Barclays Community Sport Fund
Overview
Overview
Since the fund’s inception in 2022, they’ve helped over 3,500 community groups to make sport more accessible, with over 550,000 young people supported by the fund so far.
The Barclays Community Sport Fund, delivered in partnership with Sported, helps to reduce inequalities in sport – with a focus on football, tennis, and cricket.
The fund supports community groups and grassroots sports organisations who are working within the most deprived areas of the UK and are making sport more accessible to women and girls, as well as engaging people from other under-represented groups including people with disabilities, from racially diverse communities and from the LGBTQ+ community.
The programme will support thousands of community groups across the UK with a total investment of £1.4 million a year over three years.
Is your club eligible?
The £1.4 million-a-year fund provides grants to community groups that are:
- Making football, cricket, or tennis more accessible to women and girls
AND
- Operating in areas of high deprivation
What can you apply for?
- A £1000 grant to help sustain and increase access to football, tennis, and cricket for women and girls (as well as engage people from other underrepresented groups, such as people with disabilities, those from racially diverse communities and those from the LGBTQ+ community)
- Funding for football, tennis, and cricket coaching courses to help increase the number of female coaches delivering sport to girls
If successful for funding, your group will also be able to access:
- Exclusive match tickets, mascot places, and promotional opportunities
- Access to advice and support and signposting to training and resources
Grant Programmes
The Fund offers funding under two programmes: £1000 Access Grant and Female Coaches for Girls Grants
£1000 Access Grant
They want to make sure their funding reaches organisations who are providing football, tennis, and cricket activities for the most under-represented people in our communities.
They welcome applications from not-for-profit organisations including community groups, youth groups and traditional sports clubs.
Groups must meet the following criteria:
- You deliver football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls – or are applying for funding to start.
- You operate in an area of high deprivation. They use the Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) to establish eligibility and only organisations located in or supporting people from IMD areas 1-3 are eligible to apply.*
*They will consider disability applications from groups that sit outside of IMD areas 1-3. These groups must, however, offer activities for women and girls.
You can apply for one grant of £1000 per organisation to support delivery of your football, cricket or tennis activities.
They cannot give out grants to different teams within an organisation, so please consider where the funds are most needed. If your group delivers more than one of their focus sports (football, tennis, or cricket), you can only apply for one grant to cover all activities per club.
Please note, they expect the fund to be extremely popular and may close earlier if we receive a high volume of eligible applications. They encourage you to read the criteria thoroughly and apply early for the best chance of success.
Eligible costs
The funding is unrestricted, meaning it can be used for anything that will support your delivery of
football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls. Typical examples of costs might include a
contribution towards:
- Venue hire including floodlights / heating
- Coaching costs
- Volunteer expenses
- Equipment
- Kit
- Marketing and communications
- Training and qualifications
- Insurances and affiliation
The funding will ideally be spent within a six-month period, to allow them to monitor the impact of the programme.
Female Coaches for Girls Grants
Increasing the number of high-quality female coaches in the girls’ game is crucial to improving standards, meeting the increased demand of girls now playing, and showing girls - through local female role models - that they can be involved in football in a variety of ways.
Barclays is dedicating grants through the Barclays Community Sport Fund to get more women qualified as coaches for girls.
Who is eligible to apply?
This fund is available to all clubs and groups that run football, cricket or tennis activities for girls and aspire to get more female coaches qualified. You are eligible even if you have already received a grant from the Barclays Community Sport Fund.
They welcome applications from not-for-profit organisations, including community groups, youth groups, and traditional sports clubs, who are submitting on behalf of the individuals who want to undertake their coaching qualifications.
Groups are welcome to apply from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
To be eligible for funding, the female coaches you put forward must meet the following criteria:
- Aged 16+
- Already coaching girls or would like to start
- Part of a club or group with girls’ provision where they would like to begin or continue coaching (i.e. current player, parent of a player, volunteer etc.)
- Can undertake their coaching qualification within 12 months (subject to course availability)
Funding
You can apply for two grants per club to cover the cost of, or a contribution towards, a Level 1 or equivalent introductory qualification and any additional safeguarding and first aid requirements for your sport. You can apply to upskill up to two female coaches at your club or group.
Level 1 coaching grants:
- Football - £160 grant
- Tennis - £200 grant
- Cricket - £200 grant
The funding is to only be used for coaching qualifications. You will need to book female coaches on to their Level 1 or equivalent introductory course in either football, tennis, or cricket.
If you are successful with your application, they will transfer the funds to the club or group. You can then book your coach onto the relevant course and pay for it directly. The course you book will depend on the sport, level and where you are in the UK.