Alan Shearer and Peter Crouch back Cash4Clubs initiative that made history for one Hull organisation
Cash4Clubs is an initiative in which sports clubs and organisations around the UK are encouraged to apply for £400,000 worth of free grants.
Betting and gaming group Flutter UKI funds the Cash4Clubs initiative and is extending the deadline to next Thursday, December 12, to apply due to the high demand from grassroots clubs for the 2024 fund.
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Hide AdCash4Clubs awards 200 community organisations £2,000 worth of funding to help drive participation in sports and wellbeing, improve facilities and run coaching programmes.


Since the initiative was launched in 2008, nearly £6m has been invested into community sports by Flutter UKI through its brands, which include Betfair, Paddy Power, Sky Betting & Gaming and tombola.
Last year, nearly 40,000 people across 50 different sports benefitted from the Cash4Clubs fund. Almost 85% of those clubs funded were from lower socio-economic groups.
Welcome House Hull, a centre for Asylum Seekers and Refugees, used the Cash4Clubs grant to help set up Acorn FC, who made history by playing the first competitive match in the UK between asylum-seeker teams.
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Hide AdShirley Hart of Welcome House explained: “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. Those awaiting refugee status – we've got many who have waited more than two years - have no rights, they can’t work. If you’re a young man in your twenties, what do you do while you wait?


“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.”
Now, two famous England strikers are backing the initiative, Alan Shearer and Peter Crouch.
Having raised millions for charity and backed manymeaningful philanthropic efforts in Britain, Betfair ambassador Shearer encouraged organisations in most need to apply via Cash4Clubs before the closing date.
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Hide Ad“These grants could provide a lifeline to many clubs and organisations around the country, not to mention the thousands of adults connected to them,” he said.
“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 striker and Paddy Power brand ambassador 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."
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