PitchPower is an online app which can be used to unlock funding from The Football Foundation. By completing a PitchPower inspection, Clubs can gain access to the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund (GPMF), providing them with money to complete essential pitch maintenance and improvements. 

We are committed to improving playing surfaces across the County, and the Gloucestershire FA is encouraging all Clubs to learn more about the GPMF and to complete a PitchPower assessment.

Mike Marshall, Chair of Wotton Rovers Youth FC, has spoken about his experience with PitchPower.

What were the quality of pitches like before PitchPower and GPMF?

"Four years ago, Wotton Rovers Youth FC had access to a 7v7 size 3G pitch which the u7 to u10 played matches on, but our older teams were reliant on poor quality, uneven and sloping school and public playing fields pitches."

Can you tell us a bit about your site and how many pitches you maintain?

"Work in partnership with Wotton Community Sports Foundation and using the space they manage we have built 3 new grass pitches. In September 2021 with funding from South Glos Council we opened ‘The Lesley Ford 9v9’ and ‘The Nick Ford Youth 11v11’ pitches, named after the incredible couple who founded and ran the youth football club for decades. This season we have opened the new Mike Marshall full-size 11v11 pitch which was built with funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, The Garfield Weston Foundation and Wotton Rovers Youth FC contributed £10,000 from savings after years of fundraising events."

How easy was it to use PitchPower?

"Building the facilities was just the start, the ongoing maintenance of these grass pitches is critical to ensure their longevity, and this is where the Football Foundation's PitchPower support has really stepped in. Completing the initial pitch inspection was easy enough, the app takes you through a step-by-step questionnaire giving links to more details about certain question, I just needed a spade, tape measure and my phone. The report came back with several recommendations around maintenance, equipment and training."

How much FF funding have you accessed and & what impact has it had on your playing pitches?

"Off the back of this report, we were able to secure almost £24,000 over a 6-year period for pitch maintenance works like deep tine aeration, fertiliser, herbicide and small equipment like a slitter and soil sampler. We have taken a delivery of a brand-new Massey Ferguson 1740M compact tractor and Trimax Striker rotary roller mower - this purchase was only possible through the 75% funding of £18,000 from the Football Foundation. The maintenance and machinery funding has transformed the work we are able to do and has seen an improvement in the pitch quality."

What have the key benefits been and what improvements have you seen?

"The PitchPower process has provided more than just funds, through the training programme from the Grounds Management Association (GMA) and sessions from Gloucestershire FA we have developed our knowledge and understanding of pitch maintenance work and our pitch maintenance volunteers have really grown in confidence with the work they do. We also made contacts with grounds keeping professionals and companies who have provided invaluable advice and recommended suppliers who have helped us maintain our pitches to a good standard."

Would you recommend the scheme to other clubs?

"We still have to put in a lot of time and effort maintaining our pitches, but for anybody wanting to provide good quality pitches for grassroots football, I'd recommend PitchPower."

Here's what GMA Regional Pitch Advisor, Ash Hendrickx-Nutley, said about the project: "I support community football clubs and organisations across the region by completing bespoke reports with enhanced maintenance and equipment recommendations through the Football Foundation online app PitchPower and site visits when required. We also deliver FA/GMA grounds maintenance workshops.

Clubs like Wotton are enabled to inspect their pitches themselves by answering a series of questions and carrying out practical tests across each pitch. From this information the PitchPower App grades the pitch with a performance Quality standard (PQS) from Poor to High which determines what funding maybe available to improve the pitches. The goal is to help the clubs maintain the pitches to the good or above PQS via regular PitchPower inspections and reports. Two members of the club have completed the GMA’s online football level one grounds maintenance course which gives the club a background in what maintenance is required.

I am pleased to see the pitches at Wotton improve and it is great news to see the club have taken advantage of the Football Foundation's 75% machinery funding and received their new compact tractor and rotary roller mower, the pictures really show what can be achieved by volunteers. It’s so important to support these volunteers because without them community sport would not be possible."

To check if your club is eligible to apply for the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund, please see below or click here for full information. Click here to learn more about machinery grants.

You can also contact Rosie Pike for more information: Rosie.Pike@GloucestershireFA.com