Happy New Year!

Although I'm sure we're all too aware that it certainly hasn't been a particularly happy Christmas period for many of our friends and colleagues across the north of England with the continuing rain and subsequent floodings.

At the risk of repeating myself, as well as the homes and small businesses which have suffered damage, many sporting facilities have found themselves deluged - and are now facing the start to 2016 with a massive clean-up operation and attendant massive costs looming.

At least the authorities have been quick to offer financial assistance to those clubs and facilities affected. As we reported before Christmas Sport England has made an emergency fund available and now The FA have announced they have expanded their Emergency Football Relief Fund.

The Fund will now include the regions covered by the Manchester County FA, Liverpool County FA, Cheshire County FA and the North Riding County FA.

Up to £750,000 has been made available through the Emergency Fund to rebuild and repair grassroots football pitches and facilities that have suffered storm damage and flooding, to enable football to continue across the affected regions as quickly as possible.

The funding is available for grassroots football, and clubs across all levels of The FA National League System (Step 1 to Step 7) that require assistance to make facilities safe and fit for purpose following damage by the recent storms, to allow football to continue.

The Fund is focused upon, but not limited to, the following County FA regions: Cheshire FA, Cumberland FA, Durham FA, Lancashire FA, Liverpool FA, Manchester FA, North Riding FA, Northumberland FA, Westmorland FA and West Riding FA.

Organisations should contact their County FA for more information about how to access this emergency relief funding. You can find all their contacts here

The Football Foundation is managing the delivery of the Emergency Football Relief Fund. £500,000 has been invested by the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund (funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government/Sport England).

A further £250,000 is coming from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (funded by the Premier League.)

So again, if your facility has been affected by the recent events, our sympathies go out to you, and we can only urge you to take advantage of any assistance which is being offered.