STANLEY DELIGHTED BY £100K WINDFALL

ACCRINGTON Stanley have become the first EFL club to net a maximum £100,000 grant from the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund in the latest round of funding awards to boost football community projects across England and Wales.

- Tom Blackett

The Lancashire outfit are one of seven clubs to receive much-needed cash in the second round of awards since the fund was launched last season.

Stanley’s Club Community Organisation (CCO) will use the windfall to finance a new small-sided 3G pitch at their Stanley Sports Hub facility, a venue that already serves many local grassroots clubs, sports groups and organisations, and is a training venue in the UK and Ireland’s successful bid to host the 2028 European Championships.

It is expected to pave the way for a marked rise in the number of people playing football, from disabled groups to community sessions for over 50s.