Covid testing grant scheme extended to sports clubs

Local sports clubs and physical activity providers can now claim £1,000 towards the costs of being Covid-19 compliant under a new grant scheme offered by the City of Wolverhampton Council.

Any volunteer-led sports club or physical activity provider in the city can apply for the grant, which aims to encourage regular rapid Covid-19 testing and Covid-safe environments by offsetting the costs involved in this.

Clubs will receive £250 once their application has been accepted, with the remaining £750 paid after they demonstrate a commitment to providing a Covid-secure environment and ongoing twice weekly testing for club staff and show they are encouraging players or participants to do the same.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said:

A third of people with Covid-19 don’t have any symptoms and could therefore pass it onto others unknowingly. Regular testing is helping to track down these cases and prevent onward transmission, protecting individuals and the wider community. That’s why we are asking people in Wolverhampton to get a free rapid test twice a week, either at one of our public test centres, at home or in the workplace where available.

We had a great response from employers who have signed up for a Business Testing Grant to encourage this, and are pleased to now be able to extend the offer to our city’s grassroots sports clubs and physical activity providers.

The grant is intended to help them get back on their feet and, at the same time, encourage them to be Covid-secure and embrace a routine of regular coronavirus testing. This will give people confidence that clubs are doing all they can to protect participants from Covid-19 and keep the wider community safe from this deadly virus.”

Sports clubs and physical activity providers in Wolverhampton can apply for the grant by calling 01902 290242 or visiting www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/covidcompliant.

A factsheet and workshop will be available shortly to help organisations complete their application.

ENDS