Tag: grassroots sports clubs

Local grassroots sports clubs benefitting from millions in tax relief

For local sports clubs every penny and pound counts. More than 8,000 clubs across the UK are getting a much-needed financial boost after registering as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). In doing so, they are able to claim a variety of tax reliefs including business rates and gift aid. 

Tax reliefs for grassroots clubs means they can become financially sustainable, keep membership fees affordable and re-invest in their facilities so they can focus on delivering the best sports and social opportunities for local people.

With thousands of clubs already registered and receiving financial support through tax reliefs, Sandeep Ghelani, Senior Policy Advisor from HMRC outlines the benefits of the scheme and encourages other clubs to register today.

Is your Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) eligible to register for tax relief?  

To be eligible for tax relief as a CASC, clubs must be based in the UK, provide facilities for eligible sports and encourage people to take part. The club must also be set up with a governing document, open to the whole community with limited fees, organised on an amateur basis and to be managed by ‘fit and proper’ people. More about eligibility can be found on GOV.UK. 

What reliefs are available to clubs once registered?

After registering with HMRC, clubs will be eligible for a number of financial reliefs on income, gains and profit including:

  • Business Rate relief
  • Gift Aid relief
  • Corporation Tax exemptions 
  • Tax relief on fundraising events 
  • Capital Gains exemption
  • Inheritance Tax benefits

You can find out more about the tax reliefs claimed through the CASC scheme on GOV.UK.

Two of the most popular reliefs claimed are for business rates and gift aid. In 2025 alone, CASCs benefitted from £40 million in business rates relief and £3 million in Gift Aid relief.

Two clubs who have benefitted from their registration as a CASC include Salisbury Rugby Football Club and Frocester Cricket Club.

Alastair Downey, Chairman of Frocester Cricket Club, a long-established and thriving CASC explains how the tax reliefs have helped the club: “Mandatory 80% business rates relief and access to gift aid has provided vital financial support over the years.

“Without this we would have been unable to build our new cricket pavilion, of which more than £25,000 in funding was from gift aid contributions.” 

Salisbury Rugby Football Club is a successful CASC with 1,000 members. President Nicola Rawson explains the benefits of CASC: “The 80% reduction in business rates and access to gift aid has helped the club enormously.

“We now have newly built changing rooms at the club with was paid for with our own fundraising efforts and almost £25,000 from gift aid contributions. The financial benefits from CASC continue to provide valuable support.”

If you think your CASC could benefit from registering with HMRC, go to GOV.UK to find out more.

Free safeguarding course to grassroots sports clubs

Former England, Manchester city, Liverpool and Tottenham player Paul Stewart has partnered with online learning provider High Speed Training to offer a free Safeguarding in Sport training course to all grassroots sports clubs in the UK.

Abuse in grassroots sports is a topic which is very much in the spotlight, following many high profile sports players such as Paul revealing their own experiences of mistreatment in their club as a child.

Paul, who scored for Tottenham in the 1991 FA Cup Final, has been open about his own experiences of abuse in sports as a child and was one of the first players to come forward in 2016 with details of historical abuse at the hands of a youth team coach.

Working with the education and safeguarding experts at High Speed Training, Paul has helped to create the only survivor-led safeguarding course aimed at sports clubs, which is being offered for free to all grassroots sporting clubs in the UK.

Clubs can register to take the training, which is supported by the English Football League and Kick It Out, by visiting:

www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/courses/safeguarding/safeguarding-in-sport/

Backed by sporting figures such as Gary Lineker, rugby league giant Kevin Sinfield, former England and British Lions great Brian Moore, Olympic medalist Marilyn Okoro and Ryder Cup golfer Ian Poulter, the course provides sports coaches, parents and volunteers with the tools to be able to confidently identify and prevent abusive behaviours in grassroots sports, as well as understanding and implementing the recommended safeguarding procedures.

Paul Stewart said: “I am delighted that, by working with High Speed Training, I have been able to produce a survivor-led safeguarding course that I absolutely believe can make a difference.

“The support we have received has been incredible and I will be forever grateful to the people and organisations involved. It is an emotional subject, both for me and for others who have been affected. I am sure the course will have a lasting impact on those who take it.

“Everyone involved in all sports and physical activity settings with children and young people should have an awareness of these issues. We all know the benefits of playing sports for young people, and making sure that our children are safe whilst enjoying sports has to be the number one priority.

“Now the course is free to grassroots clubs, it is my hope that all adults will take the course and share what they have learned.”

Alexandra Richards, Head of Safeguarding at the English Football League, said: ‘The EFL are delighted to support this Safeguarding in Sport course and it is great to see the free initiative being made available to other organisations.

“We made the training available to all of our 72 member Clubs because it is unique in the fact that it is survivor-led and covers all the essentials needed for any role on the basics of safeguarding.

“The work Paul is doing with High Speed Training to ensure all children are safe at their clubs is outstanding and we will continue to support the wonderful work they are doing.”

Tajean Hutton, Grassroots Manager at Kick It Out says: “This is a great course, which we are proud to support at Kick It Out.

“We hear of several abuse related cases in grassroots sport every year, which is why courses like this are important to help educate those working at clubs, so they can better support young people and participants.

“The more we can do to identify and prevent abuse at a grassroots level, the more inclusive and inviting sport will become.”

In research carried out in September 2021, High Speed Training found that a third (32%) of parents are unsure whether their child’s sports coaches have undertaken safeguarding training.

The study, which was commissioned by the leading online training provider, also revealed that concerningly one in ten (10%) parents stated that they’re unsure whether they’d be confident in identifying the signs of abuse, be that physical, sexual, or emotional, in a child, whilst more than a quarter of parents haven’t discussed safeguarding issues with their children.

The fact that in 2021, 91% of children aged 5-16 particapte in some form of sport highlights the need for this training.2

Further research by the NSPCC3 also highlighted the lack of parental knowledge when it comes to safeguarding in sports, with 20% of parents whose children attend sports and leisure clubs admitting that they wouldn’t know who to speak to if they had any worries about a child’s welfare at the club.

Grassroots clubs can sign up to the course here:

https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/courses/safeguarding/safeguarding-in-sport/