Press Release

Monday 15^th August 2011

Upper Beeding Football Club score with Football Foundation grant

Footballers in Upper Beeding were celebrating today following a £5,000 Grow the Game grant awarded by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity.

• The funding boost will allow Upper Beeding to establish two extra teams in 2011 and another one in 2012

• The main beneficiaries of the grant will be those joining the club at under 7 level and men, for whom a third team has been established.

• Participation at the club is set to grow significantly with an additional 30 players expected

• The grant will boost the number of teams ran at the club from 6 to 9.

• The club will now be able to train 3 additional FA qualified coaches, improving the quality of the coaching experience for participants.

Upper Beeding’s men’s teams have been progressing strongly in the West Sussex leagues with the Reserve side winning consecutive promotions and the 1^st XI well established in the Premier division. The new third team will play on Sundays to allow those unavailable on Saturdays the chance of a regular game.

Funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government via Sport England, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 8,000 grants worth more than £420m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £520m.

Nick Dungay, Chairman at Upper Beeding FC, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the grant from the Football Foundation to help us provide new opportunities for both mature and young players in our area to enjoy playing the national game”

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation said: “We warmly congratulate Upper Beeding and the Sussex County FA for their hard work and dedication in securing this award.”

“Our Grown the Game scheme helps fulfil one of the Foundation’s core objectives, which is getting more people playing more football. During the 2009-10 season, Grow the Game projects attracted more than 21,000 new players to our national game.”

“This new project in Upper Beeding is but one example of thousands across the country that the Football Foundation is supporting with money provided by our funding partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government.”

ENDS

For more information contact:

• Nick Dungay on nd@limetrees99.f2s.com

• Rory Carroll on 0845 345 4555 ext 4280 or rory.carroll@footballfoundation.org.uk