Sport England has recently announced the return of Sportsmatch with a new web-based facility enabling applicants to apply online.  Find out how Lincoln City Ladies Football Club were successful in securing Sportsmatch funding.

Case study: Lincoln City Ladies Football Club

Award: £14, 000

Sponsors: Sports TV Plc and Trident Telecom Ltd T/A JPL

Length of scheme: 3 years

The Lincoln City Ladies Football Club is a key organisation that aims to enhance ladies football in the local area.

The main aim of the scheme is to introduce football to young girls aged 5-11 in a safe and segregated environment, to encourage girls to become better players and to follow a healthy lifestyle. In addition the scheme also hopes to attract new talent from the local area and to create more female FA coaches.

The Lincoln City Ladies Football Club obtained £9,000 in sponsorship from Sports TV PLC, who are the official supplier of in-stadia TV programmes to the football league and £5,000 from Trident Telecom Ltd, a telecommunications company who specialise in voice, data communication and fibre optic installations.  This was matched with a £14,000 award from Sportsmatch.

With the funds gained from the sponsors and Sportsmatch, four centres have been set in Lincoln, Gainsborough, Newark and Louth. In order to promote the scheme, coaches from Lincoln City Ladies FC offered five schools in each of the four centre areas one free coaching session per age group (which equates to 15 free sessions per centre area).  The sessions have been split into three age groups; 5-7 year olds, 7-9 year olds and 9-11 year olds and are currently being run by female coaches from Lincoln City Ladies FC over a 39 week period.

Key Benefits to sponsors:

• Advertising through local press, publicity and signage, leading to the organisation gaining a greater profile within the community.
• The opportunity for the organisation to promote its social corporate responsibility agenda (good publicity)

For general enquiries regarding Sportsmatch please contact on Tel: 0845 850 8508, email: info@sportsmatch.co.uk or visit the Sportsmatch web site.