When Dagenham & Redbridge hosted West Ham United Under-21s in the National League Cup last week, the match wasn't simply to decide who was going to have local bragging rights in Group D.
The fixture was also a celebration of how the Premier League supports the football pyramid in England and Wales, helping National League clubs such as Dagenham thrive on and off the pitch.
Dagenham's Chigwell Construction Stadium is one example of that support, with the venue feeling the benefit of funding of £1.8m which had led to the club being able to finance new stands, floodlights and playing surface.
"We're very, very lucky in England that we've got five professional leagues, from the Premier League to the National League," says Steve Thompson, Dagenham & Redbridge managing director. "There isn't another country in the world that's got a pyramid like we have.
"Without the money that the Premier League puts in for the whole pyramid, we wouldn't have five strong professional national divisions in this country."
With Premier League investment, the Chigwell Construction Stadium has been rejuvenated.
A wooden stand along one side was replaced in 2001, while at one end of the ground, where once was just a grass bank, now sits the 1,200 seater SD Samuels Stand. The stand, opened in 2009, has state-of-the-art dressing rooms, a media room as well as a physio room.
In 2012 the ground's floodlights were also upgraded to meet Football League ground regulations, while there is also a new broadcast gantry, performance analysis system and press seating.
"It's a lot of money," Thompson add. "We wouldn't have been able to have done any of the work without that finance and the developments allowed us to meet the criteria so we could play in the Football League.
"To have that support from the Premier League is incredible and we're not the only club to have benefitted."
Premier League funding has also enabled the club to install a brand new sand-based hybrid pitch and automatic sprinkler system in 2021.
It has given the club one of the best playing surfaces at that level.
"The Premier League has definitely helped us a lot," says Dagenham & Redbridge winger Shilo Remy. "We like to play our football and having a pitch that good allows us to do what we like to do. It is an amazing investment.
"A pitch like the one we have helps us. A lot of the pitches are bumpier and you have to concentrate on your first touch more just in case the ball might take a run but with these pitches, you don't have to worry about that because it's like a carpet. It's a joy to play on."
The new playing surface allows more matches to be hosted by Dagenham & Redbridge, allowing them to earn revenue and strengthen ties with Premier League neighbour West Ham United.
As well as Dagenham's first-team matches, the venue is used by West Ham United's Women's Super League team as well as West Ham Premier League 2 side.
"We recently had had four games in eight days on the pitch," Steve Thompson says. "After they were played it looked as if no-one has played on it. With the old surface there would have also been the danger that matches would have been called off, especially at this time of the year."
As part of its commitment to the football pyramid, the Premier League announced an increased investment package of £23.6 million over four years for the National League and its 72 clubs.
The majority of the funding is being used to support clubs with their running costs and sustainability, with a further £3.6 million made available via the Premier League and PFA's partnership to support the National League Trust and its network of 55 club community organisations. This more than doubles the investment agreed for 2022-25.
"At the Premier League, we take our responsibility very seriously to support the whole pyramid," said Premier League Chief Football Officer Tony Scholes.
"There's a magnificent ecosystem in the football pyramid in England and the Premier League being at the top of that, we see it as part of our responsibility to help develop all elements of the pyramid."
About the Premier League Stadium Fund
The Premier League Stadium Fund aims to ensure the stadiums used by National League system clubs, men's and women's, are safe, inclusive and accessible places and to increase opportunities for clubs to be able to generate additional revenue to become financially viable.
Since 2000, more than £206m in funding has been supplied to more than 1,000 clubs in 100 leagues to support upgrades to their home stadiums.
