WEYMOUTH are among 72 National League clubs who stand to benefit from £12.6m of investment from the Premier League over the next three years.

Clubs, including the Terras, are expected to receive a share of £9m for running costs and sustainability.

The remaining £3.6m will be filtered through the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association’s partnership to support the National League Trust and club community work.

This funding is in addition to the £33m coming via the Premier League Stadium Fund in the next three years, available to clubs in the National League System from Steps 1 to 6.

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This covers matchday experience, sustainability, maintenance and new infrastructure.

Premier League and National League chiefs have not disclosed how the funding will be divided among the 72 clubs in non-League’s top two tiers.

Previously, the National League came under fire for its handling of support money distributed via the National Lottery to aid clubs during Covid.

Amid the pandemic, National League clubs played behind closed doors for much of the 2020/21 season, causing a range of financial stresses.

The expectation among National League teams is for officials to have learned from that controversy, with some clubs claiming they were treated unfairly.

Early thoughts on the allocation of funds are that Step 1 clubs will receive the greater share, with the remainder split between National League South and North sides.