Tag Archive for: Partnership

Staffordshire FA and Campey continue partnership

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Staffordshire FA and Campey continue partnership: Following on from a successful working relationship with Campey Turf Care over several years, including the development of a formal partnership in 2020, Staffordshire FA is delighted to extend our partnership with Campey Turf Care for the 2021/22 Season, as the Association’s recommended equipment supplier.

One of the key strands of the Staffordshire FA grass pitch improvement strategy, is to support our clubs and grounds persons to be able to invest in quality equipment to maintain their playing surfaces, and for several years now, Campey Turf Care have developed an excellent reputation and relationships with many clubs across Staffordshire.

Staffordshire FA and Campey continue partnership

Staffordshire FA and Campey continue partnership

As the Football Association and Football Foundation continue to invest in the ongoing improvement of grass pitches, there has never been a better time for grassroots clubs to embrace the support and resources which can enhance their playing surfaces, and subsequently improve the experience of their members.

Gareth Thomas, Partnerships & Communications Officer: “Staffordshire FA have been actively working to improve grass pitches across the county since 2012, and we continue to be very encouraged by the positive impact our programme is having. However, there is still plenty of work to do with over a thousand pitches across the county, and we can only achieve our objectives by working together with various key partners across the industry.”

“Campey Turf Care have played a key part in supporting Staffordshire FA and our member clubs during that period, not only with the supply of quality equipment, but also via valuable education and aftercare with our clubs and volunteers, and support with the educational workshops we deliver.

He continued: “Grassroots football clubs can access support via the Football Foundation ‘Pitch Power’ process, which in turn provides clubs with a detailed report and recommendations from our Regional Pitch Advisor at the Grounds Management Association. Included within each Pitch Power report is a section on recommended equipment, which clubs can then access 75% funding for, via a grant from the Football Foundation.”

“On receipt of their Pitch Power report, clubs across Staffordshire regularly ask us where they can access quality equipment to invest in; having a trusted partner like Campey Turf Care really assists the County FA and our clubs with that process, and we look forward to developing the partnership and supporting more of our clubs in 2021/22 and beyond.”

John Campey, Director at Campey Turf Care, commented: “We are delighted to extend our involvement with Staffordshire FA for the coming season. Working together we have provided a vital link between manufacturer/supplier and those in the field. Combining our innovation and expertise in product design with education and hands-on experience from grassroots clubs is a powerful step in achieving best practise at every level.”

For further information on the Staffordshire FA grass pitch improvement strategy and how your club can benefit from the programme, please contact: support@staffordshirefa.com

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SubAir Systems and Soil Scout partnership

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SubAir Systems and Soil Scout partnership: Soil Scout’s sensors detect the turf’s underground moisture, temperature, and salinity levels while SubAir Systems’ units automatically adjust the moisture levels to provide optimized conditions for turf managers

Helsinki, Finland (November 9th, 2021) US-based SubAir Sports Systems has announced a partnership with wireless underground soil moisture sensor startup Soil Scout to give turf managers unprecedented control over their operations and turf with automated subsurface monitoring and ventilation.

SubAir Systems and Soil Scout partnership

SubAir Systems and Soil Scout partnership

Soil Scout’s sensor transmits moisture, temperature, and salinity data in real-time from up to 2 meters below the surface, while SubAir’s subsurface aeration and moisture removal units guarantee ideal pitch conditions, automatically adjusting the moisture levels of the turf according to live, real-time soil conditions. In a sudden downpour, the vacuum systems activate to eliminate excess moisture in the soil profile, with 36x faster drainage than natural drainage alone.

This combination of cutting-edge turf technology enables turf professionals to provide pristine playing surfaces for professional teams and players, thus creating entertainment that creates important memories for fans and players alike.

“Working with Soil Scout has so far been one of the best partnerships we’ve ever had in the entire turf industry. With both companies being the industry leaders in their respective fields, I’m super excited to work together to provide one of the most powerful solutions on the market to help turf managers achieve their goals based on real-time data from Soil Scout’s sensors and our aeration units,” says Brad Dennis, President of SubAir Sports Systems.

