Barclays Community Sport Fund
Funding the Future of Community Sport
Sport opens doors to skills that last a lifetime.
That’s why Barclays is giving grants to community sports groups who need it most.
At Barclays, we believe in creating opportunities through access to sport. That’s why, in partnership with Sported, the Barclays Community Sport Fund offers grants, bespoke support, and exclusive ticketing opportunities to make football, tennis, and cricket more accessible in communities across the UK*.
Is my club or group eligible to apply?
The £1.4 million-a-year fund provides grants to community groups that are:
1.Making football, cricket, or tennis more accessible to women and girls
AND
2. Operating in areas of high deprivation
What can I 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
What are the open and closing dates for the fund?
The Barclays Community Sport Fund opens for applications on 22 April 2025 and closes on 22 June 2025.
Please note, we expect the fund to be extremely popular and may close earlier if we receive a high volume of eligible applications. We encourage you to read the criteria thoroughly and apply early for the best chance of success.
£1000 Access grant
To support the delivery of football, tennis or cricket activities for girls
Female coaches for girls grant
To cover the cost of, or a contribution towards, a Level 1 or equivalent qualification for your sport
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.
*Eligibility criteria apply. UK only. Grants subject to availability. This is a three-year funding programme running from April 2025 until December 2027.
What the BCSF has accomplished … so far
From 2022-24, our partnership delivered:
- Over £3million distributed through Sported to community groups and facility developments.
- 556,916 young people impacted by the programme.
- 3,520 organisations became part of the Barclays Community Football Fund network.
- 87% of groups able to engage with new young people from under-represented groups – creating 32,568 new young people playing football.
- 54% of Groups able to train up new coaches from under-represented groups, creating 2,914 additional coaches – including more Female coaches for Girls.
- A unique Participatory Grant Model to engage with communities traditionally excluded from funding.
- 664 Barclays employees engaging in the programme and inspiring a local group to apply for a grant.
- 100% of groups said that the grant had made a positive difference to their group.