The club, based in Eccles, needed to restore the storage area as it had become unsafe due to a slippery, uneven surface. After clearing the area of debris, the club ran out of funds and so entered an application to fund the completion of the project. The club was successfully awarded £401.18 by Manchester FA to purchase materials to cover the area and make it a safe space to store equipment.

Open to all member clubs and leagues, Manchester FA’s Fund4Football project reinvests discipline income back into the grassroots game. A maximum of £500 is available per application, with several submission windows across each season, and applications can be made for a variety of needs including kit and equipment, to building materials and facility improvement.

Joel Buckle, Manchester FA’s Business Development Manager, said: “Fund4Football allows us to re-invest the discipline income from the grassroots game, into the grassroots game and we were delighted to award funding towards this facility. Deans Youth and Ladies FC provide football for 20 teams and are an integral part of the local community. Helping the club to make the compound safe once again, means that that they can continue to deliver safe and enjoyable football, for all”.

David McGrath, Deans Youth and Ladies Committee Member, added: “We’ve done a lot of work at our club over the last 12 months and as a result, available funds have deteriorated. When I heard about the F4F grant, I immediately thought of our compound works that had started in July.”

“As we had only part-renovated the area, our large nets were still being stored on the field which was not ideal, from a safety perspective and because of the damage that the nets received over the summer. However, as a direct result of the funding provided by Manchester FA, we were able to finish the enclosed compound and can now safely store all of our nets.”

The next Fund4Football application window opens in 2019.