Flutter Launches £500,000 Cash4Clubs Fund With Support From Shearer And Souness
Grassroots sports clubs across the UK can apply for grants of up to £10,000 through Flutter Entertainment’s latest Cash4Clubs funding round.
Flutter Entertainment has launched its 2026 Cash4Clubs programme, making £500,000 available to grassroots sports organisations across the UK.
Former footballers Alan Shearer and Graeme Souness are supporting this year's initiative, which is delivered by Sported UK and will open for applications on 1 October.
Successful applicants will primarily receive grants of £2,000, while five clubs will be awarded £10,000 for larger projects.
The funding is intended to help grassroots organisations attract new members, purchase equipment and increase participation in sport and physical activity, with the 2026 programme again focusing on adult participation.
Shearer And Souness Back Grassroots Initiative
Shearer has supported the programme after presenting a Cash4Clubs award to Newcastle Panthers, an LGBTQIA+ football club, earlier this year.
“Seeing what this grant meant to Newcastle Panthers puts it all into perspective,” Shearer said.
“It’s helped so many members of our local community, both directly through the club and indirectly in the wider area through the positive message they share. I would encourage any neighbourhood club to apply for this grant.”
Souness has also seen the programme's impact after visiting Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare FC in Midlothian to surprise the club with news that it had secured funding.
“Never underestimate the difference a small grant can make to the survival of a grassroots club or local community group,” Souness said.
“Earlier this year, I visited Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare FC to surprise them at training with the news that they’d received a Cash4Clubs grant. Since then, they’ve battled back from financial hardship and the threat of relegation.”
Cash4Clubs Funding Passes £7 Million
Cash4Clubs has distributed more than £7 million to community sports organisations across the UK and Ireland since being established in 2008.
That includes £1.3 million awarded to 640 clubs since 2024, with previous recipients representing as many as 100 different sports.
The 2026 programme will place particular emphasis on clubs using sport to address wider community challenges, including mental health issues, rural isolation and economic deprivation.
The initiative forms part of Flutter's wider community investment activity in the UK. The gambling group owns brands including Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair.
Earlier this year, Flutter increased its annual funding for the Leeds Rhinos Foundation from £25,000 to £36,000.
The company has also used its sports partnerships to support charitable campaigns, including Sky Bet's English Football League sponsorship to promote the British Heart Foundation and Paddy Power's involvement with the PDC World Darts Championship to raise awareness of prostate cancer.
Applications for the latest £500,000 Cash4Clubs funding round will open on 1 October, with eligible grassroots organisations able to compete for the £2,000 grants and five larger £10,000 awards.
