CLUBS in Suffolk are to benefit from a further £39,000 of grant funding.

A total of 78 clubs in the county successfully applied for grants via the Club Preparation Fund set up by the Football Foundation at the end of last month.

Altogether £2.19m was made available to help clubs across the country return to football following the coronavirus pandemic.

The aim of the fund was to help football clubs and community organisations prepare their facilities to safely reopen in line with Government guidance around hygiene and social distancing.

Each of the successful Suffolk clubs has been awarded £500 from the fund, which was open to those clubs and organisations that own their own facility or have at least 12 months’ security of tenure.

One of the successful clubs was Bildeston Rangers FC, whose Consent Lane ground is pictured above during their CNet Training Suffolk Senior Cup First Round tie versus Ipswich Town Under-18s in the 2019-20 season.

Suffolk FA Chief Executive Richard Neal said: “With clubs having to make a number of coronavirus-related considerations ahead of returning to football, receipt of this award will provide timely assistance in ensuring players, club officials, and eventually spectators can return to clubs with confidence that the environment is as safe as possible.”

Suffolk FA announced last week that they have partnered with Blue Square Solutions Ltd to provide clubs with all their COVID-19 requirements.

The Haverhill-based company are able to provide a one-stop shop for clubs to purchase all their requirement as they prepare to return to playing football.

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