Grassroots sports clubs and organisations in London can apply for grants to help them bounce back from the pandemic, through Made By Sport’s ‘Clubs in Crisis’ fund.

Made By Sport, a charity which champions the power of sport to tackle social issues, is distributing over £4 million of grants to support the vital role that grassroots sports clubs and organisations play in communities.

Recent research indicates that 25% of community clubs may not be able to reopen due to the devastating impact of Covid-19.

In an attempt to prevent this becoming a reality, Made By Sport are offering unrestricted grants of £2021 to those groups who do so much in communities to use sport as a vehicle for social good.

The pandemic has exacerbated many health and social issues. Research from mental health charity YoungMinds found that 83% of young people said the pandemic had affected their mental health, reporting issues with sleep, panic attacks and urges to self-harm.

In the face of these crises, sport is a vital tool to transform people’s lives. As well as helping to overcome mental health challenges, it is also a way to tackle important social issues such as reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, increasing life and employment skills and opportunities.

It also brings communities together and it is estimated that for every £1 invested in sport and recreation, there is a £4.34 return on savings in money spent on crime, truancy and ill health.

The #ClubsinCrisis fund, supported by the Cash4Clubs scheme, is now accepting applications and Sophie Mason, Made By Sport’s Chief Executive, urged clubs to apply.

She said: “We’re delighted to be able to provide £4 million worth of grants through our #ClubsinCrisis fund. With sport returning, now is the time to invest in grassroots sports and give our young people the best opportunity to thrive. Access to sport will provide them with more confidence, more resilience and better mental and physical health.”

“We believe funders and policy makers should consider sport in a different context and Made By Sport will continue to lead the way in redefining what community sport can do as part of the national rebuild.

"Now more than ever, sport has a big role in reinvigorating communities and supporting young people post-pandemic.”

In order to be eligible, clubs must provide clear evidence of how they use sport to help young people develop life skills, employment opportunities, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour or tackle mental health issues.

To apply for funding for your club, visit www.madebysport.com/clubsincrisis.