This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-32850242

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Sports Minister Tracey Crouch warns Premier League over grassroots cash Sports Minister Tracey Crouch warns Premier League over grassroots cash
(about 2 hours later)
The new sports minister has warned the Premier League that more of its TV rights money should go towards grassroots football.The new sports minister has warned the Premier League that more of its TV rights money should go towards grassroots football.
Tracey Crouch MP, who is an FA qualified football coach and manages a local girls team, said the government had a "variety of levers" to encourage the league to do so. Tracey Crouch who is an FA-qualified football coach and manages a local girls team, said the government had a "variety of levers" to encourage the league to do so.
The domestic TV deal for the 2016-17 season will cost Sky and BT £5.1bn.The domestic TV deal for the 2016-17 season will cost Sky and BT £5.1bn.
The league has committed £1bn towards clubs outside of the top flight.The league has committed £1bn towards clubs outside of the top flight.
However, Ms Crouch told BBC Radio Kent that only a third of that would go towards "real grassroots" football. However, Ms Crouch, the MP for Chatham and Aylesford, told BBC Radio Kent that only a third of that would go towards "real grassroots" football.
She said: "We need to be aware that the Premier League is one of the richest leagues in the world and a lot of grassroots clubs - and I have been a member of one for the last eight years - struggle for a whole variety of reasons.She said: "We need to be aware that the Premier League is one of the richest leagues in the world and a lot of grassroots clubs - and I have been a member of one for the last eight years - struggle for a whole variety of reasons.
"Funding is a massive issue particularly around the infrastructure that supports the clubs. "Funding is a massive issue, particularly around the infrastructure that supports the clubs.
"The Premier League has recently just got £6bn worth of TV rights. That's just the UK rights, it doesn't include foreign countries buying the rights yet.""The Premier League has recently just got £6bn worth of TV rights. That's just the UK rights, it doesn't include foreign countries buying the rights yet."
The MP for Chatham and Aylesford added: "We can certainly persuade them to put more money into the grassroots and encourage them do to so through a variety of levers." Analysis - Dan Roan, BBC Sports Editor
Ever since the Premier League secured the biggest TV deal in football history, it has come under mounting pressure to share more of its riches.
As a youth team coach, new sports minister, Tracey Crouch will understand better than most the need for more investment in football's decrepit grassroots facilities, especially at a time of increasing cuts to local authority budgets.
Her call for more cash to be redistributed by the top clubs is a significant opening gambit in a fresh round of negotiations post-election, and suggests that tackling inequality in the sport will be a key priority for her.
The Premier League makes the point that it already gives £56m each year to the grassroots, has recently increased the amount it gives away by 40%, and contributes huge amounts in tax revenue.
Critics, however, insist it should be significantly more, given the £8bn the clubs are expected to earn from TV rights between 2016 and 2019."
The sports minister added: "We can certainly persuade them to put more money into the grassroots and encourage them do to so through a variety of levers."
Richard Scudamore, who is the chief executive of the Premier League, has defended the amount of money the league is contributing.Richard Scudamore, who is the chief executive of the Premier League, has defended the amount of money the league is contributing.
Speaking to BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan, he said: "We are already committed to giving more.Speaking to BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan, he said: "We are already committed to giving more.
"We've already made an announcement which says at least £1bn of that UK television deal will be distributed for the development of football outside the Premier League."We've already made an announcement which says at least £1bn of that UK television deal will be distributed for the development of football outside the Premier League.
"There's lots of various projects and schemes that are going on and we'll concentrate on a number of areas, particularly young people." "There's lots of projects and schemes that are going on and we'll concentrate on a number of areas, particularly young people."