September 8, 2025: Former England heroes Alan Shearer and Peter Crouch are urging community sports clubs to take advantage of a £500,000 funding lifeline – as polling shows 43% of grassroots organisations are cancelling services because of a lack of funding.
Clubs offering vital sports and fitness activities blame rising day-to-day costs, insurance bills and a difficulty in finding staff and other volunteers – with almost a quarter (22%) fearing they will be financially unsustainable within the next year.
The warning comes as Flutter UKI launches Cash4Clubs 2026 – offering £500,000 to sports clubs across the UK and Ireland. Two hundred and fifty clubs will be able to bid for grants of £2,000 a time to help buy new equipment, hire coaches, run training programmes or simply boost their marketing to bring in new members.
The polling, commissioned to coincide with the launch of Cash4Clubs 2026, shows just 45% of clubs believe they can fully meet their members’ needs.
This year’s Cash4Clubs programme is backed by a host of sporting celebrities who are calling on clubs to apply for the money from Flutter UKI – which runs Paddy Power, Sky Bet, Betfair, tombola and PokerStars.
Paddy Power ambassador and former England and Liverpool striker, Peter Crouch, said:
"An additional £2,000 can make all the difference to local clubs – it can keep the lights on, keep facilities open and accessible and provide much needed funds to invest in equipment or training volunteers. These clubs aren't just about sport – they're giving people a place to belong, to build confidence and stay active. It's why Cash4Clubs is so important, and I would urge people to apply."
Alan Shearer, Betfair ambassador, said:
"Throughout my career, on and off the field, I've witnessed the incredible power of sport to transform lives. Local grassroots clubs and organisations aren't nice to have; they are essential community assets. These grants can provide a vital helping hand and the impact, particularly in deprived areas, can be profound."
Cash4Clubs was launched in 2008, and since then Flutter UKI has invested nearly £7 million into community sports. Earlier this year, almost 32,000 people from 200 different clubs benefited from this fund. Seventy-six per cent worked with lower socio-economic groups, and 86% per cent of clubs polled by leading UK charity Sported, who deliver the Cash4Clubs programme, reported they had grown their membership in the months since receiving funding.
Winners in 2025 included the Swindon Storm American Football Club, the Sunderland Deaf Darts Society and Wigan-based Parkinson's Ninja – a pioneering club using the power of taekwondo, rock-steady boxing and mixed martial arts to tackle Parkinson's disease.
Paul Williams, Parkinson's Ninja says:
"Parkinson's Ninja is going through a transformational period in its short life to meet the increasing demands for its services from people who live with Parkinsons in the Wirral area. Experts advise that undertaking regular intense exercise can help slow the progress of this illness. In the last 2 years we have seen class numbers double and we are increasing the weekly classes from 2 to 4 per week to meet this demand and give our members the level of exercise they need. The grants from Cash4Clubs have allowed us to expand our offering to meet this need, including fulfilling the cost of additional coaching fees as well as maintaining the existing classes. As such we can continue helping people with Parkinsons by giving them the physical and social activity they vitally need."
Dame Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee added:
"I've seen first-hand the difference Cash4Clubs can make to the local community, and I would urge clubs to apply for the funding that Flutter is making available. Physical activity is vital for fitness and well-being and it's always great to see the wide range of community organisations that benefit from the Cash4Clubs programme."
Community clubs have until December 8 to apply for a grant through the Cash4Clubs website.
This year's programme is putting a particular emphasis on clubs that want to increase participation in sport in their local community, with the most recent round of grants attracting over 2,500 new adults to recipient clubs in 2025.
Flutter UKI chief executive Kevin Harrington said:
"Grassroots sports clubs are the beating heart of communities, but rising costs mean too many are now fighting to survive.
"That's why we've committed £500,000 through our Cash4Clubs programme this year – to give local organisations the support they need to keep doors open, inspire participation and provide opportunities for adults to stay active and engaged with sports and all of the additional benefits that brings with it."
The majority of funding from last year's programme supported underrepresented groups in sport, including people with disabilities (65%), women over 18 (58%), racially diverse communities (55%), and people from the LGBTQ+ community (44%)**.
Flutter UKI is working with leading UK charity Sported to deliver the Cash4Clubs programme.
The deadline for applications is December 8th.
Founded almost 20 years ago, Flutter has invested over £7 million into grassroots and community sport across the UK and Ireland.
Throughout 2025, recipient clubs like Parkinson’s Ninja C.I.C on Merseyside used their £2,000 grant to run exercise classes for those suffering from a condition impacting the lives of over 150,000 people across the UK.
The Wales Armed Forces Veterans Football Club used their Cash4Clubs grant to help them realise their ambition to compete in the 2026 Veterans World Cup.
Meanwhile, the Long Furlong Horse Riding for the Disabled club in East Sussex used their grant to buy indoor mounted games equipment and The Park Lane Centre in Telford, Shropshire used the funding to host weekly adult boot camp sessions.
Cash4Clubs also delivered a few surprises to our recipient clubs along the journey.
Click on the following videos to hear about some of the stories shared by the 2025 Cash4Clubs fund recipients:
Some of the regions to receive a grant from the 2024 Cash4Clubs fund.
In February 2025, members of a Swindon-based amateur American football club were gathered in their local pub to watch the Super Bowl when live coverage of the game was interrupted by one of the NFL's biggest stars to deliver a very special surprise.
New England Patriots legend and four-time Super Bowl winner Rob Gronkowski (aka Gronk) surprised Swindon Storm, based in the South-West of England, by announcing that they are the first of 200 clubs across the UK and Ireland to receive a £2,000 share of our £400,000 Cash4Clubs grant funded by Flutter UKI.
Watch how it all unfolded below:
Funded by Flutter UK & Ireland
Cash4Clubs - Copyright 2025
