GRASSROOTS football in Suffolk has received a near £1m injection of funding in 2018.

A total of £969,439 of funding from the Football Foundation and Suffolk FA has been channelled into local clubs, contributing to projects costing £1,966,365.

The Football Foundation has supported clubs through its Small Grants, Grow the Game, Retain the Game, Football Stadia Improvement Fund and larger pots have been accessed through their FA & Premier League Facilities Fund.

The Football Foundation is equally funded by the FA, Premier League and Government through Sport England. Projects include:

• New Floodlit 3G at Beccles Town FC
• New Sports Pavilion at Bardwell Playing Fields
• New LED Floodlights at AFC Sudbury
• New Pitch Drainage System and Dugouts at Leiston FC
• New Spectator Hardstanding and Floodlight System at Lakenheath FC
• Pitch Maintenance Equipment at Claydon, Hadleigh and Bacton 89 FC’s
• Referee Changing/Spectator Toilets at Needham Market FC
• Covered Spectator Accommodation, Boundary Fencing, Pitch Perimeter Railing at Felixstowe & Walton United FC
• Pitch Spectator Railing at Mildenhall Town FC
• Replacement of Existing Floodlights at Long Melford FC
• Replacement of Unsafe Goalposts through the Small Grants Scheme – Bury Town FC, Murray Park Friends, Needham Market Phoenix FC, Lakenheath Youth FC, Cornard Dynamos FC, Brantham Athletic FC
• Portable Floodlights through Small Grants Scheme – Inspire Suffolk
• 29 adult clubs supported with £750 grants through Retain the Game
• 15 new female and disability teams funded with £1,500 bursaries through Grow the Game
• 28 clubs received a combined total of £11,000 via the Suffolk FA Small Grants Scheme

Suffolk FA Football Development Manager Jodie Allard said: “Grassroots football relies on the dedicated commitment of volunteers for the game to take place across the country, making the accessing of any additional funds all the more important for these hard-working clubs.

“It’s great to see so many Suffolk clubs taking proactive steps towards improving the experience for their players, parents and spectators by improving their facilities with these acquired funds.

“The funding that the Football Foundation provides to clubs is a vital asset to safeguard the future of football in the area and we encourage clubs to continue to work with us to support future facility projects across the county.

“The success of clubs for the 2018 season is testament to the hard work of our volunteer workforce who continue to develop their clubs for the betterment of the local game.”

The successful clubs in the Suffolk FA Small Grants Scheme were as follows: AFC Sudbury, Assington, Bacton Utd 89, Beccles Town Youth, Boxford Rovers, Claydon, Coddenham Athletic, Coplestonians, East Bergholt United, Felixstowe & Walton United, Great Blakenham Chequers, Hadleigh Unted, Haughley United, Ipswich Wanderers, Lakenheath, Leiston, Leiston St Margarets, Long Melford, Melford AFC, Mildenhall Town, Mutford & Wrentham, Needham Market, Old Newton United, Sporting 87, Sporting 87 Community Trust, Thurlow Youth, Walsham-le-Willows Youth, Waveney.

The new clubhouse alongside the 3G pitch at Needham Market FC is pictured taking shape above – an example of how Suffolk football has benefited from funding via the Football Foundation.