“Turf managers expect tools to be able to do their job efficiently and effectively as possible – our partnership provides the data and operational performance to ensure that ideal pitch performance requirements are met. Working with SubAir has been brilliant, and they’re true innovators in their industry – this partnership provides an unrivaled offering and we’re very excited to deploy this solution combination around the world together,” says Jalmari Talola, CEO of Soil Scout.

SubAir Systems and Soil Scout have been chosen to support all eight of the stadium venues at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The devices are also currently used in numerous iconic sports venues such as Citizens Bank Park, home to the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team – a sport where irrigation is a constant challenge due to baseball being one of the few sports that tarps their grass for rain and needing to keep infield clay dry.

“During the Major League Baseball season, it’s critical that our moisture levels remain in a range that allows us to keep the field hydrated enough that we can get through the day without any hotspots, but not so wet that the field is set up excessively for disease and fungal growth,” says Mike Boekholder, Director of Field Operations and Citizens Bank Park, home to the Philidelphia Phillies. “Soil Scout and SubAir help us manage our way through all that in as efficient a manner as possible.”

“Once the Soil Scout units report an average moisture level above our setpoint, the SubAir turns itself on to vacuum mode until the moisture levels drop back below the setpoint. We can likewise adjust the SubAir unit to run on specific schedules based on temperature data, or just turn off completely if the soils get too cold,” he continues.

Soil Scout recently announced its partnership with US-based provider of autonomous aerial intelligence services, GreenSight, as well as expanding its US operations with an aim to accelerate its go-to-market efforts and combat the ongoing drought in California.

Backed by Husqvarna, Soil Scout was co-founded by Finnish agrotechnology Ph.D. and 19th generation farmer Johannes Tiusanen and electronics expert M.Sc.Eng Jussi Sirkiä with a mission of giving soil experts the information they need to effectively manage their lands.

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New Soil Scout partnership

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New Soil Scout partnership: Leading underground soil monitoring specialists Soil Scout are delighted to announce a new and exciting strategic partnership with principal turf grow lighting supplier Turf Lightning Solutions (TLS). The partnership, which is effective immediately, comes at an exciting time for both companies who are experiencing significant worldwide growth and acclaim in the sports turf and golf course industries.

The strategic partnership will see Soil Scout’s real-time soil monitoring data available via it’s open API on Turfpal – TLS’s flagship web based software.

New Soil Scout partnership

New Soil Scout partnership

Developed with ease of use in mind, Turfpal has become the most comprehensive management software option for football, golf, rugby or any sports arena with a natural turf surface. Remote turf management, monitoring and control 24/7 via PC, tablet or smartphone giving sports turf professionals the tools required to better manage, operate, prepare and budget for their grounds and turf maintenance.

All new TLS’s lighting rigs are Turfpal compatible providing customers with online monitoring and operation of rigs at any time from anywhere.

Adam Sedgwick, VP of International Sales at Soil Scout said of the new partnership: “Soil Scout are really lucky to have found another leading sports turf company that shares our same vision and objectives as we strive to bring innovative technology and sustainability to the industry. This strategic partnership will be a real game-changer for TLS customers who are looking to enhance their real-time maintenance practices based upon our data.”

Soil Scout CEO, Jalmari Talola added: “Understanding what happens under the turf is critical if pitches are to reach their true potential. When it comes to sports turf professionals, their challenge is real – to maintain extremely high-quality pitches while facing pressures to cut water consumption and act in an environmentally sustainable way.

“Our partnership with TLS Turfpal will see Soil Scout sensors strategically buried across sports venues, giving sports turf professionals an instant understanding into what’s happening below their soils. These insights will be added to the Turfpal platform allowing them to see everything happening at their venue – and be able to plan their day’s work, before they set foot outside.”

TLS Chief Executive Officer Edd Tveit commented upon the partnership: “TLS’s mission is to offer turf growth through science. Through our partnership with Soil Scout our Turfpal platform now includes live soil data 24/7, even during ongoing matches and events. The data will help secure a good looking high playing quality sports turf.”

