Female Coaches for Girls Grant
Barclays believe in creating opportunities for all through access to sport. Through the Barclays Community Sport Fund, we want to grow participation at every level and have grants dedicated to getting more women qualified across the UK to coach girls’ football at a grassroots level.
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.
We 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)
To check you are eligible and make sure you have all the information you need to apply, please read the Frequently Asked Questions below.
How much can I apply for?
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
What are the open and closing dates for the fund?
The funding programme will open on 22 April 2025 until 22 August 2025.
To check you are eligible and make sure you have all the information you need to apply, please read the Frequently Asked Questions below.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Female coaches for girls grant?
The grant I have applied for is more / less than the course fee – why?
We are offering a standard grant amount due to the range of prices of introductory coaching courses across sports and home countries. If the course you wish to attend is more than our fund amount, you can use our funding as a contribution towards this cost. If the course costs less than the grant you have received, please use this extra funding to pay for your expenses or any additional training you might like to undertake.
What does our application need to include?
We want you to demonstrate how upskilling a new female coach will support the development or expansion of your football, cricket or tennis activities for girls. Tell us why the coach you are putting forward is great, and the positive impact they will have on the girls.
What can the funding be used for?
The funding is to only be used for coaching qualifications:
- To book female coaches on to their Level 1 or equivalent introductory course in either football, tennis, or cricket.
How many female coaching grants can our group apply for?
You can apply to upskill up to two female coaches at your club or group. If your group delivers more than one of our focus sports (football, tennis, or cricket), you can only apply for two coaching grants to cover all activities per club.
What do we need to submit along with our application?
You will need to attach two documents to your application:
1. A governing document, e.g. Club Constitution or Articles of Association OR your Charity / Company number. This is so we can ensure you are a not-for-profit organisation benefiting the local community. Unfortunately, we are unable to fund Sole Traders or Companies Limited by Shares.
2. A bank statement or screenshot from online banking in the name of your organisation. This needs to be dated within the last three months and clearly show the sort code and account number. This is so we can make a payment if you are successful. We do not need to see any transactions or balance. We are unable to pay into personal bank accounts.
Also required
3. We will also ask you to declare that you have an up-to-date Safeguarding policy, and Health and Safety policy, including risk assessments and relevant insurance to cover your activities.
How do we book on to the coaching course?
If you are successful with your application, we 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.
When does the funding need to be spent?
Please book on to a coaching course as soon as possible after receiving the funding. The funding will ideally be spent within six months, to allow us to monitor the impact of the programme.
What reporting will we be required to complete?
We will ask you to confirm that your coach or coaches have booked on to their coaching course. We will also ask for feedback on how the coach has supported the development of women and girls’ activities at your club. Some groups may be selected for an audit and required to provide copies of booking and payment for the coaching course.
Are schools eligible to apply for the fund?
Schools and other educational institutions are unfortunately not eligible to apply for the fund. Charities that support schools may be considered if they are inclusive of young people from the wider community and not just pupils from that school.
Our organisation has already received a grant from the Barclays Community Sport Fund, can we still apply?
Yes. If your group has received a grant from the Barclays Community Sport Fund, you can still apply to this female coaching fund to upskill up to two new female coaches.
Can I save my application as I go along?
No, you will need to complete and save your grant application in a single time. You can find a copy of the questions in the link below. We recommend you complete the questions here first and then copy and paste your answers into the online form when you are ready so you do not lose any of your work.
You will also need to attach a copy of your bank statement and governance document or Charity / Company number. So please have these to hand when you are ready to complete the online form.
Can I view my application once I have submitted it?
Yes you can view your completed application by following the link below and using the email address you used to complete your application.
What support can you offer if I have additional needs, or I am facing barriers in applying?
We will accommodate different accessibility needs to give organisations the best chance of communicating their idea and plans with us. This could be arranging a conversation with a member of our team to provide clarity on the questions and process, or providing information and the application form in accessible formats. We will consider any requests for accessibility that will reduce barriers to applying.
If you require additional support or wish to make an accessibility request, we are happy to help.
Please get in touch at barclays@sported.org.uk
When will we hear if we have been successful?
You will hear back from the Sported team to let you know the outcome of your application or request additional information by the end of August 2025.
Ready to apply:
Female coaches for girls grant?
Please read through our helpful checklist below to ensure you have all the information you need to apply!
Please note: You cannot save your application as you go along. If you would like to view the application questions in Word format first, you can download a copy here and work on your application offline initially.
- I understand that I cannot save the online application as I go. It must be completed and submitted in one go.
- I have a copy of my organisation’s bank statement or screenshot from online banking which shows:
– Organisation Name
-Sort Code
-Account Number
-Date (within the last three months)
- I have a copy of my organisation’s governing document, e.g. Club Constitution or Articles of Association, or know my organisation’s Company / Charity number.-