Funding Stall For West Yorkshire Cricket Club

A cricket club in West Yorkshire is experiencing significant delays in its efforts to develop a multi-sports facility, largely due to its inability to accept National Lottery funding for religious reasons. Sport England, the grassroots funding body, acknowledges the challenge but has "very limited scope" to finance projects with non-Lottery funds.

Image source: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/sport-england-west-yorkshire-national-lottery-children-lottery-b2567517.html

A Seven-Year Struggle

Mount Cricket Club in Batley has been trying to advance its plans for a multi-sports facility for seven years. The club’s ethical stance against accepting funding derived from gambling leaves them unable to utilize National Lottery funds, a primary source of financial support for many sports projects in the UK.

Ethical Principles and Funding Challenges

Abdul A Ravat, player and development officer at Mount Cricket Club, highlights the ethical dilemma his club faces.

"For those clubs like ours with a particular ethical principle and stance, the thought about collecting money from gambling is basically a red line,"

Ravat explains. This position has left the club with limited options, as many governing bodies and funding organizations rely heavily on Lottery funds.

Community Contributions and Facility Shortcomings

Mount Cricket Club has a history of significant community contributions. For example, the club hosted a Disability Fun Day in 2017 and ran a ‘Healthy Holidays Summer Camp’ in 2019 in partnership with Kirklees Youth Alliance and supported by Kirklees Council. These initiatives provided sports, educational activities, and hot meals to local children during school holidays. Despite these efforts, the club's facilities remain subpar.

"We don’t offer changing rooms which separate girls and boys. The rugby club next door doesn’t have any changing facilities, so the poor girls and boys change in their parents’ cars outside if they’re lucky enough,"

Ravat notes.

The Call for Fairness

The ongoing struggle for adequate funding has led to frustration and a call for equity.

"We’re asking for help to improve our facilities, which I would argue are third-rate. What we want is fairness, not favours,"

Ravat asserts. The plans for facility improvements, developed with full cooperation from the local authority, remain stagnant and unimplemented, gathering dust as the club continues to seek support.

Broader Community Concerns

Ravat’s concerns are shared by other faith-based communities facing similar challenges. Conversations with clubs from various faith communities reveal a common frustration regarding access to funds without compromising ethical principles. Gulfraz Riaz, chair of the National Asian Cricket Council, emphasizes the need for a solution.

"If Sport England and the National Lottery are now fully aware and Abdul has brought it to their attention that some entities from the Muslim faith are not able to accept funding for religious reasons, then it’s up to Sport England and the National Lottery to be able to answer that in some capacity,"

Riaz states.

Sport England's Response

Sport England maintains its commitment to providing opportunities for people of all backgrounds to engage in sports. A spokesperson for Sport England acknowledges the issue and points to the Movement Fund, a major fund open to grassroots organizations.

"Accepting that not all organizations feel able to accept Lottery funding, applicants can make us aware of their requirements and we will do our best to accommodate this from available Exchequer funding,"

the spokesperson says.

The Way Forward

The situation at Mount Cricket Club underscores a broader issue of funding equity in grassroots sports. The call for fairness in funding is not just about one club but reflects a need for systemic change to accommodate diverse ethical perspectives.

As Mount Cricket Club continues its advocacy, the hope is for a more inclusive funding system that supports all community sports initiatives, regardless of their stance on Lottery-derived funds.