GRASSROOTS football clubs and organisations across Essex are being encouraged to apply for the Football Foundation’s Lionesses ‘HERe to Play’ Fund, which is providing new funding opportunities to help grow women’s and girls’ football.

The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, thanks to funding from the National Lottery through Sport England, are continuing their support for the women’s and girls’ game by helping clubs to create more opportunities for females to get involved in football. The latest stage of the fund will provide two new grant opportunities between May and September:

• £500 grants for clubs or organisations looking to provide recreational football opportunities for women and girls through England Football programmes, including Wildcats, Comets, Squad and Just Play
• £1,500 grants for clubs or organisations looking to introduce a new affiliated women’s and girls’ team, or mixed disability teams, for the 2026/27 season

Organisations can apply for a combination of up to five opportunities, with grants ranging from a minimum of £500 up to a maximum of £7,500. Funding can help clubs to cover key costs, including facility hire, kit and equipment, league and affiliation fees, referees, insurance, promotion and publicity, as well as coach and volunteer training.

Emma Burden, Essex County FA Football Development Officer, explained: “This is a fantastic opportunity for clubs to access some support to soften the financial impact when setting-up new teams. The cost of facilities, kit, affiliation, referees, medical kits and qualifications can be a challenging hurdle to overcome. This grant will help clubs who have plans to grow, but do not want to ask for more money from their membership.”

The new funding builds on the existing Lionesses HERe to Play Fund, which launched last year to help clubs make facilities more welcoming and inclusive for women and girls through improvements such as better changing rooms, lighting, CCTV and sanitary provisions. Essex County FA Head of Development and Investment, Nick Emery, added: “This is a great bolt-on to the Lionesses HERe to Play Fund, which focused on making facilities female-friendly.”

“Female football has been on an upward trajectory for a long period, and this has been driven by our club and league network who have, collectively, increased opportunities for girls to play in both a competitive and recreational way. This fund will further accelerate growth and support new teams and programmes to be started, allowing more females across Essex to play the game.”

Applicants can access the fund through a dedicated Football Foundation webpage at https://footballfoundation.org.uk/grant/lionesses-here-to-play/here-for-teams. You can also find out more about female grassroots football at www.essexfa.com, and by following the Essex County FA on social media.