Ella Toone hails grassroots football at launch of £100m community grants scheme

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Lioness and Manchester United forward, Ella Toone, dedicated her success to grassroots football aided by Tesco community grants, a partnership she has been proudly part of for the past six years.

Since 2016, Tesco has pledged £100m and has supported more than 50,000 projects through its community grants scheme, and Toone has been part of that programme from the start, handing over the first £10,000 grant to a Basildon group ATF (Achieve, Thrive, Flourish) and going toe-to-toe with the kids there for a football match.

She told Manchester Evening News: “It was massive for me as I really want to give back as much as I can to local grassroots, local communities so as soon as they offered it to me, I couldn’t wait to get involved.” The scheme supports local community projects in the UK to fight holiday hunger, tackle mental health and support young people enabling programmes delivered like AFT which produce opportunities for young people to bring communities together.

Toone said: “It was the first one that we've given out so it was really special. Because I've given them myself that I could see how much that meant to them and how much it could help. “It was nice to see the reaction on their faces.” On her youth journey, Toone played for Blackburn Rovers, a club who benefited from Tesco community grants for kit and training facilities, she said: “[Without the grants] It would’ve been really difficult like it is for a lot of grassroots teams, to find the funding and to have the facilities and equipment.” Grassroots sides often resort to getting the players fundraising: bag packing in Tesco, sponsored walks, family fun events, raffles and selling tea and coffees at the side of pitches to raise money. “I wouldn't be where I am