Tag: grass roots

Local Sports Clubs could score £2500 funding from Aldi Scotland

Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund has returned for its ninth consecutive year, giving local sports clubs in Edinburgh and the Lothians the opportunity to receive a share of £50,000 in funding.

Aldi Scotland introduced its Scottish Sport Fund in 2016, with the aim of motivating and encouraging individuals of all ages and skill levels to participate in physical activities within their local communities.

Committed to improving community access to sports across the country, the fund offers sports clubs across Scotland the opportunity to secure essential funding. With a range of funding tiers available, one club per region will benefit from a £2,500 funding boost.

Since the fund’s launch, almost 600 clubs in Scotland have benefitted from a funding uplift of more than £400,000. 

Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund welcomes applications from all sporting organisations that meet the specified criteria. In 2023, Aldi provided support to various sports clubs across Scotland, including Forth Valley Visually Impaired Bowlers, Sutherland Squash Club, Breadalbane Canoe Club, Musselburgh Windsor Girls Football Club, and Galloway Hillbillies Bike Club. This supplementary funding assisted the clubs in financing training sessions and acquiring new equipment.

Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director, said: “Since 2016, Aldi’s Scottish Sports Fund has given a wide range of sports clubs the chance to benefit from essential funding to help them invest in much-needed equipment and resources.

“We remain committed to supporting sports clubs across Scotland to help continue the fantastic work they do in their local communities. Every year, we are blown away by the volume of applications we receive, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming even more in 2024. I encourage all sports clubs across Edinburgh and the Lothians to apply and take advantage of this excellent funding opportunity.”

Sports clubs located across Edinburgh and the Lothians have from Monday 2 September – Sunday 6 October to apply for funding.

One applicant will be selected to receive £2,500 of funding, two applicants will each receive £1,000 of funding, while several other applicants will each receive £500 of funding. Applications can be made via a form found on

 https://www.aldi.co.uk/scottishsportfund.

The Aldi Scottish Sport Fund is open to any sporting organisation in Scotland that meets the application criteria. All applications will be considered by the Aldi judging panel and entrants will be notified of the outcome of their funding application within four to six weeks from the region’s deadline. 

Please see the Aldi Scottish Sport Fund FAQs and Terms & Conditions for more information.

Shared Access and The Scottish Football Partnership Trust map out the future of Scotland’s connectivity path

Shared Access, the wireless infrastructure operator that works with major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and the Scottish Football Partnership Trust (SFPT) have announced the next step of the investment plan that will benefit Scottish football clubs and aid the future connectivity of Scotland.

Since launching the investment scheme in September 2020, more than 250 new clubs have registered to host infrastructure on club property – adding to a database now in excess of 500 clubs. The geographical spread of clubs across Scotland maps out the potential network available to connect vast areas of Scotland.

The scheme builds upon the investment already made in Scotland by Shared Access over the last eight years.

To date, the infrastructure has been developed through the creation of new sites and the strategic acquisition of infrastructure locations, such as the deal with NATS to secure key sites.

Now, with more than 250 new clubs and subsequent sites registered to the scheme, the infrastructure opportunity in Scotland is now increased even further with the number of clubs spread across the country. Many locations are situated in rural areas, run in partnership with the local authorities, so the potential for infrastructure investment in these areas has been greatly increased by the scheme.

The Scottish Football Partnership Trust aims to bring more investment to Scottish football clubs through grant funding, allowing clubs to invest in programmes that could develop club facilities or improve on existing stadia infrastructure.

Clubs have the power to decide where to invest any funding received at the same time as playing a pivotal role in the communications infrastructure development in Scotland. The scheme aims to invest £5m over the next five years and comes at a time when club finances have been severely impacted by Covid-19. 

Sam Jackman, Chief Development Officer at Shared Access, said: “Our strategy has always been focused on investing in grassroots sports. This year has highlighted this fact more than any year previously with the world of sport devasted by the continued impact of Covid-19 measures and restrictions.

“Whilst the scheme primarily aims to invest in Scottish sports clubs, it also broadens the infrastructure options available to MNOs as the development of wireless connectivity gathers pace in Scotland.”

Stuart McCaffrey, Chief Operating Officer at the Scottish Football Partnership Trust, added: “We’ve been hugely encouraged by the interest and response to the scheme so far from clubs spread across the length and breadth of Scotland since we launched the registration process two months ago.

“Our partnership with Shared Access provides a viable funding option for clubs at a time when football across every level faces difficult financial challenges in terms of sustaining, enhancing and improving facilities.

“It is critical for the long-term health of football and the nation more generally that we find innovative ways to bring investment into grassroots sport. Shared Access has a tried and tested model for helping clubs and we are excited to be part of something that is going to bring real benefits to clubs and communities in Scotland”.

Clubs or organisations keen to learn more about the funding scheme should visit https://thescottishfootballpartnership.com/shared-access/ to register their interest and site location.