The future of more than 2,000 sports clubs and community organisations have been secured thanks to the first awards from Sport England’s Community Emergency Fund.
To date, it has awarded more than £8 million from the fund, which was set up to help groups through immediate financial hardship caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive, said he was “incredibly proud” that Sport England had been able to use National Lottery money to help so many organisations in such a short space of time.
“Sport and physical activity’s ability to bring individuals together and to unite communities will be of critical importance to our nation once the restrictions of lockdown begin to be lifted,” he said.
“This fund is a vital part of ensuring that grassroots organisations who might have cash-flow issues for a variety of reasons survive.
“Whether an organisation needs £300 or £10,000, the Community Emergency Fund is there for those who are in need of support to navigate this difficult period.”
The £20 million Community Emergency Fund is part of Sport England’s overall up to £195m package of support set up in response to the current crisis.
Lockdown conditions have had a significant impact on sports clubs and organisations - particularly for those with cash-generating facilities who are no longer able to open their doors, or summer activities facing short-term losses due to loss of membership fees or competition income.
The areas of most immediate pressure for organisations include the costs of covering rent, insurance, maintenance and utilities bills, while demand for funding has been unprecedented.
In 2019, Sport England received 4,000 applications across all our funding programmes, but the Community Emergency Fund has had over 6,500 since it was launched on 31 March.
