Key features of Protecting Playing Fields

The Protecting Playing Fields programme has a number of key features and it is important that these are well understood by any organisation considering applying for funding to the programme:

• Applicants must be able to give strong written evidence of the need for the project
• Projects must be community led and demonstrate strong local partnerships
• Projects must demonstrate the contribution they will make to sports development  
• Projects must offer protection of the site for sporting use for at least 25 years
• Successful applicants can choose to receive support  with the design, specification and delivery of the capital works aspect of projects. Our specialist turf consultants can arrange for the procurement, contracting and management of capital works to be undertaken on your behalf.   We hope that this will greatly reduce the administrative burden on successful projects and enable them to focus on sports development and sustaining the project. There are more details in the How to Apply section
• Playing fields for which funding is being sought will need to have been identified through either a published Playing Pitch Strategy, adopted Local Development Plan or Local Needs Assessment
• Education and Statutory applicants, such as local authorities must provide partnership funding. The level depends on what type of organisation you are
• The application process is competitive and we anticipate receiving more applications than we can fund. We will measure all projects against our eligibility and application criteria. Only those that best meet the criteria will be supported.

Your organisation and project must demonstrate all of the features outlined above.

Your application will only move forward if you are able to provide evidence of this.

Please see the Programme criteria section for further information on the areas you must cover in your application.