The non-league side Peacehaven & Telscombe FC are one of more than a thousand clubs throughout the English pyramid who have been supported through the pandemic and current financial climate by funding directly from the Premier League.
The East Sussex club play at Step Five of the National League System, level nine overall.
As well as funding from the Premier League to help them during the pandemic when clubs were unable to have fans and their valuable ticket income, Peacehaven have recently received more than £120,000 of grants for ground improvements through the Premier League Stadium Fund.
Some of this money has gone toward the installation of LED floodlights last year. These not only give the club's match nights a better look and help with evening training, but also save money, especially with the recent increase in energy bills.
That is not the only time the Premier League has helped Peacehaven, who have also received grants for a new stand, new roof on their clubhouse and an upgrade to their dressing-rooms.
Former Brighton & Hove Albion striker Glenn Murray went to Peacehaven last week, along with the Premier League Trophy, to see the impact the Premier League funding has had at all levels of the club. As well as the first team, Peacehaven have 20 youth sides, including girls' teams.
"We are extremely grateful for the support we have received through the Premier League Stadium Fund over the years," said club chair Sue Norwood. "The new floodlights have significantly reduced our bills and we also received grants which helped us make emergency repairs to our stadium following recent storm damage.”
Nick Perchard, the Premier League Head of Community, added: "The simple saving of a thousand pounds a year over the course of a season is massive for a club of this size. Without that they are having to increase the fees for people coming through the gates, they are having to ask players to contribute more in subs."
All the improvements thanks to Premier League funding have been done through applying to the Football Foundation, which, Norwood said, was a simple job.
"The process has always been extremely efficient, and it is so important for clubs at this level to be able to rely on Premier League funding when the support is needed most,” she said.
"This was the case during the pandemic when we were able to apply for grants which helped at a time when we weren’t generating any income through matches."
As part of a "Premier League Supports" campaign to highlight the impact of its investment on wider football and communities, the League is announcing two further investment packages, which will benefit clubs at multiple levels.
Through the Premier League Stadium Fund, a total of £9million is being made available to support non-league and women’s clubs with the installation of energy-efficient LED floodlights at their stadiums.
The floodlight upgrades will financially benefit clubs who are facing increased energy bills. They will also improve clubs' environmental sustainability as LED lights use less energy and need replacing less frequently compared with traditional floodlights.
Grants, which will be delivered by the Football Foundation, are being made available from this April to National League System and Women's Football Pyramid clubs over the next three years through the Premier League Stadium Fund.
This has already awarded more than 5,500 ground-improvement grants to 1,030 clubs across 114 different leagues, totalling over £185m to date.
Also in this series
Part 1: 'Premier League Supports' to highlight help wider football receives
Part 3: Literacy levels on the rise thanks to Everton and PL Inspires
Part 4: City fans turn Manchester blue to support club's community work
Part 5: One million hours of PL Kicks celebrated at regional tournament
Part 6: 'Arsenal made me a better coach and a better dad'
Part 7: People of non-league: Coventry Sphinx
