Barclays Community Sport Fund 2025 to 2027
Objectives of Fund
The funding supports community groups and grassroots sports organisations who are working within the most deprived and/or rural 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.
Two funding streams are available:
Access Grants to support the delivery of football, tennis or cricket activities for women and girls.
Female Coaches for Girls Grant to cover the cost of a Level 1 or equivalent qualification for the sport.
Value Notes
The annual fund value is £1.4 million for over three years.
The programme offers:
Access Grants of £1,000 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). Only one £1,000 grant will be awarded per organisation. The grant can be split across football, tennis or cricket activities.
Female Coaches for Girls Grants to support football, tennis, and cricket coaching courses to help increase the number of female coaches delivering sport to girls. Two coaching 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 the chosen sport. This is to upskill up to two female coaches at the club or group.
Level 1 coaching grants: Football - £160 grant; Tennis - £200 grant; Cricket - £200 grant.
The Fund also offers:
Exclusive match tickets, mascot places, and promotional opportunities.
Access to advice and support and signposting to training and resource.
Who Can Apply
Applications will be accepted from charities, not-for-profit organisations including community groups, youth groups and traditional sports clubs.
To be eligible, applicants must:
Deliver football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls – or are applying for funding to start.
Operate in an area of high deprivation. The Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are used to establish eligibility and only organisations located in or supporting people from IMD areas 1-3 are eligible to apply.
Disability applications from groups outside of IMD areas 1-3 will be considered as long as they groups offer activities for women and girls. Additionally, applications are also considered from groups engaging women and girls facing challenges of rural isolation that are not living in deprived areas.
Eligible Expenditure
The funding is unrestricted and can be used for anything that will support delivery of football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls.
Typical examples of costs might include a contribution towards:
Venue hire including floodlights and heating.
Coaching costs
Volunteer expenses
Equipment
Kit
Marketing and communications
Training and qualifications
Insurances and affiliation.
Ideally the funding should be spent within a six month period.
How To Apply
The following rounds are available in 2026:
Access Grant: opens 25 March (09:00) and closes 27 May (17:00).
Female Coaches for Girls Fund: opens 8 July (09:00) to 4 December (17:00).
The FAQs, application guidance, and online application form can be found on the Sported website.
Groups who are not a Sported member or existing grantee will need to create an account to start their application.
Please note that applications may close early if funds are depleted. Groups should apply early to avoid disappointment.
