The club is delighted to confirm it has received funding from the Premier League to help prepare for the restart of football and safe return of supporters to The Step Places Stadium.

The Matchday Support Fund grant will help the club to continue to put in place measures that will make our ground safer for the 2020/21 season given the challenges caused by COVID-19.

The grant will be used to cover the costs of implementing our COVID-19 risk assessment and the control measures we have identified to help make The Step Places Stadium safe for club officials, players, staff, volunteers and fans. Primarily the grant will be used to pay for keeping our facilities and equipment clean, maintaining social distancing and maintaining good hygiene.

The Matchday Support Fund is managed by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), which is financed by the Premier League and supports non-league and Women’s Football Pyramid clubs with the cost of improvements to their grounds.

It follows the recent Pitch and Club Preparation Funds, which saw £8.7m in grants awarded by the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation to prepare the country’s playing surfaces and facilities for the return of football.

West chairman, Steve Eckersley, commented: “It’s been a tough few months for all of us which has unfortunately seen a number of clubs cease operating. By receiving this grant, it immediately helps our club build towards a secure future by ensuring we can facilitate the return of fans to The Step Places Stadium with the correct facilities and procedures in place.

“We’re under no illusion that the upcoming season will be just as challenging off the pitch as it will be on it, but fans can be assured that the club is working as hard as it can to ensure their attendance at Brookburn over the next season.”