A three-year initiative to rescue English football from its dire state by spending £160m improving the sport at the grassroots level is to be unveiled by Tony Blair today.
The Prime Minister and Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, will be joined by David Blunkett, Secretary of State for Education, to launch a body to promote grassroots football, with grants from several organisations expected to total more than £80m. Three-quarters of the money will be used to invest directly in improving sports facilities for schools and youth teams, such as buying equipment, Astroturf pitches and floodlighting. Another 12.5 per cent will go on specific community-based and anti-racist projects and 12.5 per cent made available to mainly second and third-division clubs to improve their grounds.The Football Foundation, successor to the Football Trust, has been given £82.5m over three years by the Premier League, starting in the 2001/02 season, after the league sold television rights to Premier games for the next three years for £1.65bn.The foundation expects to receive an equal level of funding from the Government, the Football Association and other sports bodies.Critics have condemned the Premier League for only giving 5 per cent of its £1.65bn television deal for developing the grassroots game.This morning’s event will be tied to a Commons statement by Mr Smith later today on his department’s spending, which will give priority to sports.Last week the Treasury doubled funding for the quangos UK Sport and Sport England, raising it to £112m.England teams have been repeatedly embarrassed recently. The football team crashed out of the Euro 2000 tournament and England failed to win the 1999 cricket or rugby world cups. In tennis, humiliation by Ecuador in the Davis Cup this month added to the sense of failure.Yesterday a Number 10 spokesman said Mr Blair was determined to give football his backing, partly because it helped increase local and personal pride, prevent crime and tackle social exclusion. “People purely see sport in terms of stars at the top, but sport does have a very real power to teach youngsters lifeskills, keeping them out of trouble, encouraging respect and keeping them away from drugs.”.

Sam Hammam, the former Wimbledon owner, is on the verge of completing his move to buy a controlling stake in the Third Division club, Cardiff City. Hammam should complete the formalities of the £3.1m takeover within the next two weeks and hopes to own 82.5 per cent of the club by the time their season starts at Exeter on 12 August. Sam Hammam, the former Wimbledon owner, is on the verge of completing his move to buy a controlling stake in the Third Division club, Cardiff City. Hammam should complete the formalities of the £3.1m takeover within the next two weeks and hopes to own 82.5 per cent of the club by the time their season starts at Exeter on 12 August.
“We are nearly there, I can’t see any problems.

I am very keen to get stuck into the club and get things moving before the season starts. I’ve spent more money than I first intended to, but I have been swept off my feet by the response and optimism of the supporters – they have cost me a few bob already,” Hamman said from New York.The 52-year-old Lebanese businessman has been rumoured to be bringing in the former Wales manager Bobby Gould as assistant to Billy Ayre. However, Hammam has not confirmed this, although he says he is prepared to pump money into the strugglingNinian Park club.He said: “When you are six foot under, your balance is not on your gravestone. People do remember what you have done in your life and what you have achieved. I cannot promise success at this club, but I can promise every ounce of energy channelled into turning it around.”Martin O’Neill, the Celtic manager, was last night still waiting to learn if he has been successful in his attempt to sign the Belgian defender Joos Valgaeren from the Dutch club JC Roda O’Neill has offered Roda a reported £3.5m.

The Parkhead side’s defence clearly still looked in disarray in the 4-2 friendly defeat by Bordeaux on Saturday. Now with just one more game against West Ham tonight to get it right before the league kicks off at Dundee United on Sunday, Valgaeren’s arrival would have given O’Neill some hope.The former Leicester manager insists he is still keen to sign the 24-year-old even if the process passed a noon deadline yesterday and seems set to take considerably longer than anticipated. O’Neill said: “I honestly don’t know what is going to happen. But nothing has happened since I spoke about it on Saturday night.” The Celtic manager also admitted he would like to have the Leicester coaching pair, John Robertson and Steve Walford, by his side again.However, he indicated the chances of the trio reuniting at Parkhead are small, with Leicester determined to hang on to them O’Neill said: “I genuinely have no news.

There’s a lot of things that are preventing something from happening, and I may have to cope without them. I have known John and Steve Walford for a long time, and if everything was ideal I would certainly look at these people.”Dundee United have signed the forward Neil Heaney from Darlington in a £175,000 deal. The 28-year-old former Arsenal and Southampton player spent time on loan with Charlton and Bristol City during a disappointing spell with Manchester City.. Cambridge will meet up again with their former striker, Steve Claridge, after the Abbey Stadium side were drawn against his current team, Portsmouth, in yesterday’s Worthington Cup first round draw. Cambridge will meet up again with their former striker, Steve Claridge, after the Abbey Stadium side were drawn against his current team, Portsmouth, in yesterday’s Worthington Cup first round draw.
Roy McFarland’s side host Pompey in the first leg on 21 August and the return match is at Fratton Park on 4 September.David Preece, Cambridge’s assistant manager, is looking forward to the tie against Tony Pulis’ First Division side but appreciates his men will be in for a tricky ordeal.