Former player Clinton Morrison has experienced the game of football at all levels.
His first Premier League goal was as an 18-year-old when he came off the bench for Crystal Palace against Sheffield Wednesday in May 1998 and scored a stoppage-time winner.
Morrison went on to register more than 100 goals for the Eagles and also found the net throughout the Football League, playing for Birmingham City, Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday and Exeter City.
After his professional career came to an end, he continued in the non-league pyramid, with spells at Long Eaton, Redditch United and Mickleover Sports.
And recently, Morrison, who was born in south London, headed back to his hometown youth team, Raynes Park Vale FC, to see how a £155,000 investment from the Premier League has helped to fund upgrades at the club's ground following promotion into the eighth-tier Isthmian South Central Division, which is Step 4 of the English football pyramid.
Premier League Stadium Fund grants have been provided for the addition of new turnstiles and perimeter fencing, new changing rooms for match officials and extensions to the home and away dressing rooms. New energy-efficient LED floodlights will also reduce the club's energy costs and carbon footprint.
"This place looks fantastic," said Morrison. "It's totally different to my days here aged 12. We played our cup finals in this stadium, so it brings back good memories. I can even remember lifting a trophy! We had a good team and [former Chelsea midfielder] Jody Morris played here too.
"These LED floodlights are great, really bright and reliable, plus it's going to help with the electricity bill, too. A lot of credit should go to the Premier League because the funding it shares with teams down the football pyramid is really important.
"The Premier League is packed with world-class players, but honestly there are some really good players in non-league and having played at both ends of the football pyramid, there is not as much of a difference as you might expect. It's a good standard to watch and, of course, we’ve seen players move up from the non-league to the top flight!"
Since 2000, the Premier League Stadium Fund has invested more than £200m into improving the stadiums of more than 1,000 men's and women's clubs.
"We were promoted to step four the season before last and are playing at the highest level this club ever has which is fantastic for the players, the fans, and the area," said Raynes Park Vale manager Josh Gallagher, brother of former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, now at Atletico Madrid.
"We are an ambitious squad. It's a very talented squad here, more than capable of playing higher up the pyramid. Our division is seven promotions away from the Premier League, but we're realistic and targeting the playoffs this year and stand a good chance.
"Football is important in my family and we're a close-knit group, in touch all the time. My twin brother Jake plays and our other brother Dan plays in the National League at Dorking Wanderers, so we’re involved at all levels really. Conor has been here to Raynes Park Vale and will come to support the team when he's back and, of course, I'm very proud to see how his career has developed."
Vale's co-owner and chairman John Dalton said having the new LED lights, installed as the club were winning promotion, have been a "game-changer".
"When you are promoted into step four of the football pyramid, you need to meet certain ground-grading standards around the place, so we’ve had a busy time working to make improvements here," he said.
"We're really proud of the development of the football team and so having an improved home ground to match is important.
"The funding we’ve been able to secure from the Premier League has been very helpful. It’s crucial the Premier League supports the football pyramid because without the lower levels operating well, you wouldn’t have a top!"
