National Grassroots Funding Supports Brecks & Valleys Chess Club
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Brecks & Valleys Chess Club has secured funding through the English Chess Federation’s Grassroots Initiative, with the club’s application supported by the Norfolk County Chess Association.
Ten new tournament boards and complete chess sets have arrived ahead of the first Brecks & Valleys club night in Great Ellingham. Tournament clocks are also being provided as part of the same award.
Every one of the ten new boards is already expected to be in use when the club meets for the first time on Thursday 10 September.
Support at county and national level
The ECF Grassroots Initiative is a multi-year programme established to promote and develop chess across England. Brecks & Valleys now joins around 150 local projects whose applications have been assessed and supported through the initiative.
Funding is not provided automatically. Applications are assessed against the scheme’s published prospectus, with regional co-ordinators making recommendations before applications are considered by the ECF’s central assessment team.
The club developed and submitted its application for funding. It received support at county level from the Norfolk County Chess Association before being assessed through the ECF’s national funding process.
The NCCA promotes adult and junior chess throughout Norfolk and represents the county’s clubs and players through its affiliations with the ECF and the East Anglian Chess Union. Its support placed the club’s community initiative within the wider development of chess across Norfolk.
The resulting award provides something immediately visible: ten matching tournament boards, ten complete sets of pieces and tournament clocks for the club’s regular Thursday evenings. It also reflects support for the wider purpose behind them — establishing a sustainable new chess club serving Great Ellingham, Attleborough and communities across South Norfolk and Breckland.
Building the practical foundations
Interest in the new club has grown steadily in the weeks leading up to its first meeting. Players have contacted Brecks & Valleys from across the surrounding area, ranging from people returning to chess after many years to regular online and experienced club players.
With all ten new boards already expected to be occupied on the first evening, the equipment could not have arrived at a better time.
For a new club, having sufficient equipment is fundamental. It means players can arrive knowing that a board, pieces and an opponent will be waiting for them. Matching tournament equipment also gives the club the practical foundation needed to organise regular games and introduce timed chess as it develops.
The support allows Brecks & Valleys to concentrate on what happens around the boards: welcoming players, arranging suitable games and establishing a regular chess night that people will want to return to.
A huge thank you
We would like to offer a huge thank you to the Norfolk County Chess Association for supporting our application.
We are equally grateful to the English Chess Federation for recognising the initiative and providing the equipment needed to put ten new games of chess on the tables from our first evening.
The boards and sets are now ready. The clocks will follow, the first games are being arranged and the Garden Room at The Crown is preparing to welcome its first club night.
Join us for the first club night
Brecks & Valleys Chess Club begins on Thursday 10 September 2026, with play from 7.00 pm in the Garden Room at The Crown in Great Ellingham, near Attleborough.
The club welcomes players of different strengths, including people who primarily play online and those returning to chess after time away.
Thursday 10 September · From 7.00 pm
The Garden Room at The Crown · Great Ellingham
