Football Foundation vs Premier League Stadium Fund: Which Funds Your Fence?
Two of the biggest funding routes for football facilities are the Football Foundation and the Premier League Stadium Fund — and clubs are frequently unsure which one pays for fencing. The answer turns on why you need the barrier. Get the route right and your application goes to the body that funds it; get it wrong and you lose time. This guide explains the distinction clearly.
If you need fencing for general site security or safety, the Football Foundation's fencing grant is the route — up to 75% of cost, max £25,000. If you need a pitch perimeter barrier specifically to meet National League System ground grading, that is funded through the Premier League Stadium Fund instead. The Football Foundation directs ground-grading barrier applications to the Stadium Fund for exactly this reason.
The Two Funds at a Glance
| Football Foundation | Premier League Stadium Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Funds fencing for | Site security & safety | NLS ground grading barriers |
| Typical grant | Up to 75%, max £25,000 | Project-dependent |
| Who applies | Chair, Secretary or Treasurer | Clubs in the NLS |
| Assessment system | Foundation application | StadiumPower |
The Football Foundation Route
The Football Foundation is the charity funded by the Premier League, the FA and the government to improve grassroots facilities. Its fencing grant funds barriers that improve the security or safety of a site — keeping people out, keeping the pitch protected, defining the boundary.
- Up to 75% of project cost, to a maximum of £25,000.
- Applied for by the Chair, Secretary or Treasurer of the club, whose role is verified.
- Requires a marked-up site plan, plus a specification and schedule of works giving total metres, height, construction and the number and size of gates.
- One application per season as a rule, so get the detail right first time.
Our football fencing grants page walks through the application, and we provide the specification and schedule of works as standard.
The Football Foundation's own fencing guidance directs clubs to the Premier League Stadium Fund where the perimeter barrier is required for National League System ground grading. So the same product — a pitch barrier — is funded by different bodies depending on whether the reason is general site safety or a grading requirement.
The Premier League Stadium Fund Route
The Premier League Stadium Fund (PLSF) supports clubs in the National League System with the facility standards their ground grading demands — including the pitch perimeter barrier where it is a grading requirement. NLS grading assessments are administered through the Stadium Fund's StadiumPower system, which logs your facilities against your division's criteria.
If your reason for fencing is "we need an infilled barrier at the right setback to pass grading at our step", this is your route. See our complete guide to FA ground grading for how the criteria work.
Which Route Is Yours?
Grading-driven barrier
Premier League Stadium Fund
Need an infilled, correctly set-back barrier to meet your step's grading criteria? Apply through the Stadium Fund. Double mesh is the usual specification.
Stadium FundSecurity / safety fencing
Football Foundation
Need fencing to secure or protect the site rather than to pass grading? The Football Foundation fencing grant covers up to 75%.
Football FoundationNot sure?
Ask before you apply
Talk to your County FA or to us before submitting. Applying to the wrong fund costs a season. We help clubs identify the right route every week.
Get advice firstGrant-Ready Fencing, Whichever Fund You Use
Both routes need a specification and schedule of works with total metres, height, construction and gate details. We provide all of it as standard with every Pro Pitch quote. Free quote within 24 hours.
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