investment, which was announced by the Chancellor during a Comprehensive Spending Review, will be used by the Football Foundation to target communities up and down the UK who will benefit most from access to better sports facilities.

These regions reflect the priority areas set out by the Government in its ‘Levelling Up Agenda’ – 70 percent of Football Foundation funding will be going to category 1 and 2 areas identified by the Government across England.

This new funding will provide welcome support to the grassroots football community as the nation begins to rebuild from Covid-19.

The Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity and exists to deliver outstanding grassroots football facilities, which means better games and more players – helping transform communities where demand is greatest and impact will be strongest. Since it was formed 21 years ago, the Foundation and its partners have unlocked £1.8bn ($3.2bn) of investment in grassroots football.

Football Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Robert Sullivan:

“This investment is welcome news for all those involved in grassroots football across the country. We know that playing on good quality facilities helps people get fitter, improves mental wellbeing, grows confidence and builds stronger relationships. This is all essential for individuals and communities as we emerge out of the Covid-19 crisis,” he said.

“With the government, Premier League and The FA’s investment, we have made plenty of progress in the last two decades, but there is still lots of work to do to ensure all communities across England get the standard of local sports facilities they need and deserve. This new funding will unlock the power of even more pitches to help transform people’s lives.”

The FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham:

“This investment into grassroots football pitches and multi-sport facilities is fantastic news for communities throughout the country. It will help the nation get active as we emerge from the impact of Covid,” he said.

“This is an important part of the Government’s £550m commitment to transform our grassroots football infrastructure, which will have a massive social and economic impact.”

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Liverpool’s Bold New Move: The Game-Changing Partnership Set to Revolutionise the Club’s Future

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Liverpool Football Club has kicked off a major new era by signing a multi-year global partnership with Trimble, a leading technology company set to revolutionise the club’s infrastructure and day-to-day operations.

The partnership will debut with a massive redevelopment of the Liverpool FC Academy — a project that promises to transform the way future Reds stars train and develop. The upgrade will feature a new full-size indoor pitch, an outdoor pitch with stands, and state-of-the-art medical and sports science facilities designed to nurture the club’s next generation of talent.

Using Trimble SketchUp®, the redevelopment will create a world-class environment for young players to learn, train and thrive. This collaboration ties directly into Liverpool’s broader vision to drive innovation, boost performance, and ensure its facilities continue to meet the demands of the modern game.

Beyond the infrastructure improvements, Trimble’s brand will also feature across Anfield and LFC’s digital platforms — reaching one of the largest audiences in global sport. With more than 215 million social followers, 12 million YouTube subscribers, and a staggering 583 million cumulative TV viewers across all competitions during the 2024/25 season, Trimble is set to gain enormous worldwide visibility.

Ben Latty, Chief Commercial Officer at Liverpool, said:
“Trimble’s technology and expertise will play an important role in how we continue to evolve our facilities to meet the needs of the modern game – starting with the redevelopment of our Academy.

“Innovation has always been central to the club’s approach, and this partnership brings a fresh perspective to how we design and deliver spaces that support our players, staff and fans. We’re delighted to welcome Trimble to the LFC partnership family.”

Rob Painter, President and CEO of Trimble, added:
“Our collaboration with Liverpool Football Club is a pivotal step in expanding our global reach.

“LFC, much like Trimble and its dedicated customers, embodies excellence and a relentless passion for continuous improvement. We’re confident that this unparalleled exposure will propel the brand further with extended global resonance.”

Liverpool’s latest move isn’t just another sponsorship deal — it’s a statement of intent. By joining forces with Trimble, the club is doubling down on innovation, investing in the future, and ensuring its young stars have the best possible platform to shine for years to come.

Launceston City Launches Inclusive Facility Upgrade

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Image Credit: Our Game

Launceston City FC has announced that work has commenced on a new refurbishment for the club’s change room endorsed by the Play Our Way program.

Built in 1979 by the club’s volunteers, the facility’s new refurbishment will include a new roof, a multipurpose and education room, a parent room, renovated changerooms, an undercover walkway, and a new entry.

Launceston City FC Director and lead strategic lead for the project, Jesse Woodroffe, spoke to Soccerscene about what the refurbishment will do for inclusivity and equality around the community.

“What it does is shows that we are a club for everyone, and having a standalone designated facility that’s prioritised for women and girls, sends a signal that sport is for everybody and gone are the days where there isn’t equal access,” she said.

“We are seeing a great shift nationwide in equitable access to facilities, grounds and change rooms; certainly, it wasn’t that way a few decades ago.

“Our hope is that we can offer this room and these facilities out to other groups or NGO’s as well.”

Launceston City aims to complete the refurbishment by April next year in order to have the new change rooms available for the upcoming season.

The project is supported under Stream 1 of the Australian Government’s $200 million Play Our Way Program and aims to deliver modern, inclusive changerooms for women and girls in Launceston’s community.

The Play Our Way Program

The Play Our Way Program is designed to remove barriers to participation, reduce discrimination, and promote equality in sport by funding local initiatives and ideas.

An input of experts across the sport sector and key Australian government agencies helped design the program, including an expert advisory panel of women with experience in community and professional sport.

“Play our Way is an opportunity for local governments, community organisations, the not-for-profit sector and sporting organisations to seek funding for localised solutions and improvements,” said Minister for Communications and Sport, Anika Wells, in a press release about the program.

“The program will be available for all sports, but it is anticipated soccer, as the highest participation sport in Australia, will need significant resourcing in the wake of the greatest Women’s World Cup ever.”

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