One of my central missions since becoming an MP has been to help our councils, community groups and local charities and organisations boost the ‘offer’ that they all provide the communities they serve.

That’s why, as part of my ongoing efforts to support local sports clubs, I was delighted to drop into the Grassroots Football Drop-in Session held in Westminster earlier this week – hosted by the FA, Premier League, Football Foundation and APPG on Football, and with former Norwich City manager Chris Hughton in attendance to highlight the importance of the work being done by this coalition of bodies to strengthen our grassroots game.

Grassroots football is the most popular sport in England but many communities have pitches that require improvement or simply don’t have access to pitches at all. Several local football teams (adult and young teams) have been in touch with me in recent months to voice their concerns about the lack of access to suitable pitches at grassroots level and I have been offering support as best I can as they look at how they can attract investment and explore opportunities to ‘boost’ the offers in their areas.

I remain committed to that work and look forward to attending further such events to speak up for communities in Mid Norfolk – not just those with football teams: I speak up for communities with teams and clubs across a wide spectrum of sports. (For example, more information on my work with Watton Hockey Club can be found here and here)

If YOU are a local team with an interest in this, please do get in touch.