Paulton Rovers chairman David Bissex believes today’s launch of the Trident Community Foundation comes at the perfect time to offer hope at the end of a uniquely challenging year.

Paulton, along with their Pitching In Southern League counterparts, now have the chance to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to help establish community-focused projects with the aim of developing young talent, promoting non-league football to a wider audience and attracting volunteers.

The Trident Community Foundation has been founded by a combination of Entain’s grassroots sport investment programme, Pitching In, and the three Trident Leagues – The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues.

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, has donated £150,000 to establish the TCF Fund for distribution over the remainder of the 2020/21 season and the project has been welcomed by Rovers’ long-serving chairman.

“Pitching In is a marvellous sponsorship and I’m delighted to hear about the Trident Community Foundation,” Bissex said.

“This is the first opportunity clubs at our level have had to apply for a community-based grant, so it’s very exciting.

“We are a massively community-focused club and so many groups in our village make use of our facilities, from the girl guides to the local church.

“We are always looking to try and improve things and help the community, so we are looking forward to exploring our options and seeing what we can develop.

“This is a chance to be creative, use some lateral thinking and potentially get something new off the ground.”

Paulton sit sixth in the currently suspended Pitching In Southern League Division One South, having not played since November 4, following a 2019/20 campaign that was halted in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This year has been immensely difficult for everyone, not just us in non-league,” Bissex said.

“Having football taken out your routine affects your whole life when you are so heavily involved, as I have been at Paulton for 45 years. But the TCF Fund launching is great news and the timing couldn’t be better.”

England legend and Pitching In ambassador Stuart Pearce, who started his playing career with non-league Wealdstone before rising through the ranks, has also thrown his support behind the TCF Fund.

“Initiatives like this are close to my heart as I am proud of my non-league background,” Pearce said.

“Non-league clubs are the hubs of their communities and people have connections to these clubs going back generations. Bringing people together, especially in these fractured times, is vitally important and initiatives such as this will help do that.

“The timing is absolutely spot on. The true mark of help is when people really need it – and the football community at this level really needs it.

“I look forward to seeing the projects that get off the ground as a result of the Trident Community Foundation.”

Following a simple application process, potential projects will be reviewed by the TCF board – which will be chaired by David Emery, editor-in-chief of The Non-League Paper, and also consists of three Trident League chairmen and two Entain representatives.

Anthony Hughes, vice-chairman of the Pitching In Southern League, is part of the TCF board and hailed “the most exciting news we have had in some time.”

“I can’t think of any time in our level of the game where it has been more appropriate to launch an initiative like the TCF Fund,” Hughes said.

“It enables our clubs to access desperately needed funding at a level of the game that is often forgotten. Our clubs are the lifeblood of their local communities in terms of bringing people together and creating facilities for people of all ages to enjoy.

“I know of numerous Southern League clubs who are waiting with bated breath for those application forms to arrive, so we look forward to receiving their ideas.”

Entain – owner of Ladbrokes – has launched a multi-million pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. The programme includes a flagship partnership with The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues - collectively known as The Trident League, as well as a partnership with the UK sports charity SportsAid. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/