A junior football league has lost money intended to support young players after its treasurer stole almost £120,000 to fund gambling.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Roy Robinson, 69, took £119,650.14 from Timperley and District Junior Football League between February 2018 and April 2024.

He concealed the theft using falsified bank statements. One showed a balance of £148,000 when just £3.26 remained.

The fraud emerged when illness prevented Robinson from managing the finances and the league secretary accessed the genuine records.

Young footballers lose out

The league said the loss prevented it from funding coaching courses and equipment. Officials who had regarded Robinson as a friend described feeling betrayed.

Robinson admitted fraud by abuse of position and received an 18-month prison sentence at Minshull Street Crown Court.

The court heard evidence of a severe gambling disorder and rehabilitation. The judge accepted the connection between his addiction and offending, but concluded that the seriousness of the crime required imprisonment.

Source: Manchester Evening News, reporting by Andrew Bardsley.

Funding opportunity | Third-party scheme

Could your club benefit from funding for equipment, kit, coaching or running costs?

Cash4Clubs offers grants of £2,000 in the UK (€2,000 in Ireland) to eligible not-for-profit organisations supporting adult sport and physical activity.

The scheme is funded by Flutter UK & Ireland and delivered by Sported. TeamGrassroots is sharing this opportunity; we do not award grants or manage applications.

Who can apply?

Not-for-profit clubs and community organisations delivering sport or physical activity exclusively for adults aged 18+.

Clubs with junior members or any junior activities are not eligible, even if the application is for adult activities only.

Priority goes to organisations supporting disadvantaged communities and under-represented adults.

What can it fund?

Equipment, kit, venue hire, coaching, volunteer expenses, training, insurance and other costs supporting adult participation.

Key dates

• Opens: 9am, 1 October 2026
• Closes: 5pm, 1 January 2027

Apply now

Read Sported’s eligibility guidance before applying.

APPLY NOW — CASH4CLUBS APPLICATION FORM

This button takes you to Sported’s external application form. Applications are assessed by Sported and funding is not guaranteed.

Apply for a grant of £500 or £1,500 to help launch a new team or England Football programme.

The Lionesses HERe to Play Fund can help you get started with essentials such as equipment and kit. Funded by The National Lottery and delivered by the Football Foundation, applications close today, Wednesday 30 September 2026.

What funding can you get?

Organisations can apply for grants of £500 or £1,500, depending on the opportunity they are applying for.

You can apply for a combination of up to five opportunities, with a minimum total grant of £500 and a maximum of £7,500.

Check the criteria and how to apply

Before applying, check which opportunities your organisation is eligible for and review the application requirements.

Check your eligibility and start your application

Need funding to improve your facilities?

A separate funding opportunity offers up to £25,000 to help provide safe, welcoming and accessible facilities for women and girls.

Find out more about facilities funding

Ready to apply?

Applications for the team and programme funding close on 30 September 2026.

The Barclays Community Sport Fund has opened applications for grants designed to help more women become qualified coaches in grassroots football, tennis and cricket.

Clubs and community groups across the UK can apply for grants of £200 per coach, with funding available for up to two female coaches per organisation.

The funding can be used towards a Level 1 or equivalent introductory coaching qualification, alongside any additional safeguarding and first-aid requirements.

Applications are open until 5pm on Wednesday 4 November 2026, although the fund may close earlier if it receives a high volume of applications.

APPLY FOR THE FEMALE COACHES FOR GIRLS GRANT

About the Female Coaches for Girls Grant

Barclays believes in creating opportunities for everyone through access to sport.

Through the Barclays Community Sport Fund, grants are being made available to help more women across the UK become qualified to coach women and girls at grassroots level.

Increasing the number of high-quality female coaches is crucial to improving standards, meeting growing demand and providing women and girls with visible local role models.

Who is eligible to apply?

The fund is open to clubs and groups delivering football, cricket or tennis activities for women and girls that want to help more female coaches gain qualifications.

Eligible not-for-profit organisations include:

• Grassroots sports clubs
• Registered charities
• Community groups
• Youth groups

Applications must be submitted by the organisation on behalf of the individual who will undertake the coaching qualification.

Organisations based in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply.

Clubs and groups that have previously received funding through the Barclays Community Sport Fund are still eligible.

Female coach eligibility

Each female coach included in an application must:

• Be aged 16 or over, or 18 or over where required by the individual course
• Already coach girls or want to begin coaching
• Be connected to a club or group providing activities for women or girls
• Be able to undertake the qualification within 12 months, subject to course availability

The prospective coach could be an existing player, the parent of a player, a volunteer or another person connected to the organisation.

Applications from women with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences are particularly encouraged, helping ensure the programme reflects the communities it serves.

How much funding is available?

Clubs and groups can apply for £200 per female coach.

Each organisation can apply for funding for up to two coaches, providing a maximum grant of:

2 × £200 = £400 per club or group

The grant can contribute towards:

• A Level 1 or equivalent introductory coaching qualification
• Relevant safeguarding requirements
• Relevant first-aid requirements

If a course costs less than £200, the remaining funding can be used towards expenses, equipment or additional training.

