Peter Crouch and Alan Shearer support £2k cash boost for local groups - how to apply

Community groups and sport clubs can now apply for a £2,000 cash grant to help support their local activities, encourage participation and run coaching programmes.

Cash4Clubs is set to awards grants to 200 community organisations across the UK and Ireland to support grassroots sport in whatever way they need. Former England striker Alan Shearer encouraged organisations to apply via Cash4Clubs ahead of the deadline of December 12.

He said: "These grants could provide a lifeline to many clubs and organisations around the country, not to mention the thousands of adults connected to them. Being part of a club can be life-changing at any age and improving health and fitness only skims the surface of the benefits most people experience.

"The impact on communities, particularly those in deprived areas, is immeasurable, making grants like Cash4Clubs vital."

Former Liverpool star, Peter Crouch, added: “£2,000 is the difference between having equipment and not for a lot of grassroots organisations and keeping funding like this available depends on clubs getting stuck in, so if you haven't applied already, be sure to get stuck in before the deadline on December 12th."

Since being launched in 2008, nearly £6m has been invested into community sports by betting and gaming group Flutter UKI who own brands including Betfair and Paddy Power. Last year, nearly 40,000 people across 50 different sports benefited from Cash4Clubs funding, with 85% going to clubs which help people in lower socio-economic groups.

One of the £2,000 grants helped establish Acorn Football Club in Hull – the UK’s first football team exclusively for refugees and asylum seekers. They went on to make history by playing the first competitive match in the UK between asylum-seeker teams.

Shirley Hart of Welcome House explained the impact that the grant made. She said: “Hull was declared a city of sanctuary in 2017 so naturally we get a lot of young men coming here who have fled from war-torn countries because they don’t want to fight."

“We asked what they wanted, thinking they might say a jumper or a toothbrush, and they said a football. That football became a lifeline. Acorn FC grew from that. They belong to something and feel they have a purpose in their lives. They all speak different languages and they’re all from different countries but they’re united in their love of football. Without grants like Cash4Clubs, that would not have happened.”

A spokesperson for Flutter UKI said: “We know that Cash4Clubs can play an important part in helping at the grassroots level – great stories such as Acorns FC show the power the programme can have by enabling small clubs to play an even bigger role in their community."

“There are real benefits to encouraging people to try out a sport or exercise a bit more and we hope this year’s funding will make a real difference.”

Other recipients of Cash4Clubs grants include Basa in Rochdale, which runs fitness classes for over 60s women, the Gosport Bowmen archery club in Hampshire and the London Wheelchair rugby club - who sent four players to the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

Applicants can apply via the Cash4Clubs website at www.cash-4-clubs.com.