FUNDING

  
 
 

Old Headingley Celebrate Funding Success
 
The Football Stadia Improvement Fund, supporters of the Football Foundation, and the largest funder of non league football in the country, have announced a grant of £8,135 to Old Headingley AFC.
 
This award has allowed Old Headingley to install a new perimeter fence to their Bradford University Woodhall home ground, ensuring conformance to the criteria of the West Yorkshire League, and finally giving Old Headingley the long term home they have been looking for for seven years.
 
Over £90m has already been invested by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund since its launch in July 2000, funding lower league ground improvements throughout professional and amateur game, creating a safe and modern environment for fans and players to enjoy the game.
 
Paul Thorogood , Chief Executive of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund and Football Foundation, said: “On behalf of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund I am delighted to be able to award this grant to Old Headingley”
“A vibrant community team is vital for the future of football.  The Football Stadia Improvement Fund’s aim is to revolutionise funding for the grass roots in the same way the professional game has been transformed over the last ten years.  I pay a particular tribute to the hard work and dedication all at the club for making this funding a reality.”
 
Chris Burns, Chairman of Old Headingley, said “This investment is the result of several years of hard work from the committee at Old Headingley. We would like to thank Bradford University for the partnership we have formed with them, allowing us the use of Woodhall, and also to the Football Foundation for making our dream an actuality. Now we can concentrate on developing our club on the pitch, and involving more and more of the community. We now have a true home and a base to work from. Now we can look at the next step!”
“Who would have thought that only one year ago there were stories in the local press fearing for the future of Old Headingley? One year on, and I truly believe that we have finally got what we deserve. It is a true success story, and I am proud of every single committee member and player at my club for doing whatever it took to make sure that we would not go out of business. The lads at this club are a shining example that hard work can pay off.”
“When we lost our previous ground and were homeless, we launched the ‘Save Old Headingley’ campaign. Our 50-strong squad all chipped in, and more than 500 letters were sent off to every single football team in the Football League, various businessmen, companies, entrepreneurs and ex-footballers to get whatever help we could. We had lots of letters of support, made some fantastic friends and contacts, but more importantly, our campaign was spotted by Bradford University . The rest is history. To add to that, Rick Parry the Chairman of Liverpool FC also contacted us to offer us some ideas.”
 
In addition to this excellent news, Old Headingley have also just been awarded the Charter Standard Adult Club of the Year award for 2008. This is the second time they have won this award, the first time being in 2006. To celebrate their turn in fortunes, their new facility and their recent award, Old Headingley are holding a presentation at their ‘new’ ground on 23rd August 2008 at 10.30am .
 
For more details about Old Headingley AFC , visit their website www.oldheadingleyafc.com, or email the club on burnsy@oldheadingleyafc.com.