Flutter makes £4.79m commitment to ‘Clubs in Crisis’ response fund

Flutter Entertainment has announced that it has partnered with Made by Sport in a bid to support sports clubs managed by the latter.

The partnership will see Flutter’s Cash4Clubs charity initiative partner with Made by Sport to create the 2021 Clubs in Crisis campaign fund. This campaign is a COVID-19 response initiative aiming to keep sports clubs open amidst the pandemic. Since its inception in 2008, the Cash4Clubs program has allocated almost £800,000 to clubs, with £165,000 in grants distributed in 2020.

Flutter has contributed £4.79 million to the cause, which will include support for community sports clubs under the management of Made by Sport.  This initial donation made by the group is the amount that it benefitted from business rates reliefs that took effect from March 2020 to 2021 for its establishments in England.  

Flutter has asserted the importance of helping grassroots clubs who are struggling to stay afloat amidst the pandemic. The group also asserted that with schools closed, financial relief dwindling and the pressure on mental health services at an all-time high, the social aspect of sports once it is safe to resume has never been more critical.  

Commenting on this partnership, Peter Jackson, Flutter Entertainment’s chief executive explained that a lack of funding is not a new issue for community clubs which is why the group originally set up its Cash4Clubs programme.  

Jackson asserted that community clubs need help more than ever and that working with Made by Sport to provide a fund for Clubs In Crisis is a great way for the group to pass the benefit of business rates relief straight into the communities where that funding is needed the most.

According to Made By Sport, the fund will provide £2021 grants to the smallest groups that will play the most important part in helping communities get back on their feet after the pandemic restrictions are lifted. 

The charity, which was established in 2019 to raise awareness and funds for grassroots sports clubs and organisations that work with young people across the UK, will create guidelines to assess which clubs are in the most need of financial support.

Made by Sport’s chairman, Justin King, explained the importance of the initiative. King explained that with a quarter of all sports clubs in the UK facing permanent closure, community sport is facing a crisis.  He further went on to explain that the initiative’s aim is to look to the future and rebuild affected communities while emphasising the importance of grassroots sports’ role in helping to tackle some of the key social issues exacerbated by the pandemic.

King also added that this fund will reach some of the smallest and hardest hit clubs, pointing out that this will be the difference between permanent closure and the chance to continue the great work that the clubs do to address the social inequalities that exist in many communities.