Barclays Spaces for Sports

Working with partners, the Football Foundation and Groundwork, Barclays announces that it is investing 30 million pounds to create sustainable sports facilities in communities across the UK as part of its ‘Barclays Spaces for Sports’ program. It is the single biggest investment in grassroots sport by a company ever in the UK.

With a history of investing in community sport and regeneration, Barclays has been working with Groundwork for the past nine years, spending 8 million pounds in creating more than 800 vibrant spaces for the community from derelict and under-used land. Groundwork is a leading environmental regeneration charity that encourages residents, businesses and local organizations to improve their quality of life, bringing about regeneration and laying the foundations for sustainable development.

For the last three years, Barclays has also been working with the Football Foundation, investing 4 million pounds in the ‘Barclaycard Free Kicks’ program that promotes grassroots football. As the UK's largest sporting charity, the Football Foundation works to improve the national game while investing in the nation's health for the good of society. The joint program provided kit and equipment to over 1200 teams and groups and reached 120,000 young people.

In cooperation with these charity partners and in consultation with local communities, Barclays is funding over 150 ‘Barclays Spaces for Sports’ over the next three years. The initiative will help local communities transform neglected land into the sporting facilities they want--from a skateboard park to a football pitch or multi-use games area. Barclays will provide initial funds, supply equipment and help establish sporting activity at the site.

The commitment to these sites includes expert guidance on sustainability to ensure local people benefit from the space well into the future. Young local teams will also be helped by providing coaching kits worth 750 pounds that include t-shirts, fleeces, cones and whistles.

SOURCE: http://www.barclays.co.uk/spacesforsports/

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Barclays Spaces for Sports