More than £50,000 available to sports clubs

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.”

Research has suggested that 25% of community clubs may not be able to reopen due to the devastating impact of Covid-19.

And 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.

Made By Sport believes physical activity can be a vital tool to transform people’s lives.

The charity said it is also a way to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, increase life and employment skills and opportunities.

In order to be eligible, borough clubs must provide 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.