The Dorset County Football Association are excited to launch our ‘Spring into Action’ Club Maintenance Fund.
Spring is finally here, and we would like to offer England Football Accredited clubs the chance to apply for a small grant of between £100 - £250 to help them improve the facilities at their club.
The fund will enable clubs to purchase materials or equipment to improve areas around the ground that enhances the look of the facilities or addresses areas that need attention due to health and safety concerns. If you need to purchase paint and brushes to repaint your changing rooms, purchase a new line marker or make repairs to areas around your ground you can apply now for a small grant.
Applications could be to fund activities such as:
· Installing safety measures to club facilities
· Paint to re-decorate clubhouse
· Replacement goal nets
· Line marking paint or machine
· Improvements to dug outs
· Changing room improvements
· Tea hut refurbishment
· Kitchen refurbishment
Please Note: Labour costs cannot be claimed for as part of the Club Maintenance Fund. Kitchen appliance i.e. Air fryers, fridges, kettles etc are not eligible through the Club Maintenance Fund.
* There is a limited amount of projects that we can support through the Club Maintenance Fund, so where appropriate applicants may be signposted to other funding streams.
Eligibility
All applications must be submitted by the club secretary.
The ‘Spring into Action’ Club Maintenance Fund is only open to clubs in National Feeder Leagues (Step 7) and below that are part of Dorset FA. Clubs at steps 1-6 of the men’s league structure are not eligible.
The club must be England Football Accredited before claiming any funding.
To be eligible for this Fund, the club must have security of tenure or one of the below will be required:
· Freehold
· Uninterruptible lease for the next ten years
· Licence agreement in place for the next ten years
· Where an uninterruptable lease or licence is not available you may still be able to apply if there is;
o Permission from the Landlord through the completion of a 'Landlord and Tenant' form.
All work must be completed within 6 weeks of receiving the grant.
A club may apply for a grant of between £100 - £250.
The club must ensure there are no outstanding debts to Dorset FA.
All work and changes must conform to any Health & Safety Regulations and government/building regulations.
Funding cannot be claimed for projects that have already been completed
Funding Window
The application window will open on Friday 28th March and will stay open throughout April until Friday 9th May 2025. Clubs applying for funding must use the online application form.
Once the application window has closed all applications will be assessed with successful applications informed of grant amount awarded. When assessing applications for funding the clubs disciplinary record (which includes players, coaches and parents) will be taken into account prior to making any decisions.
For further information on the ‘Spring into Action’ Club Maintenance Fund please email Kath Purnell – Facilities & Investment Lead on Kathryn.Purnell@dorsetfa.com