ALTRINCHAM FC officially opened their new pitch with a pre-season game against a Manchester United XI on Friday.

The improved surface was made possible thanks to a £20,000 grant from the Premier League through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), the largest funders of non-league football in the country.

The funding helped to provide major improvements to the playing surface at the J Davidson Stadium, which is also used by the Manchester United FC Under-18 team, after a season severely disrupted by postponements.

The pitch will benefit from a state-of-the-art irrigation system and new pitch maintenance equipment, and so help the Robins to play on a consistently good surface.

In February 2015, Sir Alex Ferguson CBE, visited the club to officially open their new £752,000 state-of-the-art community sports hall. The project was made possible thanks to a separate £114,880 FSIF grant and £269,470 from the Premier League and the FA Facilities Fund – the FSIF’s sister organisation.

Funded with £5.2m each year from the Premier League, the FSIF is the country’s largest provider of grants towards projects that help improve the comfort and safety of lower league football grounds in both the professional and amateur game. These improvements range from new football stands and turnstiles to floodlighting and improved provision for disabled supporters.

Grahame Rowley, Altrincham FC chairman, said: “Without funding from the Premier League, clubs such as Altrincham FC would find it impossible to maintain a good standard of facility for players and spectators. We are extremely grateful for their ongoing support.”

Peter McCormick, chairman of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, said: “The pitch improvements undertaken at Altrincham FC will place them in great stead for the upcoming season, with the new irrigation system ensuring their pitch is match-ready for competition.

“The Premier League is committed to developing grassroots sport and this project is another example of the funding that enables clubs to build and improve upon their existing provision. A special thanks must go to Manchester United FC for sending a team down to mark the occasion.”

The Manchester United XI won 2-1, and the game attracted a crowd of 543.