Somerset FA is delighted to announce a partnership with community sport organisation GiveToLocal, in an effort to provide support to further support Charter Standard grassroots football clubs across the county.

GiveToLocal aims to help grassroots clubs secure regular financial assistance from people and local businesses within their community. With so much uncertainty surrounding the return of grassroots football due to COVID-19, the move comes at a welcome time for community clubs.

The agreement between the two organisations will see Somerset become the eighth county FA to enter into a formal partnership with GiveToLocal.

And it will also further strengthen GiveToLocal’s ambition to put £10m per year into community sport across the UK.

Somerset FA Marketing and Partnerships Officer, Conor Ogilvie-Davidson, said: “It is vitally important that, as a community, we stick together and support one another through these tough times. Many clubs are struggling due to the window for income generation being cut short. Often costs are still being incurred. This means that clubs are struggling with cashflow and a shortfall in their budget. We’ve entered into a partnership with GiveToLocal because of their focus on supporting community sport - that was a differentiating factor for us.”

Launched in 2019, GiveToLocal was established with the aim of providing grassroots clubs with a model that allows them to bring in a sustained level of income. Working alongside the Somerset FA, GiveToLocal will help to connect grassroots football clubs to individuals and businesses within their local area. Local businesses, like sport clubs, are of fundamental importance to local communities and by helping them to connect to each other through GiveToLocal, the aim is to help both thrive.

The innovative service provider has also received the backing of a number of high-profile Premier League footballers, with Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum, Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend and AFC Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson all throwing their weight behind GiveToLocal.

And with the help of a user-friendly application that connects donors and sponsors to the local businesses in their area, clubs have the chance to look forward to the future, as they try to navigate through the challenges brought about by coronavirus.

Conor added: “The support from the dedicated team at GiveToLocal will allow clubs to unlock the most from their networks. It will allow them to generate sustainable, extra income that will be of real benefit to them. You just don’t get that level of genuine support from real people at other platforms.

“Another added benefit of signing up to GiveToLocal is that it will also allow clubs to generate sustainable income over time, and not just for one off-projects, which is sometimes the case with other platforms.

And GiveToLocal’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Colin Stromsoy, is thrilled about the new partnership.

Colin said: “Entering into an official partnership with Somerset is a really exciting move for GiveToLocal and we’re thrilled to be working with them.

“The challenges our communities are facing at the moment are vast and the future is full of uncertainty.

“This partnership will offer hope to many clubs and businesses across the county of Somerset and I’m sure we will see some great success stories very soon as we have in other areas.

“The whole team at GiveToLocal is delighted to be working with everyone at the Somerset FA and together I’m sure that we’ll make a positive difference which is ultimately, what it’s all about.”

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