Hastings ability to expand their impressive community outreach programme have been boosted by a vital cash injection.

The U’s played a key role within the local community during and after lockdown, providing everything from sessions for youngsters to free school meals.

That only improved following a grant from the Trident Community Foundation, which allowed them to help the area’s youngsters on their return to activity earlier this year and the club’s women and girls section get even stronger.

Hastings CEO Billy Wood (pictured) said: “The whole idea behind the grant for us was about community outreach, delivering sessions and growing our women’s section.Since March, we’ve provided free footballing sessions every week for girls under 16 and we’ve used a lot of the grant to pay for top quality coaches and facilities to put that on.

“We have five teams underneath our women’s first team all playing football, which is amazing because it means there are nearly 100 girls playing football in the town.The grant has also allowed us to continue to deliver the free weekly sessions we put on for both boys and girls from three to six years of age.”

They are one of over 30 clubs in the Pitching In leagues to benefit from Trident Community Foundation grants, ranging from £1,000 to £5,000. It is part of a multi-million-pound grassroots sport investment programme ‘Pitching In’, set up by Ladbrokes with the support of its owner Entain, to help non-league clubs rebuild after the pandemic.

Wood takes their responsibility in the local area very seriously and during lockdown they tried to engage with supporters of all ages with some star names on hand to help.

He said: “For the kids who were playing for our academy teams from seven upwards, we would hold Zoom fun meetings.

“We’d do a fitness class or have a guest speaker, like Bournemouth’s Steve Cook, he did a bunch of Zoom calls with the group. We had some guest fitness speakers who did some HIT sessions for the older kids.

“We have a lot of fans who are 50-plus, so our secretary Dane Martin and I offered a shopping service to those who were shielding or self-isolating. People don’t realise it but clubs like Hastings are the centrepiece of their local community, even when there’s no football.”

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain launched a multi-million pound investment programme ‘Pitching In’, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more info visit: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/