FLUTTER GIVES £4.8M TO SUPPORT STRUGGLING GRASSROOTS SPORTS CLUBS

British gambling giant Flutter Entertainment has launched a new campaign, with a £4.8M GBP donation, to support grassroots sports organisations across the UK. 

To kick off its latest Cash4Clubs initiative Flutter has partnered with Made by Sport – a charity that helps local sports organisations in communities, with the aim of improving people’s lives and social mobility. 

Flutter’s £4.8M donation has been directed to Made by Sports’ Clubs in Crisis support fund, to help local sports clubs survive through the COVID-19 crisis, which has put unprecedented pressure on many grassroots organisations. 

Specifically, the program will award grants of £2,021 to the smallest organisations to help them recover their activities once the pandemic situation allows. 

Discussing the initiative Justin King, Chairman of Made by Sport, said: “With a quarter of all sports clubs in the UK facing permanent closure, community sport is facing a crisis. This fund will reach some of the smallest and hardest hit clubs, and for many this will be the difference between permanent closure and the chance to continue the great work they do to address the social inequalities that exist in our communities.”

While Sophie Mason, CEO of Made by Sport, added: “This donation is a huge injection into our Clubs in Crisis fund and we are delighted to be partnering with Flutter’s Cash4Clubs scheme and UK Community Foundations to provide this much-needed support.  

“Whilst community sport provision is in a precarious state right now, there has never been more recognition that sport is fundamental to our individual, community and societal development. If sport at its most grassroots level is denied, we risk a huge rise in mental health issues, anti-social behaviour and lack of life skills that lead to better employment opportunities. This fund will make a massive difference to thousands of communities all across the UK.”

And, CEO of Flutter Entertainment Plc, Peter Jackson, said: “Lack of funding is not a new issue for community clubs which is why we originally set up our Cash4Clubs programme.

“But now help is needed more than ever and working with Made by Sport to provide a fund for ‘Clubs In Crisis’ is a great way for us to pass the benefit of business rates relief straight into the communities where that funding is most needed.”

Flutter has said that its £4.8M donation is the equivalent of the rates relief benefits the company received between March 2020 and March 2021, during which time its 350 Paddy Power England betting shops have been shut due to lockdowns. “Rates” refer to the tax on business premises – which make up a significant portion of business costs for “bricks-and-mortar” businesses like betting shops. 

The company also noted that, throughout the crisis, it has kept all retail staff on full pay, and has not accepted any government assistance through furlough pay schemes. 

Staying with Flutter, last week the company announced it was appointing Vice Media CEO, Nancy Dubuc, and US corporate financing expert, Holly Koeppel, to its board. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s now been almost a year since the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, and despite a few brief easings, regulations have made it almost impossible for many grassroots organisations to function, fundraise, and provide their valuable services to communities.

We’re sure this cash injection from Flutter will go a long way to helping many, but with the very real threat of full lockdowns returning over the coming year due to mutant strains of the virus, we’ve got a feeling organisations are going to need a lot of extra support for much longer. Maybe it’s time other gambling companies stepped up too?