Sportsmatch is the government's grass roots sports sponsorship incentive scheme. It is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through grant aid from Sport England and administered in England by the Institute of Sports Sponsorship.
Sportsmatch receive around £3.5 million of government funding per year and to date around £70 million has been invested into grass roots sport thanks to the Sportsmatch Scheme.
Sportsmatch can match for commercial business sponsorship for a grass roots sporting event or activity. Sportsmatch acts as an incentive by offering to double the pot of money available from your sponsor on a £ for £ matching basis.
Any not-for-profit group can apply e.g. sports club, school/college, charity, governing body of sport, local authority, voluntary groups etc.
Sportsmatch can match money from any profit-distributing business e.g. a bank, restaurant, estate agent, supermarket etc.
Matching awards are available between £500 and £50,000. The minimum sponsorship per sponsor is £500 and the maximum per project is £50,000.
Projects being sponsored should be aiming to include one or more of the following elements: increased participation at the grass roots and/or improved skills, new activities or extend/enhance existing activities, provide links to the local community and ensure long term benefits.
Projects can be capital e.g. outdoor basketball nets, cricket playing surfaces etc. (up to £5,000 in total) or revenue e.g. coaching, competition, equipment, facility hire, publicity etc. Priority will be given to revenue projects.