Flutter Entertainment has launched another £500,000 round of its Cash4Clubs programme, with former footballers Alan Shearer and Graeme Souness supporting the campaign to provide financial help to grassroots sports organisations across the UK and Ireland.
Applications will reopen on 1 October for funding allocated through the 2027 programme. Up to 225 successful clubs will receive unrestricted grants of £2,000, while five organisations will secure larger £10,000 awards introduced to support more substantial projects. The initiative is delivered in partnership with community sports charity Sported.
The money can be used by clubs to attract new members, purchase equipment and maintain or expand opportunities for adults to take part in sport and physical activity. Flutter said the programme is particularly aimed at organisations working in disadvantaged communities and those using sport to address issues including mental health, rural isolation and economic deprivation. Previous recipients have represented around 100 different sports, ranging from netball to wheelchair rugby.
Shearer has already been involved with Cash4Clubs through Newcastle Panthers, an LGBTQIA+ football club that received support earlier in 2026. Souness similarly visited Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare FC in Midlothian after the club secured funding while facing financial pressure and the threat of relegation. Both former players are encouraging more community organisations to apply for the latest round.
Since its launch in 2008, Cash4Clubs has distributed more than £7 million to community sport across the UK and Ireland. Of that total, £1.3 million has gone to 640 clubs since 2024. More than half of the organisations funded during that period have worked with disabled participants or racially diverse communities.
The programme has also expanded its profile within grassroots football. In May 2026, Cash4Clubs was named Best Grassroots Initiative at the Women’s Football Awards after supporting 86 community football projects for women over the previous three years.
Flutter, which owns brands including Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Betfair, has positioned Cash4Clubs as part of its wider investment in community sport, with the company continuing to fund programmes designed to increase participation and support clubs facing higher operating costs.