Why we Invest in Football

Via Sport England

Investing in the grassroots game is crucial to building an active nation.

As the world is spending a month celebrating the beautiful game, Sport England thought it would be a good opportunity to look at how they support the sport across England. In the last 10 years Sport England has awarded almost 1,130 grants to football specific projects up and down the country. Those grants have totalled a massive £240,252,533. And it’s not just football-specific grants that have seen the sport benefit, with countless other multi-sport projects also including football-related activities. From The Football Association right down to the changing rooms at your local park, Sport England have supported them all.

Of the 1,130 grants, almost 1,000 of them have been made with National Lottery funds, while the remainder have come direct from the Exchequer. Here are updates from a select few of those projects that have received an award in the past two years.

Whether it be walking football, the launch of a new women’s team at Accrington Stanley FC, powerchair football with the Villa Rockets or how the Somali Integration and Development Association have used the sport to help their cause – Sport England will cover them all. They have already shown how their investment in the MAN v FAT leagues have helped men shed more than 100,000lbs in just 29 months. And how a £2million-a-year investment in The Football Association has helped BAME, female and disabled coaches along the development pathway to get their UEFA B coaching licenses. Stay tuned to Spor England's channels over the next few weeks to find out how our investment is helping football to build an active nation.