Shearer and Souness back record Cash4Clubs lifeline for 250 grassroots sports clubs

Footballing legends Graeme Souness and Alan Shearer have gone back to their roots to reveal the first grassroots clubs to pocket a funding lifeline from Flutter UK and Ireland’s £500,000 Cash4Clubs programme.

The former Scotland and England stars told two community football clubs they each had won £2,000 under the vital Cash4Clubs scheme – now in its 18th year.

In all, a record 250 neighbourhood sports and fitness clubs across the UK and Ireland will pick up Cash4Clubs grants to fund coaching, marketing or the purchase of new equipment.

Graeme Souness delivered news of the £2,000 grant to the Easthouse Lily Miners Welfare FC as he took over a training session for a football club serving one of Scotland’s most deprived communities in Midlothian. Souness said:

"This is the real deal when you come down to this level. They're doing it for the love of the game, for the love of their community. It doesn't get any better than this. Everyone's here for the right reason"

"Being part of a team, I can't tell you, it's just the best. When I finished playing, and you go into management, it can be a bit of a lonely old job. But when you're a player, you're in a dressing room like this; the banter, and you're sitting with your mates. You win together, and you lose together. Being in this environment must be fantastic.”

Meanwhile Alan Shearer recorded a special video message for the Newcastle Panthers Football Club – the only LGBTQIA+ friendly football team in the North-East.

The former NUFC captain told the Panthers:

"The award recognises the incredible work you’re doing bringing people together, keeping adults active and helping grassroots football thrive. You should all be massively proud of what you’ve built. As a Newcastle native, I know I am."

‍Cash4Clubs was launched in 2008, and since then Flutter UKI has invested nearly £7 million into community sports. Earlier this year, almost 32,000 people from 200 different clubs benefited from this fund. Seventy-six per cent worked with lower socio-economic groups, and 86% per cent of clubs polled by leading UK charity Sported, who deliver the Cash4Clubs programme, reported they had grown their membership in the months since receiving funding.

Almost 1,500 community organisations and charities bid for grants in the Cash4Clubs 2025-2026 programme. As well as Easthouses Lily Miners FC and Newcastle Panthers, other winners include a Roller Derby club in Scotland, a Walking Netball team in Manchester and a boxing class in Derby.

Nearly half of those receiving a grant this year are based in some of the most deprived parts of the UK and Ireland. And the grants will support over 40 different sports, from football, to yoga, bowls and swimming,

Other activity includes wheelchair sports, cycling, climbing and archery.

Nearly six in ten of the grants will support clubs delivering activities to people experiencing mental health challenges.

Since its launch nearly 20 years ago, Cash4Clubs has invested more than £7 million into grassroots and community sport with the aim of driving participation, improving facilities and helping clubs and charities purchase equipment. The programme is run in conjunction with the charity, Sported.

Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare team manager David McQueenie said the money would be vital for helping with venue hire, equipment and kit. He said:
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“We’re a voluntary run club in a deprived area so this money will help us survive – it’s as simple as that. Especially for our older spectators who rely on us as a focus in life."

“To have Graeme Souness along to our club is just incredible. I mean, the things that Graeme’s done in the game is absolutely fantastic. The lads couldn’t believe it."

Speaking about what the grant meant to Newcastle Panthers, Joel Greenwell, club secretary explained:

"We are the only friendly football team for LGBT people in the Northeast. So, we really do provide that kind of hub and safe space for people to come along and be themselves. Our club also provides a really excellent social opportunity for often quite people who can sometimes feel a bit isolated or a bit excluded and it brings together like-minded people a really good group of friends."

"The Cash4Club's funding is really exciting for us and we're so grateful. It really does go such a long way to making our club what it is today."

The timing of this year’s funding is critical. According to a recent study *40% of adult grassroots sports clubs are cancelling services because of financial pressures. More alarmingly, a quarter don't believe they will remain financially sustainable beyond the next 12 months without external funding.

This research underscores the vital role schemes like Cash4Clubs play in keeping community sport alive – with many of the winning clubs in 2026 revealing details of their struggle to cover basic running costs, their inability to invest in equipment or facilities, with some admitting they were at risk of closing their doors entirely.

This year's Cash4Clubs investment will engage 37,071 people currently participating in the funded clubs, with an additional 13,623 new participants expected to join – bringing the total reach to over 50,000 people.

Kevin Harrington, Chief Executive of Flutter UK and Ireland, said:

"Cash4Clubs is a cornerstone of our commitment to reach the lives of 10 million people in the communities where we operate by 2030."

"Community clubs are the bedrock of sport in the UK and Ireland. Many operate on shoestring budgets, yet they deliver extraordinary impact for their members and wider communities. Unfortunately, without support from programmes such as Cash4Clubs, many of these vital community institutions simply won't survive."

"We’re proud to play our part.”

Sarah Kaye, CEO of Sported said:

"We're delighted to support Flutter UK and Ireland in delivering this record year for Cash4Clubs. The 250 clubs receiving grants this year represent the incredible diversity of grassroots sport across the UK and Ireland – from traditional sports to emerging activities, and crucially, many are working to break down barriers that prevent people from participating in sport."

"What's particularly impressive is the focus on clubs in deprived communities. Sport has the power to transform lives, improve mental health, build social connections, and create opportunities – but only if people can access it. These grants will make a real difference to thousands of people who might otherwise be excluded from sport and physical activity."

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