Emergency Relief Fund for Boxing Clubs

Dear Member Clubs,

Please see below some excellent news on the funding that will be made available to our boxing clubs.  Read through the Q&A note we have produced for you below and check the eligibility criteria section half way down.  And please get in touch if you have any further questions.

EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND: Q&A

Who is the fund for?

Welsh Government and Sport Wales have announced that they are making £400,000 immediately available to provide support to not-for-profit sports clubs. The funding will be targeted at clubs who are already facing significant challenges after a difficult few weeks and who are likely to need  immediate financial support over the next 12 weeks if they are to remain an important part of their communities in the future. 

How much money is available?

An initial Emergency Relief Fund of £400,000 has been made available. Each eligible Club will be able to apply for a maximum of £5,000.

When will the fund be available:

Sport Wales will be administering the Emergency Relief Fund. They are working through the details with Welsh Government at the moment and are currently setting up an application form and guidance on www.sport.wales to make the process as easy as possible for those needing support. Further information will be available on Sport Wales channels in the coming days.

How do I apply?

They are just working through the logistics so that the process is as easy as possible.  As well as online guidance they will have a team on stand-by ready to help answer your questions as soon as the fund is live. All questions and queries should be sent to: emergencyrelief@sport.wales.

How soon will I be able to get funding?

I know it’s a challenging time and the priority is to get the money to those who need it most as quickly as possible and we are talking weeks rather than months as everybody recognises people urgently need support. 

How can I find out if I’m eligible?

You will be eligible if you are a voluntary sports club with the following criteria

-The main purposes of the club are to provide facilities for and to promote participation in the amateur sport(s) in Wales

-Membership of the club shall be open to anyone interested in the sport on application, regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs, except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of the sport. 

-All surplus income or profits are to be reinvested in the club. No surpluses or assets will be distributed to members or third parties.

-Upon dissolution of the club any remaining assets shall be given or transferred to another registered sports club, a registered charity or the sport’s governing body for use by them in related community sports.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you think you do not meet the above criteria and you need help, please contact me so we can consider how we may be able to help.

Details of the application process will be released shortly. 

What help can you give me if I’m not eligible for this fund? 

We all know many more of you will need help and support over the coming weeks and months. One of our key priorities is supporting our Boxing Clubs to ensure they come through this period in as strong a position as possible. 

Sport Wales is still processing its usual grants and we would encourage you to continue applying for funding.   Further information is available here.

Sport Wales is also working on other support it can provide – such as adapting existing grant programmes – to support clubs and activity. More details will be provided once they have worked through the detail.

What happens after this 12 week period or when the emergency fund runs out?

No one knows how long the current restrictions will last and the longer-term impact these will have on sport, but Welsh Boxing is absolutely determined to support as many people and organisations as we can over the coming months. And Sport Wales are already considering how best to adapt its existing funding programmes to support its efforts to work with partners to remobilise community sport once the coronavirus restrictions are lifted and have committed an additional initial sum of £8.1 million from its budget to support sports clubs and its well established partner networks. We all know how vital our Boxing Clubs are in ensuring the nation is able to remain active and enjoy all the health and wellbeing benefits that sport brings.   I will share more plans with you in the coming weeks.

Stay safe.

Regards,

Colin Metson

General Manager