Pitching In has been unveiled as the new sponsor of the Northern Premier League.

This is the name for a Grassroots Sports Investment Programme launched by GVC, the multi-national sports betting and gaming group - owner of Ladbrokes and Coral.

The partnership covers all three leagues that make up Steps 3 & 4 of the National Leagues System, who market themselves collectively as the Trident Leagues. The other leagues are the Isthmian and Southern.

England footballing legend Stuart Pearce has been appointed as the official Pitching In ambassador.

Pearce said: "I am delighted to be taking up the role of ambassador for Pitching In, as I'm passionate about the importance of investing in grassroots sports and in developing young talent. I started out playing for Wealdstone FC before joining Coventry City so I understand how important funding is to the non-league game.

"Grassroots football is facing huge challenges at the moment and many clubs are struggling to stay afloat. GVC's Pitching In investment will help make a big difference to hundreds of clubs and thousands of players across the country."

Pitching In has been set up with the objective of supporting, protecting and encouraging grassroots sports in the UK through a range of initiatives.

In addition to financial support, a key focus of the partnership will be to facilitate and encourage members of the community to become volunteers, and do some pitching in of their own.

A Pitching In volunteering scheme will be established to link GVC's Ladbrokes and Coral shop colleagues with their local clubs.

In the weeks ahead, Pitching In and the Trident Leagues will be announcing further initiatives to provide financial support and opportunities for all the 226 clubs within the three leagues (rising to 240 in 2021).

For more information on Pitching In, visit gvc-plc.com/corporate-responsibility/pitching-in/