Hassocks have been given a helping hand this summer thanks to a £1500 grant from the Pitch Preparation Fund which has been used to improve the Beacon playing surface.
The Pitch Preparation Fund was set up as a joint venture between the Premier League, the Football Association and the Government’s Football Foundation to assist clubs who have faced unprecedented challenges because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Robins have received zero income since the Southern Combination League season was declared null and void at the start of March. The Pitch Preparation Fund money helps to fill a hole in the club’s finances, allowing Hassocks to ensure that the Beacon is match-fit for whenever the Government and FA announce that it is safe to play football again.
Hassocks had originally planned extensive work on the pitch to further improve drainage this summer. An unusually high number of home games were postponed over the course of a very wet 2019-20 season, leaving the Robins with nearly a third of their season still to play when the campaign was ended.
Those plans had to be put on hold however because of the lack of income coming into the Beacon. Hassocks now hope to carry out major improvements next summer should the situation allow it, with the £1500 from the Pitch Preparation Fund being used to help the Robins to prepare for the 2020-21 campaign.
The Beacon has long been considered one of the best venues on the Southern Combination League circuit, thanks to its pitch. Hassocks regularly host the league’s Peter Bentley League Cup final, various cup finals at Under 18 level as well as Brighton Schools’ finals and representative games.
With the Robins’ first team, Under 23s, Under 18s and Ladies all using the pitch alongside some Junior teams for show piece matches, it is normally played on over 100 times in a season.
The Pitch Preparation Fund Grant will help to ensure that it can continue to be used with such frequency over the course of the next year, once football resumes.
