This new fund, delivered in partnership with Sported, aims to reduce inequalities in sport – with a focus on football, tennis, and cricket. It replaces the Barclays Community Football Fund which closed to applications last year.

The three-year funding programme, running from April 2025 to December 2027, will provide £1.4 million each year.

The funding supports community groups and grassroots sports organisations who are working within the most deprived areas of the UK and are making sport more accessible to women and girls, as well as engaging people from other under-represented groups including people with disabilities, from racially diverse communities and from the LGBTQ+ community.

Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations including community groups, youth groups and traditional sports clubs.

To be eligible, applicants must:

Deliver football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls – or are applying for funding to start.
Operate in an area of high deprivation. Only organisations located in or supporting people from IMD areas 1-3 are eligible to apply.

Disability applications from groups that sit outside of IMD areas 1-3 will be considered as long as they groups offer activities for women and girls.

The following funding is available:

Grants of £1,000 which can be split across football, tennis or cricket activities.
Female Coaches for Girls Grants (Football - £160 grant; Tennis - £200 grant; Cricket - £200 grant) to support coaching courses to help increase the number of female coaches delivering sport to girls.

The £1,000 grant is unrestricted and can be used for anything that will support delivery of football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls. Ideally the funding should be spent within a six month period.

The fund also offers: