Small grants are available for football, tennis, and cricket coaching courses to help increase the number of female coaches delivering sport to girls across the UK.
Two coaching grants are available per club as a contribution towards a Level 1 coach qualification, as follows:
- Cricket (up to £200)
- Tennis (up to £200)
- Football (up to £160).
The Sported Foundation (Sported UK) has partnered with Barclays to provide further rounds of the Barclay Community Sport Fund (previously the Barclays Community Football Fund), offering small grants to not-for-profit groups in the UK that are active areas of high deprivation to make football, cricket and or tennis more accessible to women and girls.
The programme will run in 2025, 2026 and 2027 with an annual budget of £1.4 million.
The Barclays Community Sport Fund aims to help reduce inequalities in football by supporting community sports groups who need it most. The programme focuses on groups operating in areas of high deprivation by supporting young people from the following underrepresented sectors. Please note that applicants must operate in an area of high deprivation as defines in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation.
Only organisations located in or supporting people from IMD areas 1-3 are eligible to apply, although there is some flexibility where this applies to organisations working with people with a disability. The Fund is designed to support:
- Girls (Sported is especially keen to support girls football teams).
- Women
- People from racially diverse communities
- People from the LGBTQ+ community
- People from lower socio-economic groups, and
- People with a disability
Please note that the following grant programme is CURRENTLY CLOSED: unrestricted grants of £1,000 to help sustain and increase access to football, tennis and cricket for women and girls (as well as engage people from other underrepresented groups, such as people with disabilities, those from racially diverse communities and those from the LGBTQ+ community).
However, groups can apply for Female Coaches for Girls funding:
- Funding for football, tennis, and cricket coaching courses to help increase the number of female coaches delivering sport to girls - two coaching grants are available per club as a contribution towards a Level 1 coach qualification, as follows: Cricket (up to £200); Tennis (up to £200) and Football (up to £160).
If successful for funding, your group will also be able to access:
- Exclusive match tickets, mascot places, and promotional opportunities, and
- Advice and support and signposting to training and resources.
Further information, guidance, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and details about how to apply is available on the Sported Foundation's website. New applicants to the Fund will be required to register before they can access the application form.
The deadline for applications to the Femail Coaches for Girls Fund is Wednesday 31 December 2025 with successful applicants expected to be notified in March or April 2026.