Players at Tingley Athletic FC can look forward to playing on some of the best grass pitches in Wakefield next season thanks to new pitch maintenance equipment the club has purchased.


The club was able to purchase the new pitch maintenance equipment using investment from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

Tingley Ahtletic FC netted a £19,186 grant from the Football Foundation. An additional £12,500 from Leeds City Council and £5,000 from club funds contributed towards the purchase of the new equipment and storage container.

Following a report in 2017 from The Institute of Groundmanship’s Regional Pitch Advisor, it was identified that the pitches at the Crescent Recreation Ground suffered significant compaction and standing water between the drain runs, creating an unstable surface. It was recommended that new equipment will help improve the quality of the pitches and help to reduce the number of cancelled matches.

The Football Foundation previously awarded Tingley Athletic FC a £644,668 grant in 2005 to build a new changing pavilion and develop the pitches at the Crescent Recreation Ground. The club has performed well following the original grant, growing by ten teams in this time and expanding the female game.

Chris Daly, Chairman at Tingley Athletic FC, said: “Today is another important step forward for Tingley Athletic. The ability to maintain our pitches with better equipment will enable the club to play more games over the winter months, something that has been a problem for a number of years. Tingley Athletic have over 20 teams covering both boys and girls, from Under-7’s through to open age, which means our pitches take a lot of wear and tear, so this equipment invaluable.

"We are grateful to the Premier League, The FA and Government’s funding through the Football Foundation. We are also grateful to Leeds City Council and our Ward Councillors, Lisa Mulherin, Karen Renshaw and Ben Garner for their support with the project through the Community Committee – Capital Fund and Section 106 money. Thanks to these organisations we will see improved grassroots facilities for hundreds of players young and old."

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “The support of the Premier League, The FA and government enables the Football Foundation to help improve community sports facilities across the country. Their funding has played a key role in delivering Tingley Athletic FC’s new pitch maintenance equipment.

“This is one example we want to make people in West Riding aware of, that they have the kind of quality pitches and changing rooms that are taken for granted in other counties. We will continue to support projects nationwide, but we cannot do this on our own, so we are encouraging organisations in the area to join our movement to deliver quality football facilities for people in West Riding once and for all.

“Taking part in community sport at any level offers many benefits and rewards, not least the opportunity for people to enjoy themselves and socialise with different members of the community.”