If the course costs more than £200, the grant can be used as a contribution towards the total cost.

What can the funding be used for?

Funding must be used to place female coaches on a Level 1 or equivalent introductory coaching course in:

• Football
• Tennis
• Cricket

The funding cannot be used for higher-level qualifications, including Level 2 or UEFA C courses.

Qualifications in futsal, Gaelic football, padel and pickleball are not eligible.

What should the application include?

Applicants will need to explain how qualifying a new female coach will support the development or expansion of activities for women and girls.

Clubs should explain:

• Why the individual would make a strong coach
• How the qualification will help the organisation
• What positive impact the coach will have on women and girls
• How the coach will support the development or growth of activities

What documents are required?

Applicants must provide the following:

1. A governing document

This could be the organisation’s club constitution or Articles of Association.

If a National Governing Body template is being used, it must include the organisation’s name and show that it has been formally adopted.

Registered charities and companies can provide their charity or company number instead.

Individuals, sole traders and companies limited by shares are not eligible.

2. A recent bank statement

The bank statement must:

• Be in the name of the organisation applying
• Have been issued within the previous three months
• Clearly display the account name, sort code and account number
• Match the organisation’s name

Transactions and account balances do not need to be visible.

Personal bank accounts and accounts named only “Community” cannot be accepted.

Applicants will also need to confirm that their organisation:

• Operates on a not-for-profit basis
• Has an up-to-date safeguarding policy
• Has an up-to-date health and safety policy
• Holds appropriate insurance for its activities

Are schools eligible?

Schools and other educational institutions are not eligible to apply.

Charities supporting schools may be considered where their activities are open to girls from the wider community and not restricted to pupils from one school.

Activities may take place at school facilities, but the fund cannot support coaches who work exclusively during curriculum time or in school-only after-school clubs.

How is the course booked?

Successful applicants will receive the funding directly into their club or group’s bank account.

The organisation can then book the relevant course and pay the course provider directly.

The appropriate course will depend on the sport, qualification level and the country in which the coach is based.

Funding should ideally be spent within six months, and the coaching qualification must be undertaken within 12 months.

Can an application be saved and completed later?

No. The application must be completed and submitted in one session.

Applicants should have the following ready before beginning:

• A recent organisational bank statement
• A governing document, company number or charity number
• Details of the female coach or coaches being nominated
• Information explaining the expected impact of the qualification

When will applicants receive a decision?

Applications will be assessed as they are received.

Applicants should hear from the Sported grants team within four weeks of submitting their application.

Successful organisations will also be asked to provide feedback explaining how the coach has supported the development of activities for women and girls.

Some recipients may be selected for an audit and asked to provide evidence of the course booking and payment.

VIEW THE GRANT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Application deadline

The Female Coaches for Girls Grant is open until:

5pm on Wednesday 4 November 2026

The fund may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received, so eligible clubs are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Organisations requiring additional accessibility support with their application can contact Sported at barclays@sported.org.uk.

Further information is available from the official Barclays Female Coaches for Girls Grant page.

The new On Your Side initiative has been launched today, World Suicide Prevention Day, to help people throughout sport recognise when somebody may be struggling and know how to respond.

Developed by The Royal Foundation alongside the British Standards Institution and mental health charity Chasing the Stigma, the guidance is aimed at players, coaches, volunteers, staff, families and spectators.

The FA has committed to embedding the toolkit across its organisation, including its community and grassroots football network.

Helping grassroots football start the conversation

The guidance is not about turning volunteer coaches into mental health professionals.

Instead, it provides practical advice on recognising potential warning signs, starting a conversation, responding when someone may be in crisis and directing them towards appropriate support.

At its heart is a five-stage GOALS approach:

Get ready • Open the conversation • Ask the question • Listen and respond • Support and signpost

👉 ACCESS THE FREE ON YOUR SIDE TOOLKIT:
https://www.hubofhope.co.uk/

TeamGrassroots founder Paul Kirton welcomed the initiative.

“Grassroots football brings millions of people together every week. Coaches, parents, referees and volunteers can see each other two or three times a week and you notice when somebody isn’t quite themselves.

“Nobody is asking a volunteer football coach to become a mental health professional. But giving people the confidence to notice something, ask a question and know where to find proper support could be incredibly powerful.”

The initiative is being launched at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium with support from leading figures across British sport.

A campaign film features sports stars including England captain Harry Kane, with the central message that people don’t need to have all the answers to start an important conversation.

“Football clubs are communities”

Kirton added:

“Football clubs are communities. People talk while they’re putting the nets up, over a cup of tea or standing beside a pitch.

“Sometimes somebody doesn’t need you to solve their problems. They need somebody to notice something isn’t right and care enough to ask if they’re OK.

“If this gives grassroots football simple, trusted guidance people can actually use, then it deserves the full support of the game.”

On Your Side is intended to make suicide prevention part of everyday sporting life and provide people across sport with practical guidance they can use when somebody may need help.

If you or somebody you know needs support, Samaritans can be contacted free, 24 hours a day, on 116 123. If somebody is in immediate danger, call 999.

