Lancashire FA Supports Grassroots Improvements at Priory

Lancashire Football Association visited Priory to see how the recent funding awarded to us had impacted on the school and the local community. 

The investment towards the floodlights and ground maintenance by the Football Foundation has provided improved facilities, not only for our own pupils, but for clubs that use them beyond the school day.

Priory's Strategic Estates Development Manager, Mr Bolton, spoke to Lucy Roberts from Lancashire FA about the work we have carried out and the impact the funding has had for everyone, including the support we are now able to provide to our local primary schools.

Mr Bolton said, "We applied for two grants from the Football Foundation run by the FA. The first was for grass pitch machinery to help with running our own grass pitches' cutting programme on our fields. 

"We worked with the Grounds Maintenance Association, of which we are members, to assess the quality of the grass pitches for grassroots teams playing on them. The report identified a need for equipment to enable Priory to cut the grass more regularly plus also allow for equipment to help with the basic decompaction of the grass allowing for better grass growth and improved drainage. Three of Priory’s staff also undertook training courses associated with grounds maintenance works."

Mr Bolton went on to explain what the second grant meant for Priory, "The further funding enabled us to upgrade the old floodlights on the 3G pitch from 24 no. 2000watt fittings to new 12 no. 1600watt LED fittings and included the addition of smarter controls to hold off lights when not needed. This has enabled us to not only improve the lighting levels on the pitch but we're also saving energy now that there are fewer floodlights."

The school has four football clubs that are regularly using the grass pitches at weekends and in the evenings for training.

And it doesn't stop there...

We are intending to apply for further grants for the grass pitches which will enable more complicated works to be carried out by specialist contractors to add to the work we have already started.  All this will mean greater use of the pitches for grassroot football.