The New Issue Facing Grassroots Sport

The Coronavirus pandemic is hitting sport hard, nowhere more so than grassroots sport.

We know all clubs will be feeling the pinch now with no matches and no money coming into meet the fixed overheads of grassroots sport. One longer term is the impact from local businesses. It is estimated that small and local businesses spend around £225m a year in grassroots sport – the biggest single revenue stream for clubs.

Across the UK these are the companies that sponsor a club, a team, a poster at the ground and put their logo on the kit. They support all sport from football to netball, cricket, rugby, fun runs, schools and special needs activity – the list is endless and without the local business support these activities for all would not exist. The impact of the current crisis will be significant on these businesses and there will be a knock on effect for grassroots sport.

What is Gift of Kit?

Gift of Kit exists to encourage major brands to invest in grassroots sport, and in the last 12 months we have given away £2m worth of kit and equipment.

We are not a charity, we ask clubs to support a brand in exchange for the kit reward – cars displayed in the club car park, it could be insurance or utility renewal dates, encourage clubs to look out for signs of problem or underage gambling.

For the season 20/21 we have had detailed discussions with 2 major car brands for a significant investment in grassroots sport. We have a major health insurer, a responsible gambling message, an energy provider and a major broadcaster all with budget allocated to grassroots. For clubs and their members, there is no demand to buy a service or product. All brands want is permission to quote when appropriate, It’s simple and works for everyone.

We will help grass roots bounce back

Clearly the current pandemic has halted progress on these offers, but they will come back. When things begin to return to normal, we want to get as much support for grassroots as we can. The unique passion and commitment people have for their local sports club is huge; volunteers give so much time to coach, support, make the tea’s, mark the pitch, organise the transport etc is something worth supporting – “the hands up not hands out culture”.

Brands see the value in this, when members buy products or services, they will support the companies who support them.

Tell us about your club so we can help

If your club would like to benefit from these programmes, sign up here and we will we will keep you posted when relevant offers are available.

Together we will change how grassroots sport is funded.