Mark Sinnett, Director Business Development for TLS said: “It’s exciting times at TLS at the moment with investment made to expand and develop, with the addition to bring Soil Scout on board as a strategic partner. We will work together to broaden the range of services we offer our customers. Providing industry leading technology through the use of Soul Scouts sensors and TLS’s Turfpal.

“This combined technology enables us to give our users live data 24/7. Supporting the planning and managing of daily operations. This also allows our customer to operate our lighting rigs remotely via the Turfpal app. Having Soil Scout on board allows us to give full analysis of what’s happening under the soil with temperatures, moisture and salinity to help assist the quality above the soil with the use of the TLS lighting rigs and TLS turf fans.”

Soil Scout is rapidly becoming a global market leader in underground soil monitoring with their advanced wireless sensor solution. The fully buried Soil Scout system is helping sports turf professionals keen on having real-time data at their fingertips reduce maintenance costs and water consumption.

Permanently positioned sub-soil sensors stream moisture, temperature and salinity readings from key locations across pitches and courses, collecting all of the data needed to make real-time decisions on where to allocate time and resources with an unfair competitive advantage of 20 years battery lifetime.

Turf professionals receive a detailed view of the in-field variations of their surface, and with more accuracy can treat areas of concern, whilst collecting historical data over a period of time gives an overall clearer view of seasonal trends.

TLS was founded in 2012 and is backed by staff with more than 20 years of experience in the turf industry. A leading manufacturer of innovative turf lighting products TLS offers the most flexible system on the market today. TLS products are designed with the highest level of attention to detail and they are operating on many different sports venues around the world. TLS is continually expanding and evolving to ensure they are at the forefront of new technology and offer advanced ongoing technical support to their customers. The TLS lighting rigs now offer online monitoring and control through Turfpal, the innovative online turf monitoring, control and management platform. Constantly developing new technology, TLS uses feedback from their customers when adding new innovations and features to their products and services.

For more information on TLS turf lighting solutions and Turfpal please visit; www.ra-tls.com or email; post@ra-tls.com. To contact Soil Scout and find out more about their wireless soil sensor system please visit; www.soilscout.com or email; sales@soilscout.com.

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Kubota announces OEM partnership with MX

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Kubota announces OEM partnership with MX: Kubota has announced a strategic OEM partnership with French manufacturer MX to supply loaders for the M series tractor range throughout Europe.

The agreement covers all M-series models including the M4003, M5002, MGX-IV, M6002 and M7003 models, spanning 66-170hp.

Kubota announces OEM partnership with MX

Kubota announces OEM partnership with MX

For Kubota (UK), this agreement is expected to significantly increase sales by providing a comprehensive materials-handling solution which is available to order exclusively through Kubota’s dealer network. Importantly for customers, it offers the convenience of combining tractor, loader and attachments, in one integrated solution.

“This agreement makes it much easier for customers to choose a tractor and high-performance loader package that closely suits their needs,” said Henry Myatt, product marketing manager for Kubota’s M-series tractor portfolio.

“MX-built Kubota loaders are finished in our familiar orange livery to compliment the look of the Kubota tractor range, providing an integrated materials handling solution for all M-series tractors,” he said.

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RFU and Honda UK announce partnership

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RFU and Honda UK announce partnership: Honda has created a giant set of rugby goalposts from its fleet of new cars to celebrate the launch of a new partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and England Rugby.

The multi-year agreement sees Honda become the Performance Partner and Official Vehicle of England Rugby.

RFU and Honda UK announce partnership

RFU and Honda UK announce partnership

To celebrate it, a team at Honda’s mass distribution centre at Portbury Docks, Bristol, created the unusual rugby-themed image. A total of 49 models of varying size and colour, including the Jazz Hybrid, Jazz Crosstar and Civic, were parked into the shape of a 100ft long set of rugby posts, with numerous other cars positioned below to spell out ENG.

Rebecca Adamson, Head of Automobile, Honda UK, said: “We are thrilled to announce this exciting new partnership with The Rugby Football Union.

“On a brand level, there are huge synergies between Honda and England Rugby and we truly believe it’s a partnership that supports our own philosophy of giving everyone the ‘Power to Dream’ and we’re all very excited to see what the next few years will bring.

