THERE was good news for a Chester sporting facility after it received thousands of pounds to ensure its pitches were perfect.

The Cheshire County Sports Club was awarded a £5,000 Pitch Preparation Fund grant from the Football Foundation.

The Pitch Preparation Fund was set up in support of the game, which is currently facing unprecedented challenges because of the Covid-19 outbreak. The fund is providing grants to clubs that have lost out on normal revenue streams during this difficult period.

The funding has enabled The Cheshire County Sports Club to prepare their football pitches so that they were match-fit for when it was safe to play football again, following Government advice.

The club used their grant towards the cost of materials, work such as verti-draining, chain harrowing, rolling, over-seeding, fertilising, weed-killing, and routine preparatory work such as grass cutting and the setting out and line-marking of pitches.

Andrew Chandler, general manager of The Cheshire County Sports Club, said: “It is vital that we get back (as a country) to seeing as many people of all ages participating in as much sport and fitness activities as possible.

"Keeping active maintains good health and the benefits of being fit and healthy are clear for us all to see. At The Cheshire, we are grateful for the funding from the Football foundation as that has helped us to get our 3G and grass pitches ready for use and in the best condition they have been in for many years”

Robert Sullivan, interim chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This is a vital grant to help The Cheshire County Sports Club get their pitches match-fit.

“The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation exists to help provide quality infrastructure at the lower-levels of the game. Pitch Preparation Fund grants like this one are giving a helping hand to clubs across the country to get their playing surfaces ready for when the game is allowed to begin again following government advice.”

The Football Foundation is a charity funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England.