Sporting Assets formed part of a consortium delivering official development support for the Government’s Community Ownership Fund.

The Community Ownership Fund has helped communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets at risk of closure. Since 2021, the fund has awarded over £135 million to 409 projects across the UK.

Sporting Assets were the lead support provider to sports and leisure projects.

With our support we:

• Played a key role in generating a strong pipeline for the fund by hosting webinars and collaborating with Governing Bodies and stakeholders across the sports sector to build interest.
• Advised and supported over 60 sport and leisure projects across the UK during the pre-application stage.
• Worked directly with disadvantaged groups to develop their projects and strengthen their investment case, offering tailored one to one support in areas such as business planning, fundraising and organisational development.
• Provided dedicated post application support to 11 groups helping them to navigate challenges and successfully draw down their awarded funding.

We were proud to provide in-depth support to 16 projects that collectively secured a total of c. £8 million in funding, contributing to capital developments worth around £12.5 million. These projects focused on saving and redeveloping a diverse range of community assets including gyms, outdoor activity centres, traditional sports clubs, community centres, skateparks, swimming pools and lidos.