AMATEUR clubs, the foundation of the sport, will feel the brunt of the impact from the current crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has forced all gyms to close and no clubs can stage their own shows in the UK at present. The main elements of their funding have been cut off.
There are some sources of potential aid for clubs. There is a Sport England Community Emergency Fund. This was announced on March 31, aiming to deliver funding to those most in need. It’s designed for clubs which play a role in providing sport at a grassroots level and are experiencing short term financial hardship or ceasing operation because of the impact of the coronavirus. Clubs can apply for grants between £300 and £10,000.
The types of organisations eligible would be sports clubs, or voluntary and community sector organisations who deliver or enable sport and physical activity, being forced to close at short notice but who are still facing ongoing costs around maintenance and utility bills.
A specific example might be a grant to support a local boxing club cover costs for their facility when no activity is taking place.
Further details on eligibility and criteria can be found here: https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/our-funds/community-emergency-fund.
The Charities Aid Foundation has also launched a rapid response fund to help smaller charitable organisations affected by this Covid-19 crisis. This is making grants of up to £10,000 available to those organisations to help them deliver support to communities across the UK. This is intended to be a rapid response fund so they are aiming to make payments to selected organisations within 14 days of application. For more details see here: https://www.cafonline.org/charities/grantmaking/caf-coronavirus-emergency-fund.
Last week’s Boxing News had information for clubs that are Ltd companies, that is also available on our website here: https://boxingnewsonline.net/help-for-amateur-boxing-clubs/ and England Boxing’s website.
This week England Boxing launched their #KOCOVID19 campaign. This is to help clubs raise money themselves. England Boxing members are encouraged to set up their own ‘Just Giving’ or donation pages to appeal for funds at this difficult time. These are all being collated on one page so businesses or members of the public can easily find their local club if they’d like to support it. That page is here: https://www.englandboxing.org/clubs/kocovid19/.
England Boxing say, “Clubs up and down the country who give fantastic service to their respective communities have been forced to close their doors until further notice, putting a tremendous financial strain on a number of them.
“That puts at risk the fantastic community work they do on a daily basis, teaching thousands of people, often in England’s most disadvantaged areas, to box.
“A host of clubs also take on additional vitally important projects concerning mental health, Parkinson’s, knife and gang crime, holiday hunger, inclusion, extremism and education, to name just a few.
“It’s why clubs are now appealing to the public – family, friends, members of the local community and local businesses – to give as much as they can, with no amount too small, and all greatly appreciated.
“So if you know a boxer who has been putting in the hard yards, a coach who volunteers his time to keep youngsters off the streets or a club that is making a real difference in the area it serves, please donate as generously as you can.”
Clubs that still want to get involved in the campaign should create a donations page on www.justgiving.com or their preferred donation site and email this link to matthew.halfpenny@englandboxing.org.
All donations are going directly to club’s ‘Just Giving’ or other fundraising pages, so England Boxing have no involvement with any of the transactions and won’t financially benefit from the campaign.
England Boxing’s regional Club Support Officers remain available to support and provide as much guidance as possible. Their contact details are available here: https://www.englandboxing.org/clubs/club-support-officers/.
