Premier League fund Bilston Town FC stadium upgrade
Bilston Town FC officially unveiled their £28,000 stadium upgrade 6 August 2016, thanks to a £19,340 grant from the Premier League through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, the largest funders of non-league football in the country.
The funding has enabled the club, who play at Step 6 in the West Midlands Regional League, to replace tired facilities at their Queen Street home with brand new dugouts, pitch perimeter fencing and pitch-side walkways. The developments have improved the comfort, safety, accessibility and atmosphere at the ground, boosting the match-day experience of all players and fans alike.
Funded with £5.2m each year from the Premier League, the FSIF is the country’s largest provider of grants towards projects that help improve the comfort and safety of lower league football grounds in both the professional and amateur game. These improvements range from new football stands and turnstiles to floodlighting and improved provision for disabled supporters.
Graham Hodson, Chairman of Bilston Town FC, said: “We had been looking at ways of replacing the fence for the last few years, but the cost was always the stumbling block. The old fence was in constant need of repair or maintenance, so when we were able to access funding from the Premier League, through the FSIF, it solved a huge problem for us.
“Certainly, without that funding, we wouldn’t have been able to make the improvements, and having completed the project, it makes a huge difference to the whole stadium, with the fence and new dugouts giving the whole place a massive lift.”
Peter McCormick OBE, Chairman of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, said: “The new stadium improvements undertaken here for Bilston Town FC will provide a real boost to all those at the club for the upcoming season.
“The Premier League is absolutely committed to developing grassroots infrastructure and the FSIF enables projects like this one in Bilston to further improve the match-day experience of players and fans right across the country. I look forward to seeing the club’s progression up the football pyramid in the near future.”