Sheffield FC and Stocksbridge PS among clubs who can apply for £5,000 grants from Trident Community Foundation

Pitching In Northern Premier League clubs including Sheffield FC and Stocksbridge Park Steels now have the chance to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to help establish community-focused projects with the aim of developing young talent, promoting non-league football to a wider audience and attracting volunteers.

The Trident Community Foundation has been founded by a combination of Entain’s grassroots sport investment programme, Pitching In, and the three Trident Leagues – The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues.

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, has donated £150,000 to establish the TCF Fund for distribution over the remainder of the 2020/21 season and the project has the firm backing of Pitching In ambassador Stuart Pearce.

“Initiatives like this are close to my heart as I am proud of my non-league background,” said Pearce, who began his career with Wealdstone before going on to win 78 England caps.

“Non-league clubs are the hubs of their communities and people have connections to these clubs going back generations. Bringing people together, especially in these fractured times, is vitally important and initiatives such as this will help do that.

“The timing is absolutely spot on. The true mark of help is when people really need it – and the football community at this level really needs it.

“I look forward to seeing the projects that get off the ground as a result of the Trident Community Foundation.”

Following a simple application process, potential projects will be reviewed by the TCF board – which will be chaired by David Emery, editor-in-chief of The Non-League Paper and consists of three Trident League chairmen and two Entain representatives.

Pitching in Northern Premier League chairman Mark Harris is part of the TCF board and hailed ‘a hugely welcome piece of good news’ in a year like no other.

“We are delighted and extremely grateful to Entain for helping us get this off the ground,” Harris said. “It is unique and it will make a real difference to our clubs.

“A number of our clubs have been doing fabulous work in their local communities this year. Some have been involved in supporting food banks and picked up on Marcus Rashford’s initiative to feed children. That just shows what our level of the game is about.

“Challenging doesn’t even begin to describe this year. But the key thing is that through sticking together, and through initiatives such as the TCF Fund, there can be a bright future.

“Our non-league system is unique. We must protect it and cherish it, and initiatives like this help do just that.”

With a mission statement of ‘no project too small’, grants will be capped at £5,000 in the first year of the TCF Fund but there are hopes this could rise in the future with the aid of additional investment.

Pitching In spokesperson Simon Clare said: “We are thrilled that Pitching In is to be a founding partner of the Trident Community Foundation, along with the Trident leagues.

“We put this money in place to support the dreams, visions and plans of many clubs. We are open to all ideas and we can’t wait to see their plans.”

Trident Community Foundation chairman David Emery said: “I am very honoured and proud to have been asked to chair the TCF board.

“I started covering non-league football at my local paper when I was 17 and it is the bedrock of our sport.

“The timing is perfect and we hope the leagues will start kicking off again very soon. Once they do so, the clubs can look forward with some optimism and these grants will help that.”

Entain – owner of Ladbrokes – has launched a multi-million pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. The programme includes a flagship partnership with The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues - collectively known as The Trident League, as well as a partnership with the UK sports charity SportsAid. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/