Club Improvement Fund continues to help local communities

The Club Improvement Fund, which will reopen for applications on Monday 15 September, has this year continued to offer vital support to clubs across the country.

The fund provides grants of up to £500 to clubs with projects that aim to reduce some of the barriers they are facing; projects that will provide a safe, sustainable and welcoming environment for their athletes and runners.

Since April 2024, England Athletics have given grants of £62,000 to 129 affiliated clubs through the Club Improvement Fund. This has contributed towards total project costs of £218,503.

All 129 clubs had a minimum of 5 out of 7 for Club Standards at the point of payment, and all were compliant with Club Standard 6.

There are a range of different ways that clubs can use the funding to improve their club, whether that be supporting with the transition to new age group categories on 1 April 2026, the recruitment and training of new club volunteers, or increasing retention of junior athletes.

Club Improvement Fund Expenditure 

We caught up with some of the recipient clubs to see what difference the Club Improvement Fund has made for them.

Bury Athletics Club

Clubs are able to apply for the Fund to support with new equipment needed to prepare for the upcoming age group changes from 1 April 2026.

Bury AC are an example of a club who proactively applied for funding for this purpose, purchasing new specification javelin equipment.

A club official told us:

“The funding enabled the club to purchase four new specification javelins which we would not otherwise have been able to afford to purchase.

“The javelins are being regularly used during our twice-weekly club training sessions, and being made available to our athletes for competition events. Due to their flight characteristics, the new specification javelins help athletes to develop their throwing technique better than the old specification javelins albeit with a reduced distance. One of our athletes has twice thrown over 56m with the new specification javelins.” 

Ashington Hirst Running Club  

The Club Improvement Fund has helped Ashington Hirst RC to build the foundation of their club by expanding the number of coaches, resulting in increased membership numbers and increased retainment of existing coaches.

The funds went towards training four coaches to achieve their Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) qualification, and enabling four more coaches to progress from LiRF to achieve their Coach in Running Fitness qualification. One club official said:

“The Club Improvement Fund has made a significant positive impact on Ashington Hirst Running Club. Boosting volunteer coach numbers, restarting the Couch to 5K programme, growing membership, and enhancing training activities are all huge gains."

"We are ever so grateful to England Athletics for the opportunities the fund has afforded our club.” 

Newmarket Joggers

Newmarket Joggers used funding to hire a central, safe, indoor space for club members to come together once a month and find out the latest club news, celebrate club achievements, and connect with other members.

The club now have around 20 more members compared to this time last year - the highest since they formed.

Their ‘Talk and Train’ sessions, incorporating the England Athletics #RunAndTalk initiative, have also helped with member engagement. Typically, participation levels on the two sessions combined would be less than 30 runners. At each of the last two ‘Talk and Train’ sessions, attendance has been 60+ members.

Having committee members at ‘Talk and Train’ allows members to raise any concerns or questions directly, improving member engagement. 

A club official told us:

“As a consequence of these sessions, the atmosphere at the club has improved, leading to higher member retention, increased attendance at training and participation in races."

"We will continue to build on the success of these sessions.”

The Club Improvement Fund will reopen for applications on Monday 15 September, offering vital support to clubs across the country.