Back of the net! Cash joy for Solihull football team

Nov 27 2008 by Edward Stephens, Birmingham Mail

A FOOTBALL team is celebrating after netting a grant of more than £700 from Birmingham Airport’s Community Trust Fund.

The cash windfall helped Ulverley Hawks, in Solihull, purchase a new kit.

Formed in 1990, The Hawks support 11 teams from under 7s to under 16s.

They are in the Central Warwickshire League with many of the teams performing well in the top divisions. It is hoped the new equipment will help the The Hawks to enjoy a successful season achieving the goal of providing the community with a club that is friendly and approachable, maintaining high standards on and off the field.

John Morris, Birmingham Airport’s head of corporate affairs, said: “Helping projects and organisations such as this is exactly what the Community Trust Fund was set up for.

“Ulverley Hawks is a well established club, offering local children and teenagers the chance to improve their footballing skills whilst also being part of a team and we hope that the new equipment will come in useful this season and for many more after that.”

Steve Fackrell, Ulverley Hawks FC’s chairman, said: “It is great that we have received this grant which has enabled us to purchase equipment that we were desperately in need of such as nets, flags and balls. There are a lot of people involved with the club who put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes and I know everyone associated with The Hawks are delighted with this.”

The airport’s Community Trust Fund, which was set up a decade ago to help local causes, has already handed grants to over 400 projects, totalling nearly £900,000, with recipients varying from dance clubs to Scout groups.

Twice a year, groups can apply for a Community Trust Fund award of up to £3,000 to help finance community or environmentally-focused projects with the airport company donating £50,000 to the initiative.

Extra funds are raised by fines imposed on airlines that exceed the airport’s noise violation levels.