Flutter UKI launches £500,000 Cash4Clubs fund as survey warns grassroots sport under strain

Flutter UKI has unveiled a £500,000 Cash4Clubs fund aimed at helping community sports organisations across the UK and Ireland as new polling released with the launch warns many grassroots clubs are struggling to stay afloat.

The 2026 Cash4Clubs programme will award 250 grants of £2,000 to clubs to buy equipment, hire coaches, run training programmes or boost marketing to attract members. Clubs have until December 8 to apply via the Cash4Clubs website.

Polling commissioned to coincide with the launch found 43 percent of grassroots sports organisations have had to cancel services because of a lack of funding, while 22 percent said they feared becoming financially unsustainable within the next year. Only 45 percent of clubs said they could fully meet their members’ needs. Clubs cited rising day-to-day costs, higher insurance bills and difficulty recruiting staff and volunteers as key pressures.

Former England players Peter Crouch and Alan Shearer, who are backing this year’s programme, urged community clubs to apply. "An additional £2,000 can make all the difference to local clubs," Crouch said, adding that the money can "keep facilities open and accessible and provide much-needed funds to invest in equipment or training volunteers." Shearer said grassroots clubs are "essential community assets" and that the grants can have a profound impact, particularly in deprived areas.

Kevin Harrington, chief executive of Flutter UKI, said the firm had committed the funding because rising costs were putting too many clubs at risk. "Grassroots sports clubs are the beating heart of communities," he said. "That’s why we’ve committed £500,000 through our Cash4Clubs programme this year – to give local organisations the support they need to keep doors open, inspire participation and provide opportunities for adults to stay active."

The Cash4Clubs initiative, delivered in partnership with the charity Sported, was launched in 2008. Since then, Flutter UKI has invested nearly £7 million in community sport. Earlier this year almost 32,000 people from around 200 clubs benefited from the programme, and 86 percent of clubs polled by Sported reported membership growth in the months after receiving funding.

Last year’s recipients included a wide range of groups: Swindon Storm American Football Club, the Sunderland Deaf Darts Society and Wigan-based Parkinson’s Ninja, a club that uses taekwondo, rock-steady boxing and mixed martial arts to support people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Paul Williams of Parkinson’s Ninja said the club had doubled class numbers in two years and was increasing weekly sessions from two to four to meet growing demand in the Wirral. He credited Cash4Clubs grants with covering coaching fees and helping maintain existing classes so the club could "continue helping people with Parkinson’s by giving them the physical and social activity they vitally need."

The programme has placed emphasis on widening participation and supporting underrepresented groups in sport. In the most recent round, 76 percent of funded clubs worked with lower socio-economic groups. Last year’s funding primarily supported people with disabilities (65 percent), women over 18 (58 percent), racially diverse communities (55 percent) and people from the LGBTQ+ community (44 percent). The most recent round of grants attracted more than 2,500 new adults to recipient clubs in 2025.

Public bodies and campaigners have highlighted the wider health and social benefits of community sport. Sport England reported growth in adult and disabled participation earlier this year but said more work was needed in the most deprived areas. The UK government has placed tackling inactivity at the centre of its preventative health agenda.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, welcomed the programme and encouraged clubs to apply. "I’ve seen first-hand the difference Cash4Clubs can make to the local community," she said.

Applications for Cash4Clubs 2026 are open via www.cash-4-clubs.com until December 8. Flutter UKI operates brands including Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair, tombola and PokerStars and will again work with Sported to administer the grants.