ASHBURN - The Washington Redskins announced yesterday that the football fields at the Blackwell and Hotchkiss community centers in Richmond will receive new bleachers, benches, goalposts and lighted scoreboards thanks in part to a $50,000 grant from the National Football League Grassroots Program.

"The Redskins are pleased that these centers will receive funds for field improvements that will provide safe places for children to get active and play," Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder said.

The Richmond Recreation and Parks Foundation and the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will work on the renovation project together. The upgrades will transform the fields and enable an estimated 10 percent increase in football participation once the renovations are completed. Richmond's Neighborhood Parks Fund will provide a matching grant.

"We are extremely pleased to be the recipient of this grant, which will help us improve our youth sports program," said Roz Johnson, deputy director of Richmond's Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. " . . . With improved facilities, we will be able to attract more youth to our programs and give those children a greater sense of pride in their teams, as well as an increased desire to succeed. We expect this will help us rescue many urban youth from the streets."

The grant, awarded by the NFL Youth Football Fund and Local Initiatives Support Corporation, is part of $5.43 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year to community groups in areas surrounding the 32 NFL markets.