The FAI has announced the opening of the COVID-19 Grassroots Club Support Scheme for 2021.
Clubs are being asked to complete an initial expression of interest form by the deadline of May 15th after which they will be contacted with details of what might be available to them.
The fund, which has been established by Sport Ireland, aims to provide additional support to grassroots clubs to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The expression of interest runs to 15 questions in total the core element of which is a statement of loss of income through membership fees or loss of income from pitch rental and summer camps, as well as a statement of the costs incurred to provide sanitiser, signage additional equipment in the 2021 calendar year.
These will need to be backed up in time by the club accounts or treasurer’s report for 2019 and 2021 as evidence of the loss of income or additional expenditure.
The Club Resilience funding was one of five streams through which covid supports totalling €73.6 million for 2021 is being distributed.
The FAI will get €19 million of this for distribution across all aspects of the sport of football.
“Firstly I want to thank Minister Martin, Minister Chambers and their Departments, alongside Sport Ireland for providing this much needed and welcomed support for our Grassroots Clubs,” said FAI Grassroots Director Ger McDermott.
“We will be hosting workshops with those Clubs who express their interest to help ensure they understand the process and are supported through it.”
“We have all seen the fantastic collective efforts from the countless number of volunteers involved in football throughout the country over the COVID-19 pandemic. I want to take this opportunity to thank our Grassroots Clubs and their volunteers for their continued engagement over the past few years.”
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