The "ambitious plans" for a new sports and education center on the banks of the Wear "have moved a stop closer to reality," thanks to a £1M ($1.5M) grant, according to Kevin Clark of the SUNDERLAND ECHO. The Beacon of Light, to be built next to Sunderland Aquatic Centre, "will house education and training facilities, with an indoor football pitch ad more pitches outside." The £15M ($22.3M) project "is being developed by Sunderland AFC's charitable arm, the Foundation of Light." It has been handed a £1M grant as part of a package worth more than £3.5M ($5.2M) from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund (PL/FA:FF) "awarded towards grassroots projects across the whole of the North East and Yorkshire." Funding from the PL/FA:FF goes toward "building or refurbishing floodlit third generation (3G) football turf pitches and changing pavilions" (SUNDERLAND ECHO, 12/29). In the last six months alone, the PL/FA:FF has awarded grants to 163 facility projects to build and refurbished facilities that will improve experiences for regular players as well as attracting new ones to the game. These grants, worth £14M ($21M) for projects totaling £57M ($84.5M), will be delivered by the Football Foundation for items such as grass pitches, artificial pitches, floodlights, changing rooms, goalposts and pitch maintenance equipment. This announcement of 163 grants follows on from the recent statement by the U.K. government to strengthen sport in the U.K. from community to the elite level. As part of the strategy, the Premier League has agreed with the government that, given the increase in its broadcasting income for '16-19, it will double its investment into community football over the coming three seasons (Premier League).