“For a bit of fun, we thought we’d turn our large car park at Portbury into a giant set of rugby posts which could be visible from quite a distance.”

The long-term relationship, which officially kicks off today (1 September) in time for the start of the new season, will see Honda align with England Rugby in several exciting ways.

The Honda logo will feature on the England men’s U18 and U20 playing and training kits produced by Umbro.

Honda will also become the Principal Partner to the England Rugby senior men’s official training centre located at Pennyhill Park, to be named as the Honda England Rugby Performance Centre.

In addition, Honda will provide the official vehicle fleet to England Rugby and its employees. There will be a major focus in sustainability in this area with the majority of the cars supplied having a degree of electrification.

There will also be support for community rugby in England, with Honda coming on board as the first ever title partner for the Grounds Connected programme as well as support for volunteering in the grassroots game through the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme.

In addition to becoming the Official Automotive Partner to England Rugby, Honda will activate across their Motorcycle, ATV, Lawn and Garden products.

RFU Chief Executive, Bill Sweeney, added: “We are delighted to confirm Honda UK as an Official Partner of the RFU and England Rugby.

“Honda is a massive global brand well-known for its innovation and we are certain it will be a great fit for us. Honda’s global brand positioning is enabling ‘the Power of Dreams’ and ‘challenging spirit’ which is synonymous with our own.

“We look forward to working with Honda on what will no doubt be some exciting partnership activations over the next few years.”

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The Slatter Group’s new partnership

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The Slatter Group’s new partnership: Leading sports construction specialist The Slatter Group is partnering with the Northern Premier League (NPL) to provide expert advice, education, and support to the league’s 81 teams

The NPL, which covers the North and Midlands and operates at tiers seven and eight of English football, has today unveiled premier sports contractor The Slatter Group as its Official Pitch Partner ahead of the 2021/22 season. The NPL will utilise the company’s expansive artificial, hybrid and natural turf expertise to deliver a co-ordinated programme of education and development to teams across the league.

The Slatter Group's new partnership

The Slatter Group’s new partnership

Encompassing S&C Slatter and White Horse Contractors, The Slatter Group will offer up its 90+ years combined experience to Northern Premier League Clubs, with a goal of delivering comprehensive support on the design, construction, finance, and maintenance of their pitches. The league’s 81 clubs will benefit from roadshows and webinars throughout the season, with personalised support in areas such as bid writing, business case preparation, finance packages and environmental sustainability.

Mark Harris, Chairman, Pitching In Northern Premier League, commented:

“The Slatter Group submitted a standout presentation as part of our tender process. In particular, we were impressed by their commitment to engaging with our clubs to help educate and share best practices in raising standards.”

The Slatter Group already has a strong presence in English football, as the leading non-league 3G pitch supplier, with over 40% of clients achieving promotion following installation. Clients across the group include Sutton FC, Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea FC, Harrogate Town, Yaxley FC and Everton FC.

Jason Douglass, Group Director, The Slatter Group commented:

“We are delighted to be joining The Northern Premier League as their Official Pitch Partner, with a shared objective to help clubs attain maximum performance and value from their football pitch design, construction, finance and maintenance.”

Using our substantial in-house experience and working closely with innovative turf partners such as FieldTurf and GrassMaster, we’re thrilled to be able to support clubs across the NPL in the development of sustainable, durable and top-quality facilities.”

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Bernhard & Company form new partnership

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Bernhard & Company form new partnership: Industry-leader in turf sharpening equipment and management solutions, Bernhard and Company, has established a new partnership with SGDC India Pvt. Ltd. which is now the company’s official distributor within India.

SGDC and Bernhard and Company share common values, with a focus on customer experience utilising cutting-edge technologies that deliver on value, innovation, and design. Formed more than a decade ago, SGDC India is the nation’s leading Golf Course Development company and offers itself as a one-stop-shop solutions provider for all golf course infrastructure and maintenance requirements.

