BGC in full support of £400m cash injection into grassroot sports

A new £400m fund designated to support grassroots sports has received a strong seal of approval from the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

This week, DCMS Secretary of State Lisa Nandy asserted her view that sports plays an integral part in the country’s national identity, and officially announced the new investment as part of an overall £900m cash contribution into both top sporting events and grassroots facilities.

“It brings communities together through physical activity, provides moments of national unity and celebration and supports growth through investment in our cities, towns and villages,” she said. 

Sport is central to the UK

The BGC “absolutely agrees” with Nandy’s statement. CEO Grainne Hurst said: “Sport tells our national story in a way like no other, and thanks to this funding alongside the money invested by BGC members, we are creating and improving new ways for tomorrow’s sporting heroes to train and take part in sport.”

Approximately £500m of the £900m cash will continue to help host several major sporting events in the UK such as Euro 28, the 2026 European Athletics Championships and start stages of the men’s and women’s Tour de France in 2027.

Furthermore, Entain’s Pitching In and Flutter’s Cash for Clubs (which has has donated £6.5m since 2008), as well as partnerships across horse racing, darts, rugby league and snooker, illustrate how BGC already contributes greatly to lower level sports, with the latest funding only adding to this.

Events such as these hugely benefit the local economy, with EURO 2028 alone projected to generate up to £2.4bn in social value.

“We welcome this boost for creative industries, but the BGC would have welcomed more focus on the leisure and tourism sector,” Hurst added.

“The land-based betting and gaming sector, including our world leading casinos, are a pillar of the UK economy, and are generating growth across the nation’s towns and cities. They deserve continued government support,” she added.

“We also welcome the government’s commitments to a tax regime that supports its growth ambitions. We have been clear, any tax rises on our sector will not boost growth, but will force people to the growing unsafe gambling black market.”

Gambling gets together

It seems to be a trend amongst betting operators to continue the push for growth across grassroots sports. For example, Betway has supported grassroots football and other community sports through local initiatives and sponsorship deals.

Meanwhile, Paddy Power launched the “Save Our Shirt” campaign in 2019, which included funding grassroots teams and removing their logo from football kits to de-commercialise them. Similarly, Sky Bet have also engaged in some lower-league and community-level support, as well as William Hill which has sponsored local sports clubs and events.

A survey of grassroots football clubs found that 69% of clubs reported increases in participation in recent years. Also, since the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 win, there’s been a jump of 50,000 additional girls playing football.

The funding comes at an important time, with a recent survey detailing that seven out of 10 grassroot clubs in the UK don’t feel they have sufficient funding to support their activities, and 81% of clubs who rent pitches have seen prices climb by at least 5%.