A non-league football club can now get off to a fast restart thanks to a generous grant.

The £2,000 grant from the Premier League, the FA and the Football Foundation given to Wisbech St Mary FC will help the club resume action following the lifting of Covid restrictions on grassroots football.

The £2.1 million Return to Football Fund is targeted at groups of people whose participation has been most affected by Covid-19, and offers clubs of up to £2,500 each.

Paul Albutt, secretary at Wisbech St Mary FC, said: “The ‘return to football’ grant will help us introduce new players to the sport and help the club to introduce extra Covid procedures, thus enabling grassroots football to thrive.”

Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This grant award to Wisbech St Mary FC is vital for the local community in Wisbech St Mary as they get back to playing football.”

In February, Saints won £7,500 from the government’s £300m Sport Winter Survival package to help sports affected by the pandemic.