PlayFootball Connect brings together investment, delivery expertise and the UK's largest network of all-weather football facilities to create football participation and measurable social value.
Funding, facilities and delivery all exist.
They’re just not connected.
Football already has the investment, the facilities and delivery expertise to transform communities across the UK.
PlayFootball Connect brings these strengths together through one coordinated national model, helping partners maximise their collective impact.
PlayFootball Connect doesn't deliver programmes or operate sports facilities.
It brings together organisations investing in communities, expert delivery partners and the UK's largest network of all-weather sports pitches.
Funding exists. Delivery expertise exists. Facilities exist.
The challenge isn't availability. It's connectivity.By aligning investment, infrastructure and delivery, PlayFootball Connect turns ambition into football participation and measurable social value at scale.
One national ecosystem. One coordinated model.
STEP 2 - PlayFootball Connect Structures The Opportunity
We shape the brief, identify the right delivery partners and build a clear, scalable programme around shared objectives.
STEP 1 - Investment Partners Define The Social Impact They Want To Create
Investment partners set the priorities, from the communities and locations they want to support to the outcomes they want to achieve.
STEP 3 – Programmes Access The National Pitch Network
Expert partners deliver activity through PlayFootball’s nationwide network of all-weather sports pitches.
STEP 4 - Impact Is Evidenced And Reported
Participation, outcomes and social value are tracked, evidenced and reported back to every partner.
Built for investment and delivery
Investment partners need trusted delivery, national reach and evidenced impact.
Delivery partners need access to investment, facilities and opportunities to grow.
PlayFootball Connect brings both sides together through one structured ecosystem.
(Potential investment partners include corporate CSR programmes, charitable trusts, foundations, governing bodies and major donors.)ORGANISATIONS INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES
What You Get
01 National reach
Support communities across a nationwide network of established all-weather sports pitches.
02 Trusted delivery
Investment is matched with expert organisations capable of delivering high-quality, inclusive programmes.
03 A structured route into participation
Move from ambition to delivery through one coordinated model, rather than a series of disconnected grants.
04 Measurable social value
Understand where investment went, who it reached and the difference it made.
FOR DELIVERY PARTNERS
What You Get
01 Access to new investment
Engage with corporate partners, sponsors, trusts, foundations, governing bodies and other organisations investing in communities.
02 Co-designed opportunities
Help shape programmes around local knowledge, delivery expertise and the needs of participants.
03 Access to national infrastructure
Deliver through an established network of all-weather sports pitches, reducing barriers to facilities and growth.
04 Greater reach and impact
Become part of scalable opportunities that would be difficult for individual organisations to create alone.
Access to the UK's Largest Network of All-Weather Sports Pitches
Underpinned by the UK’s Largest Football Participation Platform
180+ sites nationwide
4.5 million annual player visits
National infrastructure
£16 Million in social value evidenced in 2025
The infrastructure already exists.
PlayFootball Connect unlocks its potential.
Why Now?
Football has never had greater opportunity to create measurable social impact.
Organisations are investing more than ever in healthier, stronger communities.
PlayFootball Connect provides one coordinated platform to help partners maximise that investment through trusted delivery and national infrastructure.
Built to strengthen football's existing ecosystem
PlayFootball Connect exists to complement, not compete.
Our ambition is to work alongside the Premier League, the EFL, The FA, the Football Foundation, clubs, foundations and community organisations to unlock new investment and expand access to football.
By aligning investment, delivery expertise and the UK's largest network of all-weather sports pitches, we help existing organisations reach more people, in more places, with greater impact.
Premier League & Club Foundations
Unlock new investment opportunities that expand community impact through trusted delivery.
EFL & Community Trusts
Access new funding opportunities without increasing operational complexity or competing for existing resources.
The FA & Football Foundation
Strengthen football's grassroots ecosystem by connecting investment, infrastructure and delivery at national scale.
PlayFootball Connect is led by senior leaders with decades of experience across football, sport, partnerships, governance and social impact.
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Matt Mead
LEADERSHIP, PARTNERSHIPS & STRATEGY
Matt has extensive expertise in strategic partnerships, funding, social impact and charity leadership, with over 20 years' experience using sport to create positive change. Former senior leader at Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation, Matt is passionate about connecting organisations, investment and delivery to create measurable community impact. -
Chris Symons
CHAIR OF TRUSTEES
Chris has extensive expertise in governance, strategic partnerships and growing participation across community sport and leisure. Former Director of Development & Partnerships at GLL and CEO of BH Live, Chris is passionate about building strong organisations that create lasting opportunities for communities to thrive. -
Chris Bunting
TRUSTEE
Chris has extensive expertise in public services, exemplar facility development, community participation and creating and delivering inclusive opportunities that improve health and wellbeing. Founding Trustee of the National Football Trust; Chris is passionate about the power of sport and leisure to connect people together. -
Shaun Gore
TRUSTEE
Shaun has extensive expertise in community football, charitable leadership and developing programmes that improve lives through sport. Former senior executive at Chelsea FC, Shaun is passionate about creating inclusive opportunities that inspire participation and deliver lasting social impact.