Wigan Athletic FC Community Trust

Wigan Athletic FC Community Trust, the official charity of Wigan Athletic Football Club established in 2007, harnesses the power of football and sport to drive positive change in Wigan and neighbouring areas like Ormskirk, St Helens, and Rainford. Its core mission focuses on advancing social and physical education for children and adults from all backgrounds, providing recreational facilities, and promoting inclusivity by tackling barriers related to disability, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Rooted in the club's community ethos, the Trust excels as a partnership-driven, evidence-based provider that convenes local stakeholders—including councils, police, health services, and funders like the Premier League Charitable Fund and National Lottery—for scalable impact, with over 12,000 annual participants and award-winning programmes.

It prioritises school-based mentoring (e.g., Premier League Primary Stars), community development, physical/mental health initiatives, inclusion projects (like Every Player Counts for disabled participants), and skills/employability training. Key beneficiaries include school pupils, women/girls, veterans, BAME communities, homeless individuals, and vulnerable families, through activities like healthy lifestyle workshops, resilience-building, volunteering, and pathways to education or jobs, fostering aspiration, cohesion, and wellbeing.

Eligible partners are UK-registered charities, community groups, or academic institutions serving these specific locales, with a preference for grassroots/small-medium organisations embedded in underserved areas; unsolicited applications are not accepted. Funding occurs via invited collaborations or joint projects rather than open grants, typically £10,000–£30,000 (larger via co-funders), restricted to programme costs with no deadlines, unrestricted, or capital support. Distinctively, it avoids conventional grant-making, instead delivering direct services and leading inclusive sport-led regeneration as a civic anchor.