DANSON Sports FC are celebrating after being handed a £5,000 Grow the Game grant award by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity.

The funding boost, which will allow Danson Sports to start up four new youth football teams, is designed to help with the costs of running a grassroots club.

Danson will now find it easier to pay for the maintenance of facilities, qualified coaches, competition fees, CRB checks, first aid kits and recruitment.

Significantly, Danson can now also afford to send their managers on FA coaching courses thanks to the Foundation grant.

Danson Sports FC will be presented with a large cheque at the clubs end of season presentation taking place on Sunday at their home ground Bexleyheath Sports Club in Welling.

The project will be managed by club secretary Steve Rayner and chairman Dave Kelly, both of whom dedicate their spare time to give children in the borough of Bexley a chance of playing their favourite sport in a fun and safe environment.

Funded by the Premier League, the FA, and the government through Sport England, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity.

Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 8,000 grants worth more than £420m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £520m.

Chief executive of the Football Foundation Paul Thorogood said: “Credit should go to Danson Sports FC and the London County FA for securing this Grow the Game funding.

“The Foundation’s Grow the Game grant scheme provides crucial financial support to grass roots clubs across the country.

“It enables them to provide new footballing opportunities for boys and girls of all ages, and significantly increases football participation.”

Mr Rayner added: “This funding is absolutely fantastic for our club.

“The £5,000 grant will help our club progress in the right direction.

“Without the help of organisations like the Football Foundation and their funding partners, we would find it very difficult to grow and we would like to thank them for their investment.”

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