Grassroots sports clubs across Yorkshire and the UK are being invited to apply for funding that could transform their sporting work in the community.

Betting and gaming group Flutter UKI is giving grassroots sports clubs and charities a vital £400,000 lifeline by launching its flagship Cash4Clubs programme for 2024.

Two hundred community sporting organisations across the UK and Ireland will be able to apply for grants of £2,000 to improve their facilities, purchase new

equipment, run coaching programmes and drive participation in sports.

Leeds PowerChair club have already benefitted from Cash4Clubs.

placeholder image — Leeds PowerChair club have already benefitted from Cash4Clubs.

Last year’s winners included Basa in Rochdale, which runs fitness classes for over 60’s women, the Gosport Bowmen archery club in Hampshire and the London Wheelchair rugby club - who sent four players to the ParalympicsGB squad in Paris.

Of the clubs awarded funding last year, over 85 per cent said they had been able to deliver more activities - and a total of 9,000 new people aged 18 or over had engaged in health and fitness programmes as a result.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP and chair of the cross-party CMS Select Committee, said: “I hope that grassroots clubs will make the most of the opportunity to apply for a Cash4Clubs grant.

“These clubs do great work in our communities, bringing people together, getting them active and developing new skills and passions. This money will make a huge difference.”

Ian Brown, Chief Executive of Flutter UKI, said: “The stunning success of Team GB at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics once again highlighted the power of sport. We hope Cash4Clubs can play an important part in helping at the grassroots level by enabling small clubs to play an even bigger role in their community.

"There are priceless benefits in people trying out a sport for the first time, getting active or having the confidence to take their hobby to the next level. We believe this programme can make a real difference in the areas that need it most.”

Flutter UKI is working with leading UK charity Sported to deliver the Cash4Clubs programme. Clubs and charities will be invited to apply for grants from today.

Two hundred bids will be selected for funding by the awards panel, with a particular emphasis this year on clubs trying to boost participation in areas of deprivation.

Sport England has a 10-year programme to improve the lives and communities in England through physical activity and sport with similar targets across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For further information on Cash4Clubs pls visit www.cash-4-clubs.com. The application period runs until the middle of November.