Bernhard & Company form new partnership

Bernhard & Company form new partnership

This appointment comes as Bernhard and Company looks to ensure it can service current customers more efficiently, while also helping to increase sales through improved contact with new prospects. SGDC will be responsible for direct sales and customer relations within India and will demonstrate the knowledge and passion that Bernhard and Company possess for its grinding philosophy.

Anit Mehrotra, Director & CEO of SGDC, said: “We are delighted to establish a new working relationship with Bernhard and Company, and we are committed to taking the company’s business to the next level in India.”

Steve Wilson, Bernhard and Company Territory Manager for Pacific Asia, added: “We look forward to growing our network in India, and are proud to introduce SGDC to our network of world-class distributors who can deliver our industry-leading turf management solutions.”

Bernhard and Company grinding machines are used by more than 65 of the world’s top 100 golf courses to ensure perfect, tournament-ready playing conditions year-round, while the company’s turf management solutions and educational support are utilised at major sporting events around the globe.

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Forest Green extend Infinicut partnership

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Forest Green extend Infinicut partnership: It is perhaps no surprise that the club described by FIFA as ‘the greenest football club in the world’ would turn to battery power when it comes to their choice of mowers.

However, what did surprise Forest Green Rovers Grounds Manager Nigel Harvey was the enormous improvements in both operation and finish achieved with the club’s duo of 34” INFINICUT® FL’s compared to their previous petrol-driven units.

Forest Green extend Infinicut partnership

Forest Green extend Infinicut partnership

Now nine months into his role, and with the assistance of club Apprentice Matt Berry, Nigel’s transition from the Forest Green training ground to the Stadium was a swift and steep learning curve. “I had only used petrol mowers previously and because of the speed of the handover, when I took over at The New Lawn Ground, I stuck to what I knew. That was until Oliver Hall from INFINICUT® came in and did some training with me on the pair of floating head units and I just could not believe how good they were – I’d been missing out!”

“It’s not just the fact they’re battery powered, which obviously means they’re quiet to operate and aren’t kicking out noxious fumes, but it’s the quality of cut too which is just outstanding. Within the time it took me to mow half the pitch I could tell the definition of stripe and cleanliness of cut was far superior to what we had been using. With fewer conventional tools and techniques at my disposal to tackle issues such as disease control, the balance and adjustability of the INFINICUT® delivers the perfect cut – with no shredding or bruising – to maintain plant health.”

Along with the two FL 34’s, Nigel has also got a range of TMSystem™ cassettes as his disposal including the SarelRoller™ and ThatchMaster™, which will be of particular use in preparing the surface for next season. The club are also looking at add further battery powered equipment to their fleet, with the aim of significantly reducing petrol usage at the stadium.

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Gullane and Toro partnership to hit 25 years

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Gullane and Toro partnership to hit 25 years: Gullane Golf Club in Scotland and Toro certainly have history. With the latest deal taking it to 25 years, it’s a partnership claimed to have produced putting surfaces as close to perfection as nature will allow. 

That accolade was made about the effect of the Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers on the course for the Scottish Open three years ago and with a new machine in the club’s last order, clearly the Toro effect continues.

Gullane and Toro partnership to hit 25 years

Gullane and Toro partnership to hit 25 years

“Toro gave us the attention to detail to create near-perfect conditions. It always has, and it’s why this latest deal takes our relationship to a quarter of a century,” says course manager Stewart Duff.

With three 18-hole courses, Gullane No. 1 carved into ancient links turf, Gullane No. 2 sweeping down to a nature reserve, and Gullane No. 3 with views across Aberlady Bay to the Firth of Forth and beyond, it’s no wonder the club is regarded as one of the most picturesque golf spots in the world. And with a state of the art short game practice area, driving range and children’s course as well, Toro certainly has a lot of area to cover when it comes to maintaining the course. Helping with that is the Groundsmaster 4700-D, which is a like-for-like replacement in the last order from Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare.

Stewart explains: “We split our Toro fleet between the courses as we have so much ground to cover, but there are a couple of machines we use across all three; the Groundsmaster 4700-D is one of those machines. With a cutting width of 12.5ft alongside a high-powered engine it’s incredibly productive.”

