Priority Outcomes
Funding will support projects that deliver one or more of the following:
A. Improve Sports Facilities
Upgrade existing venues to improve quality, safety, accessibility, and user experience.
Examples:
- Small Clubhouse refurbishment
- Small Changing rooms and toilets improvements
- Floodlighting upgrades
- Pitch, court or playing surface improvements
- Storage and equipment areas
- Disabled access improvements
- Energy efficiency measures
B. Increase Participation
Grow local participation in sport and physical activity, particularly among:
- Children and young people
- Women and girls
- Older adults
- Disabled residents
- Residents in deprived communities
- People currently inactive
C. Support Club Sustainability
Help clubs become stronger and more resilient through:
- Volunteer recruitment and training
- Coaching qualifications
- Governance improvements
- Digital systems
- Income generation projects
- Utility cost reduction measures
D. Deliver Community Benefit
Projects that improve health, wellbeing, pride in place, and social cohesion:
- Reduce inactivity
- Improve mental wellbeing
- Build community cohesion
- Reduce antisocial behaviour
- Create intergenerational opportunities
- Support rehabilitation or social prescribing
Eligible Applicants
Applications are welcome from:
- Community amateur sports clubs
- Constituted not-for-profit clubs
- Charities and CICs delivering sport
- Parish or community organisations managing sports facilities
- Have appropriate safeguarding, equality, and health & safety policies in place.
- Demonstrate sound financial management and governance.
- Have a bank account in the organisation’s name with at least two signatories.
- Hold suitable insurance cover.
- Schools where facilities provide clear community access
- National Governing Body affiliated clubs
Applicants must be based in or delivering clear benefit for the residents of Torbay. The club/group must be a member of Sport Torbay and commit to supporting it by attending meetings.
Applications must be submitted using the ‘Active Clubs’ application form.
Priority Areas in Torbay
Additional weighting may be given to projects that:
- Serve wards with higher deprivation or lower activity levels
- Increase year-round participation
- Support youth diversionary activity
- Improve women and girls’ participation
- Address ageing facilities in older club sites
- Extend use outside peak tourist seasons
- Create inclusive opportunities for disabled users
Grant level and what can be funded
£500 – £2,000
*funding can be used to match-fund larger funding applications, for example an CiL application, or used to top up existing pots for larger refurbishment/improvement/capital project schemes*
What Can Be Funded
- Building improvements
- Energy-saving measures
- Playing surface upgrades
- Sports equipment
- Accessibility adaptations
- Coaching and volunteer training
- Community outreach programmes
- Marketing / recruitment campaigns
- Feasibility studies or design costs
We Will Not Fund
- Retrospective costs
- Debt repayment
- Professional player wages
- Routine maintenance only
- Projects with no public/community access
- Political or religious activity
- Private commercial gyms or profit-making businesses
- Duplicate provision where need is not evidenced
Example Funded Projects
- Coastal rugby or football clubs improving changing rooms
- Tennis or bowls clubs introducing beginner sessions
- Cricket clubs upgrading nets and junior coaching
- Sailing / watersports clubs widening youth access
- Indoor clubs improving year-round facilities
- Multi-sport hubs in deprived wards
- Community clubs reducing energy bills through solar or insulation
Expected Outcomes and Monitoring Requirements
Successful applicants must provide:
- Progress updates
- Photos of completed works
- Participation data
- Short impact case study
Which should aim to demonstrate, where relevant to the project:
- Increased membership numbers
- More junior participation
- More women and girls involved
- More disabled access/users
- Increased volunteer numbers
- Improved facility usage
- Reduced running costs
- Stronger community partnerships
Award Periods
We will award grants four times per financial year. Panel reviews will take place in July and October 2026, January 2027 and March 2027. To ensure your application is taken to panel, return applications by:
- 12 noon Friday 3 July 2026
- 12 noon Wednesday 7 October 2026
- 12 noon Wednesday 13 January 2027
- 12 noon Wednesday 3 March 2027