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Sport Wales, the Welsh Government-funded body responsible for elite and grassroots sport in Wales, is offering up to £15,000 match funding to support community sports clubs’ fundraising efforts.

The ‘A Place for Sport’ pilot scheme will run until April 2022, and will expand upon the Be Active Wales fund already operated by Sport Wales.

The new funding could help support projects such as new changing rooms, clubhouse renovations, upgraded kitchen facilities, better disabled access and more.

Brian Davies, Director of Sport Systems at Sport Wales, said: “The pandemic has really highlighted the importance that a place for sport can have in our communities to bring people together and improve their lives.

“Since the pandemic began, we have invested over £5.2m via our Be Active Wales Fund to help clubs survive the crisis, make their activities Covid-secure, and support plans for attracting new members.”

He added: “By creating this fund we can help improve the all-round experience for participants, make clubs more eco-friendly, and more financially viable for the future.”

Sport Wales has teamed up with crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder as part of the project.

Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney Senedd Member Dawn Bowden, who is the Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, welcomed the initiative.

Ms Bowden said: “Feedback from clubs who have benefited from Sport Wales funding during this difficult last year stated that they had truly seen the way a local sports club can be the centre point of a community; to be the place to bring people together, to tackle loneliness and enable personal development.

“These sporting sanctuaries also provide the platform for children to experience the benefits of an active lifestyle from a young age and form lifelong friendships.

“With this in mind, I am delighted that Welsh Government funding is being used in such an innovative way to support community sports clubs in Wales.”

More details can be found on the Sport Wales website.