And it certainly gets put to good use at Gullane, says Stewart: “In the growing season we have the machine in use five days a week across all the courses, doing three times the amount of work compared to our machines that just work on the one course. So the 4700-D that we had in our last fleet for four years, actually did the equivalent of 12 years’ worth of work – but even then, it was still going strong when we signed the new agreement.”

Joining the Groundsmaster 4700-D and the Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers in the last fleet purchase was the Toro Workman utility vehicle and ProPass 200 topdresser.

Stewart continues: “We’re constantly looking at small tweaks we can make in order to get the best possible results and improve the courses for all, and Toro plays a big part in that. For example, we opted for the two Reelmaster 3550-D fairway mowers as the smaller sized cutting units allowed us to follow the contours better, which results in a better quality of cut. The slick tyres on the machines also prevent any turf damage when turning.”

Included as part of Gullane’s tournament support fleet in 2018 were Toro’s GTX electric utility vehicles and they certainly impressed Stewart with him saying at the time he’d be changing his utility vehicles to be Toro based on his positive experience. The arrival of three Workman utility vehicles in the last order sees Stewart true to his word and it sounds as though Toro will be around for many more years to come at Gullane.

Stewart concludes: “The team and I are delighted to have Toro here at the club for another five years; although realistically that’s more than likely going to be another 10 years. We really do feel as though we have the best possible machinery for the courses and with a club that wholeheartedly supports that relationship, I can only see us continuing to invest in Toro in the future.”

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Campey partnership with Birmingham FA

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Campey partnership with Birmingham FA: Campey Turf Care Systems are proud to announce a new partnership with Birmingham County Football Association (BCFA) that will see the company service grassroots football teams in the Black Country, Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire.

The push towards improving grassroots pitches in England has become a central goal for the Football Association. The overall target is to have five thousand pitches assessed as Good or Better by 2024.

Campey partnership with Birmingham FA

Campey partnership with Birmingham FA

The reform of the grading process along with new funding opportunities prompted BCFA’s Facility and Investment Lead, Oliver Hitchcox, to seek out a machinery partner to ensure clubs were well informed and getting the backup service they need.

“The vast majority of the reports that we get identify a need for new or additional maintenance kit and equipment,” Oliver explains. “We’ve signposted a lot of clubs for funding towards that equipment so often because clubs don’t have a huge amount of expertise in that area, and they tend to come to me or our Grounds Management Association (GMA) Regional Pitch Advisor, Kevin Duffill, asking for the best places to get quotes. We’d already had a fair few clubs who had engaged with Campey and were really enthusiastic about the support they had from them.

“I wanted to get a partner on board so that we had someone we could direct people towards who we knew were going to provide value for money in terms of the kit and offer a really good level of customer service and support for our clubs. So, I contacted John at Campey, and we had a conversation around what we could do.

“They had recently done something similar with Staffordshire FA, so they knew the landscape in terms of what we were looking to do and it’s a really good fit because of the customer service that they offer clubs. Campey has been going out to sites to demo products and taking clubs through that process of what the machinery and equipment can do, how to use it properly and then all the aftercare is really beneficial. So, from our perspective, we know that we can direct clubs to somewhere where they will be well looked after.

“I was speaking to a club last week who we have just supported with some funding, and they said exactly that. The local rep had been out on-site to demo all the kit and take them through that process. When they deliver the equipment, they give a good installation in terms of operation and management and then again, we have the aftercare. They are always on hand with any queries or issues that come up.

“Having someone who works locally who can actually go and visit people is definitely a benefit rather than just having people on the phone or email. That personal contact is really important.”

Every year the FA conducts the grassroots football survey, and a constant theme is the condition of pitches. Good quality surfaces are vital when it comes to attracting new players to the game and retaining them is equally important, and a challenge the Birmingham FA is actively addressing.

As well as funding from The Football Foundation, clubs can also access BCFA’s own grant that help bridge the gap of the remaining 25% cost of machinery from the 75% Football Foundation grant.

Clubs who would like further information on the funding available to them should contact the Birmingham FA or visit www.birminghamfa.com

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