PRESS RELEASE : Grassroots facilities across Wales share £1.2 million investment [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 20 May 2023.

The UK Government funding is part of ongoing investment in multi-sport facilities throughout Wales in collaboration with the Cymru Football Foundation.

People playing grassroots sports in Wales will directly benefit from the latest £1.2 million investment in high quality multi-sport facilities from the UK Government, in partnership with the Cymru Football Foundation and the Football Association of Wales.

As part of the Government’s 2022/23 commitment, more grassroots participants in Wales will see their facilities improved, increasing the availability and access to high quality facilities for football, hockey and other grassroots sports. Forty three sites have been selected for funding across Wales as part of the 2022/23 funding allocation.

A key priority for the Government is to level up access to community sports facilities in all parts of the UK, to help as many people as possible to get involved in sport and to deliver all of the mental and physical health benefits associated with active and healthy lifestyles.

The latest investment is part of the Government’s ongoing £300 million multi-year investment into grassroots multi-sport pitches across the UK by 2025 – more than £13m of this will be invested in Wales.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

We are committed to levelling up access to sport which is so important for the nation’s physical and mental health.

Today we are delivering 43 new and improved grassroots sports facilities across Wales to continue to support, sustain and grow community and grassroots sport – so that physical activity is accessible to all, no matter a person’s background or location.

We will continue to work with the Football Association Wales to nurture the talent of the future whilst making sure local communities have the sporting facilities that they need.

A central aim of the programme is to level up access to community sports facilities and invest in some of the most deprived areas in the UK, to give as many people as possible the opportunity to take part in sport. In order to achieve this, and to deliver access that every community needs, at least 50% of investment will be spent in underprivileged areas.

Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies said:

The UK Government is continuing to invest significantly in grassroots facilities, helping clubs and groups to deliver the huge health and social benefits that sport brings.

I am delighted that this funding is being distributed to communities across the length and breadth of Wales, allowing future generations of sportspeople to develop their skills. Working with the Football Association of Wales and others, we want to make sure the fantastic success that Welsh sport has recently enjoyed continues for many years to come.

Some of the facilities to benefit from the 2022/23 round of investment in Wales include:

• Darran Park in Ferndale has received more than £170,000 to upgrade their 3G pitch;
• Essity Stadium in Flint has received more than £40,000 for floodlights;
• Tredegar Recreational Sports Ground in Park Hill has received more than £18,000 for floodlights, storage, goalposts and shelter;
• Underhill Park in Mumbles, Swansea has received £190,000 for a new artificial grass pitch;
• Evans Bevans Playing Fields in Port Talbot has received more than £27,000 for grass pitch upgrades.

A full list of the facilities to benefit from 2022/23 investment in Wales can be found here.

40% per cent of the funding will be used to support multi-sport facilities, ensuring a wide range of sports are supported and helping to deliver benefits beyond football. The programme has a particular focus on increasing participation among under-represented groups such as women and girls, and those with a disability.

Noel Mooney, Chief Executive Officer, the Football Association of Wales said:

At the Football Association of Wales, we are focussed on driving up the standard of grassroots football facilities across Cymru and to supporting football clubs to be community hubs bringing social, health and economic benefits to the areas they serve.  The investment in new facilities through the Cymru Football Foundation, which has been made possible through the funding from DCMS, is a prime example of this work.

The UK Government, in partnership with the Cymru Football Foundation and Football Association Wales, continues to build on its £1.3 million investment in 2021/22, with a further £1.2 million confirmed today and a total of 60 sites in Wales having benefitted to date.

Throughout the lifecycle of the grassroots multi-sport facilities investment programme which will run to 2025, Wales will receive more than £13 million in total to help nurture the talent of the future.