Thames Valley Premier League Division One side Reading YMCA have announced the award of a Football Foundation grant to help the continued improvement of the clubs ‘Cauldron’ ground in Padworth.
The grant will allow the club to build a new covered area at the ground for supporters. A statement from the club said: “Thanks to the Premier League, The FA and DCMS’s Football Foundation, we’ve been awarded a grant that means we can build a new covered area for our supporters and visitors at The Cauldron! Great news, exciting times ahead, watch this space!”
Speaking to Football in Berkshire, Mark Lemm said: “We have received a lot of support from the Football Foundation over the past 18 months and it has had a big impact on improving our pitch and infrastructure. The new covered area will allow spectators to watch matches in comfort when the weather is bad. It is a really short close season this year after finishing at the end of June but we hope to have this project completed by the start of the new season.
“This funding will go a long way to improving our facility and provide spectators with a better experience on match days.”
YMCA finished as champions of Division One at the end of the 2020/21 season and could be in line for a move back to the top tier of the competition with a vacancy expected following reports Newbury are due to move to the Hellenic League.
The club is one of the most successful TVPL sides of the last decade, winning the Premier (or Senior Division as part of the Reading Senior League) five times between 2013 and 2018.
