HERCULESSports Charity
DonateRegistered charity no. 1184026
Six programmes, each funding a specific barrier.
Every programme is delivered by a partner club. We pay for the thing that stops children turning up, and the club does what it already does well.
Football foundation
Funded coaching places at eleven partner clubs, including subs, registration and referee fees.
- Children
- 520 a year
- Ages
- 7 to 16
- Cost
- £38 per term
- Towns
- All four
Kit bank
Boots, shin pads, swimming kit and training tops, both donated and bought new in the right sizes.
- Children
- 900 a year
- Ages
- 5 to 18
- Cost
- £24 per pack
- Towns
- All four
Minibus routes
Three routes covering estates with no direct bus to the leisure centre or training ground.
- Children
- 210 a year
- Ages
- 7 to 16
- Cost
- £6 per journey
- Towns
- Bolton, Blackburn
Learn to swim
Funded lesson blocks at two council pools for children who cannot swim twenty-five metres.
- Children
- 180 a year
- Ages
- 6 to 11
- Cost
- £64 per block
- Towns
- Bolton, Bury
Girls athletics
Coaching and competition entry for girls, run in response to a sharp drop-off after age thirteen.
- Children
- 140 a year
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Cost
- £42 per term
- Towns
- Blackburn, Bury
Coach bursaries
Level 1 and 2 qualifications for volunteers from the same communities as the children.
- Coaches
- 34 a year
- Ages
- 16 and over
- Cost
- £180 each
- Towns
- All four
Choosing programmes
Why these six.
Each one started as a pattern in the attendance data, not as an idea in a meeting. When a barrier stops showing up in the numbers, we stop funding it.
- Programmes chosen from attendance data
- Delivered by partner clubs, not by us
- Reviewed annually against cost per child
- Closed down when the barrier disappears
- SpotA pattern appears in termly attendance data.
- PilotOne town, one term, measured against a control group.
- ScaleRolled out only if attendance actually improves.
Programme questions — Our Programmes
Can our club become a partner?
Yes. Clubs in our four towns can apply through the contact form at any time.
Do you fund equipment for clubs?
Only where it directly removes a barrier for a specific child, not general club equipment.
How are places allocated?
By the partner club, using free school meal eligibility and coach referral.