Exmouth Town Council Launches £100,000 Sports Club Improvement Fund

Exmouth Town Council has announced the launch of a new Sports Club Improvement Fund (SCIF) to support local sports clubs in progressing plans for improved and expanded facilities.

Exmouth Town Council has announced the launch of a new Sports Club Improvement Fund (SCIF) to support local sports clubs in progressing plans for improved and expanded facilities.

The £100,000 fund has been created to help clubs cover essential pre-application costs, enabling them to reach the “shovel-ready” stage required to access larger funding streams and support planning applications. The initiative is funded through Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions and reflects priorities set out in the adopted Exmouth Neighbourhood Plan.

Councillor Pauline Stott, Chair of the Section 106 and CIL Working Party, said:
“We’re really pleased to be launching this fund to help our local sports clubs take the next step. We know that securing major investment can be challenging without the resources to get projects off the ground, and this is about providing that early support. By helping clubs get to that ‘shovel-ready’ stage, we’re giving them a much stronger chance of bringing forward high-quality facilities that will benefit the whole community.”

The Town Council recognises the significant contribution that sports clubs make to the health, wellbeing and social cohesion of the local community. Under the Neighbourhood Plan, the Council receives 25% of CIL funds generated by new developments in Exmouth. This locally controlled funding stream allows the Council to directly invest in infrastructure priorities identified by the community – including the enhancement of sports facilities.

The Neighbourhood Plan highlights the need for improved and expanded sports provision to meet the demands of Exmouth’s growing population. However, many funding programmes require projects to have planning permission, secured match funding, and clear delivery timescales – creating barriers for clubs at an early stage of development.

The SCIF has been established to address this challenge by providing targeted grants for preparatory work, helping clubs to progress their projects. This includes access to professional and technical expertise, as well as support for planning, design, environmental assessments and surveys. By enabling clubs to undertake this preparatory work, the fund aims to strengthen future funding applications and support the delivery of sustainable, high-quality community sports facilities.

The fund is open to constituted, non-profit sports clubs that can demonstrate secure land tenure, whether through ownership, a long-term lease, or written landowner consent. Grants of up to £10,000 are available per organisation. Funding may be used for costs such as architects’ and consultancy fees, planning applications, ecological and environmental reports, technical surveys, and support with external funding bids.

The fund will not support routine maintenance, equipment purchases, operational or running costs, staff wages, or retrospective expenditure.

Further information and application forms are available via the Town Council’s website (Finance Committee – Exmouth Town Council).