Communities groups can score with Sport Facilities Fund!

Sporting activities are often a key part of rural and island communites and crucial to this is the infrastructure that supports the sporting activity - from the local neighbourhood sports field, community tennis courts or the local shinty pitch.

The Sportscotland funding Sport Facilities (SFF) supports capital projects that help to create or improve places where people take part in sport and physical activity. Sportscotland want to support projects that provide more opportunities for people to get involved in and participate in sport & physical activity.

Their funding budget is circa £2 million per annum and there is likely to be greater demand and competition for funding than is available for us to allocate and so rural and island communities are encouraged to put in strong funding bids. Sportscotland will give priority to projects that deliver the greatest impact on their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion objectives.

The fund supports capital projects that create or improve places that people take part in sport and physical activity. Awards are available for sports facility projects within clubs and communities, school and education or performance sport environments. In clubs and communities, they will support:

• new, upgraded or extended sports facilities; Inclusive changing facilities
• facilities that provide or improve access for outdoor sport and adventure activities
• floodlights that increase capacity at appropriate sports facilities
• major items of sports equipment.

The projects should provide enhanced support to projects within or serving the most deprived communities, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). They focus participation and progression and prioritise projects where there is a commitment to equalities & inclusion, people development, collaboration & impact.

Greater prioritisation will be given to projects and applications supporting Return to Sport objectives and outcomes following the Coronavirus Pandemic. As well as those that can clearly demonstrate an embedded inclusive approach such as Changing Lives Through Sport and Physical Activity and target participants in/from SIMD areas or Disability, BAME or other protected characteristic groups.

Any nonprofit distributing, constituted organisations whose membership is open to all sections of society can apply. This includes schools and public bodies such as local authorities.

To apply, log on to the sportscotland website and follow the online wizard to guide you through creating your own ‘MySport’ account and completing the application form.

There is a single stage process for projects costing up to £250,000 including VAT. There is a two stage process for applications with a total project value over £250,000 (including VAT).

Deadlines for submission of applications are 5pm on 1 April and 1 September each year with the next deadline, 1 Sep 2024.