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Helen Whately offers helping hand as Lilywhites embark on a new journey in the club's history
Thomas Reeves10 May 2017 - 20:42
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Club held a football festival and changing room ceremony recently
I’m delighted that I was able to help Faversham Town FC score a £150,000 upgrade for its changing rooms
- Helen Whately
Helen Whately, prospective parliamentary candidate for Faversham and Mid Kent, officially unveiled Faversham Town FC’s new changing pavilion at the Shepherd Neame Stadium last Sunday.
The project was made possible thanks to a grant from the Premier League, through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), the largest funders of non-league football in the country.
The works have enabled Faversham Town FC, who are nicknamed the “Lilywhites” and boast 23 teams and over 400 youth players, to build a brand new changing pavilion, which will house Junior and senior players from: The Kent Youth League, The Isthmian Development League and The Isthmian League, Division One South.
The works will ensure the South East club, founded in 1884, meet the National Ground Grading Criteria required of clubs competing in Step Four, aiding their future ambitions to further climb the National League System.
The new state-of-the-art facility comprises: two team changing rooms; two officials’ changing rooms; spectator toilets and a physio room.
The project was made possible thanks to a £150,000 grant from the Premier League, through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, which was secured in partnership with the Kent FA.
Since 2000, the Football Stadia Improvement Fund has provided 59 grants worth £3.2m towards grassroots sports projects worth £9.1m across the whole of Kent.
Funded with £5.2m each year from the Premier League, the FSIF is the country’s largest provider of grants towards projects that help improve the comfort and safety of lower league football grounds in both the professional and amateur game.
These improvements range from new football stands and turnstiles to floodlighting and improved provision for disabled supporters.
Helen Whately said: “I’m delighted that I was able to help Faversham Town FC score a £150,000 upgrade for its changing rooms.
“They are now looking terrific and these new facilities will be a real boost to the club – both the players and the fans.
“Congratulations to everyone involved and many thanks for your hard work in making this happen.”
Ray Leader, Chairman of Faversham Town FC, said: “The club are indebted to the Premier League, through the FSIF, Viridor Credits and KCC & Parry Page Projects Ltd for their support, without which these facilities would not be possible.
“Our existing changing rooms were over 60 years old and in very poor condition.
“This brings a new chapter in the history of Faversham Town FC, helping it to provide excellent facilities for the local community, which will serve future generations of young sports people over the next 60 years.”
Peter McCormick OBE, Chairman of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, said: “These stadia improvements at the Shepherd Neame Stadium are a huge boost for all connected with Faversham Town FC, and the local football community.
“The new changing pavilion ensures the Lilywhites now meet the required stadia regulation, which will enable them to progress further up the football pyramid.
“The Premier League is a huge supporter of grassroots football and this project is another great example of its continued investment, through the FSIF, in stadia infrastructure at the lower levels of the game.”
The project was made possible thanks to a grant from the Premier League, through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), the largest funders of non-league football in the country.
The works have enabled Faversham Town FC, who are nicknamed the “Lilywhites” and boast 23 teams and over 400 youth players, to build a brand new changing pavilion, which will house Junior and senior players from: The Kent Youth League, The Isthmian Development League and The Isthmian League, Division One South.
The works will ensure the South East club, founded in 1884, meet the National Ground Grading Criteria required of clubs competing in Step Four, aiding their future ambitions to further climb the National League System.
The new state-of-the-art facility comprises: two team changing rooms; two officials’ changing rooms; spectator toilets and a physio room.
The project was made possible thanks to a £150,000 grant from the Premier League, through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, which was secured in partnership with the Kent FA.
Since 2000, the Football Stadia Improvement Fund has provided 59 grants worth £3.2m towards grassroots sports projects worth £9.1m across the whole of Kent.
Funded with £5.2m each year from the Premier League, the FSIF is the country’s largest provider of grants towards projects that help improve the comfort and safety of lower league football grounds in both the professional and amateur game.
These improvements range from new football stands and turnstiles to floodlighting and improved provision for disabled supporters.
Helen Whately said: “I’m delighted that I was able to help Faversham Town FC score a £150,000 upgrade for its changing rooms.
“They are now looking terrific and these new facilities will be a real boost to the club – both the players and the fans.
“Congratulations to everyone involved and many thanks for your hard work in making this happen.”
Ray Leader, Chairman of Faversham Town FC, said: “The club are indebted to the Premier League, through the FSIF, Viridor Credits and KCC & Parry Page Projects Ltd for their support, without which these facilities would not be possible.
“Our existing changing rooms were over 60 years old and in very poor condition.
“This brings a new chapter in the history of Faversham Town FC, helping it to provide excellent facilities for the local community, which will serve future generations of young sports people over the next 60 years.”
Peter McCormick OBE, Chairman of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, said: “These stadia improvements at the Shepherd Neame Stadium are a huge boost for all connected with Faversham Town FC, and the local football community.
“The new changing pavilion ensures the Lilywhites now meet the required stadia regulation, which will enable them to progress further up the football pyramid.
“The Premier League is a huge supporter of grassroots football and this project is another great example of its continued investment, through the FSIF, in stadia infrastructure at the lower levels of the game.”
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