Sky Bet, a sports betting brand from Flutter, and the English Football League (EFL) have collaborated to launch the ‘Building Foundations’ Fund, a £6m ($7.4m) scheme that will support community projects.
The ‘Building Foundations’ Fund will give 72 EFL clubs the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £100,000.
The grants will be decided by a panel of industry experts, who will judge the grants over a range of categories, such as improving local sports facilities or promoting the physical and social benefits of the game.
Dan Colton, Sky Bet Managing Director, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our long-standing partnership with the EFL – it’s a relationship that has gone from strength to the strength over the past decade and we wanted to raise the bar further still with the 'Building Foundations' Fund.
“The Fund is a core pillar of our new agreement with the EFL and we’re very excited to see the impact the £6 million will have on such important projects across England and Wales.”
To celebrate the launch of the Fund, the Club Community Organisations at each of the 72 EFL clubs will be given the opportunity to use a £10,000 grant.
Blackburn Rovers has already decided how it will use this fund, putting it towards the ‘Remember the Rovers’ programme that supports people with dementia.
Rick Parry, EFL Chair, said: “Unrestricted funding for community activity on this scale is hard to find and presents an exciting opportunity for EFL clubs to further enhance the impact in the areas they are located.
“We are extremely grateful to Sky Bet for its ongoing support to the professional game in this country and this new investment via the 'Building Foundations' Fund will create a long-lasting legacy for the EFL and Sky Bet partnership.”
Going forward, Sky Bet expects to invest an additional £1m per year into the Fund.
In other company news, Gary Neville extended his partnership with Sky Bet with a new football series.
