Wiltshire Cricket clubs benefit from Sport England Community Emergency Fund
At the outset of the Covid-19 crisis, Sport England announced a number of financial measures to support the Sport sector during this difficult time. Most notably for Cricket clubs this included the Community Emergency fund with an initial £20m pot of funding, later increased to £35m, being made available to recreational sports clubs.
Cricket has been one of the leading sports within the sector in terms of accessing support through the fund and latest data released today shows that in total 23 affiliated cricket clubs in the county have accessed some degree of funding through the scheme. In total, the fund has contributed £45,677 to cricket clubs throughout Wiltshire.
As things stand, the fund is currently closed to new applications and at this stage it is unclear if the fund will be re-opened.
The success of the fund in Wiltshire is a testament to the pro-active way in which cricket clubs have responded to the financial challenges presented by Covid-19. However, we are also aware that there are some clubs, through no fault of their application, will have been unsuccessful with their application to Sport England. We are also aware that there will be some clubs who may not yet have applied for financial assistance through any of the available schemes. To those clubs, I would say the following:
1. Please contact Pete Sykes if you would like advice on other funding support options that may be available to you. Most likely they will include the options below but a bespoke conversation about your club's circumstances may be helpful.
2. Please investigate the ECB Financial Support Packages that are available. These packages are very much still open for applications
3. Please investigate if you are eligible for any Government support packages. Most notably, many sports clubs have accessed funding through the Small Business Grant Fund.
New Opportunity - The Coronavirus Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund
The Government have announced a new scheme where councils can allocate funds to small or micro businesses who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
This fund is available to businesses who have not been eligible for any other grant, with the exception of the furlough Job Retention scheme and Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), and who were trading on 11 March 2020.
Small and micro businesses with fixed property costs that are not eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund may be eligible for the Discretionary Grants Scheme.
Eligibility
You’re potentially eligible if your business:
- is based in England
- has fewer than 50 employees
- has fixed building costs such as rent
- was trading on 11 March 2020
- has been adversely impacted by the coronavirus
At this stage, it looks like the two Local Authorities in Wiltshire are developing their guidance in relation to this scheme with details on how to apply to be provided imminently. Therefore, please visit the following pages for updates on this fund:
Wiltshire Council - Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund
Swindon Borough Council - Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund
