Sports club loans for cricket, rugby, hockey and bowls clubs

Yes, in England, as long as each pays for a clearly separate part of the project. Sport England's Movement Fund awards between £300 and £15,000 to not for profit groups working with people in England, either as a direct grant or as a crowdfunding pledge that matches up to half the project cost once the club has raised the rest through Crowdfunder. That covers equipment, new or upgraded facilities and some delivery costs, but not recoverable VAT, existing salaries or money already spent. A club replacing changing rooms or adding a clubhouse extension often needs more than the grant, so the balance comes from club reserves, a loan from the national governing body where one is offered, and commercial finance for whatever is left. We arrange that commercial layer for members' clubs, CASCs and club companies, and we make sure the loan offer and the grant conditions do not contradict each other before either is signed.

Do sports clubs have to pay back Sport England funding?

A direct Movement Fund grant comes with no requirement to repay, provided the club spends it on the agreed project and meets the award conditions. The crowdfunding route works differently, because Sport England's pledge is only released when the campaign reaches at least a quarter of its target with the minimum number of supporters and then completes successfully. Larger capital awards made in the past through other Sport England programmes can carry conditions on how long the facility must stay in sporting use, so a club that already holds one should check those terms before offering the same building to a lender.

• Governance. Applicants need a governing document and at least three unrelated committee members or directors, and awards over £10,000 need the club to meet the first tier of the Code for Sports Governance.
• Order of events. Retrospective costs are not funded, so the grant decision has to come before the club commits to the works it covers.
• Other nations. Clubs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland apply to sportscotland, Sport Wales and Sport NI, each with its own programmes and rules.
• Cash flow. Grants are often paid against invoices, so a short facility to cover the gap between paying the contractor and receiving the grant is worth arranging early.

Sport England sets out the Movement Fund routes and amounts. Our clubhouse finance page covers buildings, tennis club finance explains borrowing as a CASC, and bridging loans covers a short gap before grant money arrives. Instant Quotes gives a club treasurer a first view of panel lenders, with no credit search at that stage.

Yes. A minibus is one of the simpler things for a club to finance, because the vehicle itself secures the agreement. Hire purchase spreads the cost over three to five years and the club owns the minibus at the end, while a lease keeps the monthly payment lower and hands the vehicle back. Lenders look at the club's accounts, its membership and subscription income, and who will sign, which for an unincorporated club usually means named committee members, so a club that has incorporated as a company limited by guarantee finds the paperwork easier. A used minibus with a full service history is funded as readily as a new one. We source lenders for club minibuses, from lighter 12 seat vehicles that volunteers can often drive on a car licence to larger 17 seat buses that usually need a D1 driver, and we check the seating and weight before the order so the club can actually use the drivers it has.

Who can drive a sports club minibus on a car licence?

It depends on when the driver passed their car test. Someone who passed before 1 January 1997 usually has D1 (101) entitlement on their licence, which covers a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats that is not used for hire or reward. Someone who passed on or after that date can drive a minibus for a non commercial body for social purposes if they are over 21, have held a car licence for at least two years, drive voluntarily with only out of pocket expenses, do not tow a trailer and keep the vehicle within 3.5 tonnes including passengers, plus up to 750kg for equipment for disabled passengers. Clubs that charge members toward travel can apply for a section 19 permit, which lets a not for profit body carry its own members for a charge.

• Weight is the trap. A 17 seat minibus fully loaded often goes over 3.5 tonnes, so a club that relies on post 1997 drivers should look for a lighter vehicle or fewer seats.
• Section 19 permits. Permits are issued by the Traffic Commissioners and by designated bodies, and cover passengers who are members or people the club exists to help, not the general public.
• Insurance. The policy must name the club's use and its drivers, and lenders ask for it before the vehicle is released.
• Northern Ireland. These driving rules are set by DVLA for Great Britain, and clubs in Northern Ireland should check with the DVA.

GOV.UK guidance on driving minibuses sets out the licence conditions and section 19 permits. Our minibus finance page covers the vehicle, hire purchase explains owning it at the end, and sports club finance covers other club borrowing. Instant Quotes returns panel lenders for a club minibus and leaves no mark on anyone's credit record.

Most clubs earn from several small streams rather than one large one. Membership subscriptions, match fees and junior section fees come in around the start of the season. The clubhouse bar, function hire, sponsorship, fundraising events and, at some clubs, ground hire to schools and other teams make up the rest.

The spending comes in lumps. Grass pitches need renovation every year, machinery wears out, floodlights and changing rooms date, and a pavilion roof or heating system eventually fails. Finance often bridges the gap before reserves are large enough, usually alongside grants and governing body loans.

• Refurbishing, extending or replacing a clubhouse or pavilion
• New or improved changing rooms, including facilities for women's and junior teams
• Floodlights for training and evening matches, often switching to LED
• Artificial pitches, non-turf cricket pitches and practice nets
• Pitch drainage, irrigation and renovation work
• Mowers, rollers and other groundskeeping machinery
• Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation to cut energy bills
• Buying the ground from a landlord, or refinancing existing borrowing

Governing body and grant funding often covers part of a project, with commercial finance or reserves making up the rest. Affiliated cricket clubs can apply to the EWCT Interest Free Loan Scheme, run by the England and Wales Cricket Trust for capital projects such as pavilions, changing rooms, pitches and equipment, with the club expected to contribute part of the cost. The RFU publishes funding information for rugby clubs, including a grant finder and programmes for changing rooms and social spaces run through the Constituent Bodies. Sport England runs funds for community physical activity projects, and the other national sports councils run their own programmes. Hockey and bowls clubs should ask their governing body what support is available. Check current criteria on the official site before relying on any of these routes.

We have separate guides for football club finance, tennis club finance, golf club finance and padel finance. Many clubs are adding padel courts to bring in new members.

Our case study on a performance and sports services term loan shows a sports business funded on its trading.

A club's income depends on volunteers, membership and a working bar, and all three can change quickly. Test repayments against a cautious year, not the best one. Trustees and committee members of an unincorporated club should be clear about their personal exposure before signing, and should read our guide to personal guarantees. If a grant is pending, check whether the grant body must agree to any charge over the land.