ACCESS THE FREE ON YOUR SIDE TOOLKIT

Howdens has committed a further £1 million worth of kitchens to help clubs improve their facilities, generate additional income and create stronger community hubs.

Applications close on 31 October 2026.

👇 Apply here

Central Scotland Football Association suspended its Fun 4 fixtures for the weekend of 29–30 August, following incidents during the opening weekend of the new season.

In an email sent to team managers and seen by BBC Scotland, Central Scotland Football Association secretary Paul Crosbie said that after just one week there was already a “long list of indiscipline and behaviours that have no place in grassroots football.”

He described the situation as a “new all-time low”, adding:

“The line has well and truly been crossed.”

The warning followed an opening week in which 72 red cards were reportedly issued across the association’s wider youth football programme, alongside reports of abandoned matches, threatening behaviour and discriminatory language.

One of the most serious allegations involved a team official allegedly headbutting another team official at a football festival involving children aged just five and six.

The Scottish Youth Football Association confirmed that approximately 750 children would not play that weekend because of the poor behaviour, with disciplinary proceedings set to begin.

TeamGrassroots statement
TeamGrassroots said:
“There is simply no place for threatening, abusive, discriminatory or violent behaviour anywhere in grassroots football, particularly around children.
The saddest part of this situation is that hundreds of five and six-year-olds who simply wanted to put their boots on and play football have ultimately paid the price for the behaviour of adults.

Coaches, parents, spectators and everyone involved have a responsibility to remember who grassroots football is actually for. Children should never lose the opportunity to play because adults cannot behave appropriately.”

Dorset FA described postponing the new season as a difficult decision, but player safety must come first when pitches are excessively hard, dry or cracked.

Why hard pitches can be dangerous
Grass pitches do not need to be flooded, frozen or visibly damaged to be unsafe.

Ground hardened by weeks without sufficient rain can increase the impact of falls, challenges and awkward landings. Cracks, loose areas and uneven surfaces can also create additional injury risks.

The postponement is particularly significant because the decision has been taken by a County FA-operated children’s league rather than an individual club or pitch provider.
Adult leagues also delay their seasons

Dorset is not the only area where drought conditions are disrupting the start of competitive football.
The Anglian Combination League, covering 85 adult amateur teams across Norfolk and Suffolk, postponed its season until 29 August following an urgent league-board meeting.

Pre-season friendlies had already been cancelled, while matches played on hardened surfaces reportedly resulted in injuries.

League chairman Dale Brown said most clubs use grass pitches which had become extremely dry and “rock hard.” The Guardian, 8 August 2026.
The Thames Valley Premier League has also provisionally postponed fixtures across Divisions One to Four, including Division One Reserves, until 3 October.

The situation will be reviewed weekly, and fixtures could begin earlier if pitches recover. Its Premier Division is expected to start sooner because more clubs have access to grounds that can be watered and maintained. Source Football in Berkshire, 24 August 2026.

That difference highlights the growing divide between clubs with dedicated facilities and those relying on council-owned or community pitches.
Has this happened before?

Britain experienced an extreme drought in 1976, but the 1976/77 Football League season began as scheduled.

The 2022 drought also caused serious pitch problems, but TeamGrassroots could not find a confirmed previous example of an English County FA-operated children’s league postponing the start of its season specifically because of drought.

Historical grassroots records are incomplete, so we cannot state definitively that it has never happened. However, we found no documented precedent comparable to the decisions now being taken in Dorset, East Anglia and the Thames Valley.

Postponing the season will disappoint children, parents, coaches and clubs—but no fixture is more important than player safety.

Grassroots football normally fears too much rain. In 2026, leagues are waiting desperately for it to arrive.

The FA has confirmed that “cooling-off periods” will be rolled out nationally for the 2026/27 season following a successful pilot.

Under the measure, if a referee feels a match is becoming unsafe, they can stop play and send all players to their respective penalty areas.

The referee will then meet coaches and captains in the centre circle, giving both teams an opportunity to calm players and any off-field spectators before play resumes.

Players must remain in their penalty areas during the break, with anyone leaving without permission receiving a 10-minute sin bin.
The length of the cooling-off period will be determined by the referee.

Crucially, a maximum of two cooling-off periods can be called during a match.
If the referee believes a third is necessary, the fixture will be abandoned.

All cooling-off periods must be reported to the league or cup sanctioning the fixture, although the FA says formal disciplinary action will not automatically follow simply because a referee has initiated a pause.

Teamgrassroots supports the move
Teamgrassroots welcomes the introduction of the measure.

“Anything that gives referees greater support and the ability to intervene before poor behaviour escalates is a positive step. Grassroots football should be a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone, and we hope clubs, coaches, players and spectators fully support referees when these measures are needed.”

The move forms part of the FA’s wider efforts to improve behaviour across grassroots football.
The FA says serious misconduct occurred in just 0.09% of 1.2 million grassroots fixtures, highlighting that the overwhelming majority of games take place without serious incident.

However, where behaviour does begin to escalate, referees will now have another option to take control of the situation — before deciding whether the game can safely continue.