It’s an unprecedented time for Welsh sport, bringing the biggest challenge to our sporting infrastructure in a generation.
The impact of the Coronavirus comes just weeks after many clubs in Wales were severely damaged by flooding caused by storms Dennis and Ciara.
Sport clubs are facing an immediate threat to their existence.
Emergency funding of £400,000 for not-for-profit community sport in Wales has been confirmed by Sport Wales and Welsh Government.
The Emergency Relief Fund is targeted at clubs who are already facing significant challenges after a difficult few weeks and who are likely to need immediate financial support over the next 12 weeks (up to 30th June 2020) if they are to remain an important part of their communities in the future. Each eligible Club will be able to apply for a maximum of £5,000.
This Emergency Relief fund is designed to complement other sources of funding provided by the UK Government or Welsh Government, such as funds targeted at small businesses. You can find more information on financial support, grants and loans here.
If you are a club and believe you require financial support – but are not eligible for this fund – you should email your details to us on emergencyrelief@sport.wales.
Who They’ll Fund
The Emergency Relief Fund is available to not-for-profit sport clubs and organisations delivering community sport and physical activity, if it is experiencing short term financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to the impact of coronavirus.
These organisations include:
- Local not-for-profit sports clubs.
- Voluntary and community sector organisations that deliver or enable sport and/or physical activity, including organisations that are not solely or primarily sports organisations and have an important role to play in keeping people active, that may need support for other parts of their organisation to remain open.
- Small charitable trusts that do not qualify for financial help elsewhere.
- Regional bodies at risk of financial hardship.
What They’ll Fund
The fund has been developed to help community sport and physical activity organisations that are unable to meet their financial obligations. For example, for fixed costs, which are no longer supported with revenue as a result of coronavirus.
The Emergency Relief Fund might cover expenditure on:
- Rent
- Utility costs
- Insurances
- Facility or equipment hire (where there is a fixed cost)
- Activities or costs that cannot be covered by government funding sources
- Clubs affected by recent flooding might also have capital costs or cleaning costs that they cannot pay for
We would expect applicants to have exhausted other sources of funding, in particular the emergency sources of funding and support being provided by the Welsh Government or UK Government.
The fund cannot be used for retrospective costs incurred before the UK Government announcement of lockdown from 24th March.
How Much We’ll Fund
Each eligible applicant can apply for up to £5,000. The minimum award will be £300.
For more information on this fund please see the Sports Wales website.
