Community sports clubs in Falkirk have been urged to take advantage of a £500,000 funding lifeline, accessed through leading grassroots sport charity Sported and funded by Flutter UKI.

Cash4Clubs 2026 is offering £500,000 to sports clubs across the UK and Ireland. 250 clubs will be able to bid for grants of £2,000 a time to help buy new equipment, hire coaches, run training programmes or simply boost their marketing to bring in new members.

It responds to Sported insight that shows more than 43% of grassroots organisations are having to cancel services because of a lack of funding.

Clubs offering vital sports and fitness activities blame rising day-to-day costs, insurance bills and a difficulty in finding staff and other volunteers – with almost a quarter (22%) fearing they will be financially unsustainable within the next year.

Sports clubs can get grants to support their work.

placeholder image — Sports clubs can get grants to support their work.

Camelon Bowling Club, which has been home to seven generations of bowlers, has been backed through grant funding which has enabled the club to operate all year round, saving them from the usual winter hibernation; enforced by high running costs.

Based in Public Park in Falkirk, club official Stuart Inglis says the grant has helped it purchase a new indoor carpet, allowing members to bowl throughout winter and providing an essential outlet for older players.

He said: “It is hard to put into words how important our winter bowls section is. We have so many players who love to play through the dreary winter months. They not only rely on the social outlet for their mental health, but also enjoy the physical activity it provides.

“The cost of running the club is vast, and our previous indoor equipment was so tattered. Our indoor carpet, which we roll out in the function room, was over twenty-five years old and on its last legs.

“So, to get this funding from Cash4Clubs was a lifesaver — a real lifeblood for our club. It means that during the winter months, our bowlers don’t have to socially hibernate. They can still come to the club, forget their troubles for a moment, bowl, and have a laugh."

The scheme has received backing from Falkirk MP, Euan Stainbank. “It’s fantastic to see resources from this programme going into enhance an essential and valuable bowling club in the heart of our community," he said. "It is essential that we retain and grow a diverse group of sports for people of all ages to participate in.”

Cash4Clubs was launched in 2008, and since then Flutter UKI has invested nearly £7 million into community sports. Earlier this year, Sported, who support grassroots sport initiatives throughout Scotland, reported almost 32,000 people from 200 different clubs had benefited from this fund.