At a glance:
Flutter UK&I opens flagship Cash4Clubs grassroots sports programme for 2027 funds
Grants of £2,000 available for 225 clubs across UK and Ireland; £10,000 for five
Alan Shearer and Graeme Souness urge clubs to access vital funding
Shadow Gambling Minister hails Flutter commitment to the community
Grassroots sports clubs across the UK are being urged to bid for a share of £500,000-worth of vital funding by football heroes Alan Shearer and Graeme Souness.
Flutter is today launching its flagship Cash4Clubs initiative in a bid to help all-important community clubs attract new members, buy new equipment and drive participation in health and fitness at a time of rising costs and growing demand for affordable activities.
For the first time, alongside grants of £2,000 for every successful application, five major awards of £10,000 will be available to deliver transformational change for struggling clubs.
Previous winners have between them covered up to 100 different types of sport, from netball to wheelchair rugby, with an emphasis on giving a helping hand to clubs in the more disadvantaged corners of the UK.
Former England star Alan Shearer – who presented the Newcastle Panthers LGBTQIA+ football team with an award earlier this year – said: “Seeing what this grant meant to Newcastle Panthers puts it all into perspective.
“It’s helped so many members of our local community, both directly through the club and indirectly in the wider area through the positive message they share. I would encourage any neighbourhood club to apply for this grant."
Graeme Souness – who took over a training session for another winner, the Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare FC in Midlothian, earlier this year – added: “Never underestimate the difference a small grant can make to the survival of a grassroots club or local community group. Earlier this year, I visited Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare FC to surprise them at training with the news that they’d received a Cash4Clubs grant. Since then, they’ve battled back from financial hardship and the threat of relegation. The application window for Cash4Clubs grants, delivered by Sported UK, reopens on 1 October. If your club or organisation helps keep adults involved in sport, make sure you apply.”
Since launching in 2008, Cash4Clubs has directed over £7 million into community athletics across the UK and Ireland, including £1.3 million handed out to 640 clubs since 2024 alone.
The 2026 allocation once more focuses specifically on adult participation, targeting teams that use sport to tackle broader social issues such as mental health challenges, rural isolation, and economic deprivation. Over half the clubs who received funding since 2024 cater to disabled athletes or racially diverse communities.
According to Sport England, every £1 invested in community sport and physical activity generates £4.21 in social and economic value to the UK.
Louie French, Conservative Shadow Gambling Minister, said: “Grassroots sports clubs are the heartbeat of communities across the country. Initiatives like Cash4Clubs provide essential funding to help clubs and organisations with rising costs and it’s great to see Flutter commit to another year of this programme.”
Cash4Clubs is run in conjunction with the charity Sported, who help assess the bids and distribute the funds. It won Best Grassroots Initiative of the year at the Women’s Football Awards last May.
This year, grants of £2,000 will be available for a maximum 225 clubs, with five grants of £10,000.
Sports presenter and Sported trustee, Jill Douglas MBE, said: “We couldn't deliver on the scale that we do and support the thousands of people that we support if it wasn't for partnerships like the one we had with Flutter.
All of us are feeling a squeeze in our finances and you see clubs really struggling to deliver the opportunities that are so important in our communities. Cash4Clubs unrestricted funding allows clubs to use that money where they see fit. The program allows the people on the ground to make those vital decisions. Giving that autonomy is massively important.”
Find out more at cash4clubs.org.
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