The improvements will be implemented by the Pitch Improvement Programme (PIP) and will improve more than 2,000 grass pitches as part of the organisations 2015-2019 Strategy for Participation and Development. It will offer a range of measures to support grassroots clubs, club volunteers and groundsmen including on-site evaluations with practical advice and recom­men­dations.­ 

 

On top of the commitment to improve grass pitches, The FA has also pledged to spend £36million on facility improvements and new developments directly through the Premier League and FA Facilities Fund managed by the Football Foundation.

 

The offical roll out of the PIP follows a comprehensive piloting which has already seen £1 million invested and over 800 visits to grassroots football pitches by trained experts. 

Mark Pover, The FA’s national facilities manager, said: “PIP has already proven to be a tremendous resource for many grassroots clubs. 

In addition, through the introduction of new technologies, The FA is able to develop local investment strategies and continue talking directly with clubs about the state of the facilities they use, providing dedicated programmes to help with improvements." 

(MA)