Barclays Community Football Fund is now open
By Sported | 2nd September 2022
The Barclays Community Football Fund, which opened to the Sported network in April, is now open to all eligible football clubs and community groups across the UK.
Grants of £500 are available for groups wishing to start offering football, those keen to expand their existing provision to new audiences or those already delivering football to under-represented young people. Alongside the grants, the programme will offer training and support resources to groups to help reduce inequalities in the participation of football.
The programme’s engagement focuses on including girls and young people from lower socio-economic and under-represented groups: including racially diverse communities, people with disabilities, and people from the LGBTQ+ community. This could not have come at a better time with a sharp rise in interest among girls in football after the Euros’ win and the cost-of-living crisis making many sporting activities difficult to access.
The aim of the partnership is to encourage participation in football at every level.
The programme offers community groups the opportunity to access a £500 grant to be spent on whatever they need to support the delivery of football activities to young people from diverse backgrounds. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training is offered to help increase group leaders’ confidence in engaging new and under-represented audiences.
The training covers key topics in sport including Engaging teenage girls, Engaging with diverse communities, Disability awareness, LGBTQ+ awareness and Tackling Racism. Groups will also receive a set of branded football bibs for their participants, offers to access Premier League and Barclays Women’s Super League tickets, mascot opportunities and more.
“Football is not just about sport and fitness; it brings so many benefits to young people such as confidence, teamwork, mental wellbeing and so much more. Grassroots sports groups are vital to making the sport accessible to children up and down the country and the Barclays Community Football Fund is striving to make groups more inclusive so that more people can benefit from playing the game.
I have visited several grassroots sports groups in the Sported network and seen the positive impact they have on the young people who attend them. It is really exciting that as a result of this partnership, more children will get to benefit.”
-Eric Dier, Sported Ambassador and Tottenham Hotspur defender
“It is an absolute privilege to work with a partner who cares so deeply about equal access to football and we are delighted that together we can reach hundreds of community groups to make football more accessible to all.”
Nicola Walker, Sported CEO
Applications are welcome from all types of organisations including football clubs, community groups, youth groups and charities.
To be eligible, groups must meet the following criteria:
- You are a not-for-profit organisation with a governing document.
- You have a bank account in the name of your organisation.
- You have an up-to-date Safeguarding policy in place.
- You are delivering football activities to young people (under 25) OR you are wanting to start.
- You already include an offering for girls or you are wanting to start.
- You have the aspiration and capacity to grow your membership of young people from under-represented groups.
- You are keen to access training to learn about how to engage with new under-represented audiences.