Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many junior football matches have been postponed this season as a result of weather.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Maintenance of grass football pitches is the responsibility of individual clubs in conjunction with the FA. Clubs that play at Step 1 to 6 of the National League System and Tiers 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid are eligible to apply for grants through the Premier League Stadium Fund in order to make improvements to their grounds. Administration of the grants is managed by the Football Foundation.
Government is also delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. This includes £327 million to provide up to 8,000 new and improved multi-sport grassroots facilities and pitches across the whole of the UK between 2021 and 2025.
The Government recognises the logistical difficulties posed by weather-related postponements, and the consequent fixture congestion caused. This is exacerbated for clubs that have been forced to play their home fixtures at an alternative venue where the surface at their home ground is unplayable. However, the decision of whether or not to extend a football season is one that must be made by the FA as national governing body of the sport.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of playing home games at alternative venues on non-league football clubs.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Maintenance of grass football pitches is the responsibility of individual clubs in conjunction with the FA. Clubs that play at Step 1 to 6 of the National League System and Tiers 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid are eligible to apply for grants through the Premier League Stadium Fund in order to make improvements to their grounds. Administration of the grants is managed by the Football Foundation.
Government is also delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. This includes £327 million to provide up to 8,000 new and improved multi-sport grassroots facilities and pitches across the whole of the UK between 2021 and 2025.
The Government recognises the logistical difficulties posed by weather-related postponements, and the consequent fixture congestion caused. This is exacerbated for clubs that have been forced to play their home fixtures at an alternative venue where the surface at their home ground is unplayable. However, the decision of whether or not to extend a football season is one that must be made by the FA as national governing body of the sport.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of the state of grass pitches maintained by local authorities on junior football.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Maintenance of grass football pitches is the responsibility of individual clubs in conjunction with the FA. Clubs that play at Step 1 to 6 of the National League System and Tiers 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid are eligible to apply for grants through the Premier League Stadium Fund in order to make improvements to their grounds. Administration of the grants is managed by the Football Foundation.
Government is also delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. This includes £327 million to provide up to 8,000 new and improved multi-sport grassroots facilities and pitches across the whole of the UK between 2021 and 2025.
The Government recognises the logistical difficulties posed by weather-related postponements, and the consequent fixture congestion caused. This is exacerbated for clubs that have been forced to play their home fixtures at an alternative venue where the surface at their home ground is unplayable. However, the decision of whether or not to extend a football season is one that must be made by the FA as national governing body of the sport.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Football Association on an extension to the football season for junior sides.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Maintenance of grass football pitches is the responsibility of individual clubs in conjunction with the FA. Clubs that play at Step 1 to 6 of the National League System and Tiers 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid are eligible to apply for grants through the Premier League Stadium Fund in order to make improvements to their grounds. Administration of the grants is managed by the Football Foundation.
Government is also delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. This includes £327 million to provide up to 8,000 new and improved multi-sport grassroots facilities and pitches across the whole of the UK between 2021 and 2025.
The Government recognises the logistical difficulties posed by weather-related postponements, and the consequent fixture congestion caused. This is exacerbated for clubs that have been forced to play their home fixtures at an alternative venue where the surface at their home ground is unplayable. However, the decision of whether or not to extend a football season is one that must be made by the FA as national governing body of the sport.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with local councils on the maintenance of grass pitches.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Maintenance of grass football pitches is the responsibility of individual clubs in conjunction with the FA. Clubs that play at Step 1 to 6 of the National League System and Tiers 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid are eligible to apply for grants through the Premier League Stadium Fund in order to make improvements to their grounds. Administration of the grants is managed by the Football Foundation.
Government is also delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. This includes £327 million to provide up to 8,000 new and improved multi-sport grassroots facilities and pitches across the whole of the UK between 2021 and 2025.
The Government recognises the logistical difficulties posed by weather-related postponements, and the consequent fixture congestion caused. This is exacerbated for clubs that have been forced to play their home fixtures at an alternative venue where the surface at their home ground is unplayable. However, the decision of whether or not to extend a football season is one that must be made by the FA as national governing body of the sport.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Football Association on increasing funding for third and fourth generation playing surfaces.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to delivering top class sports facilities across the country, so that everyone can take part in sport and physical activity. As part of this commitment, the Government is delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots sport facilities across the UK.
Between 2021 and 2025, the UK Government is delivering investment of over £400 million to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. The largest component of this funding is the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which is investing over £320 million in, among other things, new third generation playing surfaces.
Government recognises the importance of levelling up grassroots facilities across the country and as part of the delivery of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, we are analysing the need for future funding and how this will be delivered, taking into account the upcoming Spending Review.
Government has been clear that the Football Association plays an integral role in the funding of grassroots facilities, and investment in both 3G and grass pitches remains a key priority. Government will continue to work with the Football Association to encourage future investment into facilities through the Football Foundation.