Mark Pritchard, MP for the Wrekin, gave grassroots football in Shropshire a boost, as he presented Hadley Learning Community with a Youth Football Goalposts cheque from the Football Foundation and The FA, worth £238.
Hadley Learning Community had applied for funding towards the purchase of new smaller goals recommended by The FA for Under-11 and Under-12 matches. Under the Foundations Youth Football Goalpost scheme, grants are available to schools to cover 50% towards the total cost of purchasing these new smaller goals. Hadley Learning Community is a school for students aged 5-16 located in the community of Hadley in central Telford. The school has a community field which is open to the public outside of school hours and is therefore used for recreational football by local teams. The community will enjoy the facility free of charge so the new goalposts will be used extensively. 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 Football Foundation has awarded 13,000 grants worth £510million towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract an extra £719 million in partnership funding.
Mark Pritchard MP said of the investment in his constituency: “Grassroots football provides young people with a fun and social way to stay fit and healthy, and is therefore extremely important for the community. “As a keen member of the Parliamentary Football team, I am delighted to see grassroots football in The Wrekin receiving recognition and I am pleased to be able to present this cheque, on behalf of the Football Foundation.” Mark Hignett, English Schools FA Council member and Hadley Learning Community Assistant Head teacher, said: “The new goalposts will make such a difference to the life of the school and the local community at Hadley. Having the right equipment is crucial for young footballers to develop in the grassroots game, so we thank the Football Foundation, The FA and the English Schools’ FA for helping to provide them.”
Paul Thorogood, the CEO of the Football Foundation said: “Congratulations to Hadley Learning Community on working with the Shropshire FA to secure this grant for Youth Football Goalposts, which will help benefit Hadley community significantly. Many thanks also to Mark Pritchard MP for showing his support for the grassroots game by taking time out of his busy schedule to present this cheque on behalf of the Football Foundation.”