A total of 79 sports clubs across the country have been awarded Energy Saving Grants during 2023/24 to help make their facilities more energy efficient.
The majority of the clubs who received grants – which add up to nearly £1.4m – will be using their funding to install solar panels, while other uses include insulation improvements, upgrades to heating systems and sustainable water sourcing.
These energy-saving measures will significantly reduce clubs’ energy bills, meaning that they are much more financially sustainable for the future. This will help to ensure that they can continue to provide affordable activities which are so valued by their communities.
What will the funding be used for?
Each club or project will be using their grant to make environmentally friendly upgrades to their premises. The projects are in various stages of completion, and of the 80 clubs:
- 47 clubs plan to install solar panels
- 26 clubs plan to install LED lighting
- 22 clubs plan to install or upgrade their heating
- 11 clubs plan to install or upgrade their building’s insulation
What sports will benefit from the funding?
Any sports club with their own building, or a lease of more than ten years, were able to apply for funding from the Energy Saving Grant, which means that a wide variety of sports will benefit from the funding, including:
- Rugby
- Football
- Bowls
- Tennis
- Squash
- Cricket
- Boxing
- Sailing
- Golf
- Dance
- Gymnastics
- Rowing
The 57 clubs that received Energy Saving Grants in February 2024 were…
Anglesey
Canolfan Beaumaris
With a grant of £24,800, LED lighting, a new heating system, aerator taps, and duo flush toilets will be installed at this leisure centre.
Blaenau Gwent
Ebbw Vale RFC
The club was awarded £22,000 for installation of led lighting, including in the public spectator seating areas.
Bridgend
Ogmore Valley Dragons Boxing Club
The club was awarded £20,480 to install solar panels on the outside of their building to help reduce energy costs, and a new heating system for the main gym.
Caerphilly
Bedwellty Park Bowls Club
£9,918 of funding will go towards solar panels to help reduce the club’s carbon footprint and cut their energy bills.
Llanbradach Football Club
The club was awarded £5,353 to install 12 solar panels.
Calzaghe Academy
£25,000 was awarded to the academy to install loft and wall insulation, alongside solar panels.
Cardiff
Cardiff Squash Club
A grant of £17,596 will be used to install solar panels on the roof of the club together with battery storage.
Llanrumnrey Phoenix Boxing Club
The club was awarded £13,176 to install solar panels.
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthen Golf Club
The club was awarded £22,720 to place solar panels on the clubhouse roof.
Carmarthenshire School Of Gymnastics
An award of £25,000 will be used to install solar panels to make energy affordable for the club.
Llangennech Rugby Football Club
Awarded £8,352 to install solar panels on their clubhouse.
Whitland Cricket Club
Awarded £23,360 to install solar panels with a battery system for heating, and a borehole.
Ceredigion
Aberystwyth Golf Club
The club was awarded £17,916 to install solar panels on their clubhouse which will reduce energy costs.
Cymdeithas Maes Chwarae Rhydypennau
The club was awarded £25,000 to install a new heating and hot water system in their clubhouse.
Conwy
Conwy Borough Football Club
The club will use a grant of £25,000 to replace their old heating system with new, modern, energy-efficient alternatives.
Llandudno Golf Club (Maesdu) Ltd
£23,880 of funding was awarded to create a bore hole, capable of harvesting up to 20,000 litres per day.
Denbighshire
Rhyl Rugby Club
The club was awarded £20,473 to install solar panels at the clubhouse.
St Asaph Cricket Club
As the club already has solar panels, a grant of £7,323 will be used to purchase battery storage facilities which will enable them to save up their solar energy and also sell the excess back to the grid.
Flintshire
Hawarden Golf Club
£22,996 will be used to install a new system to capture and recycle rainwater so that it can be used to wash down various machinery used at the golf club.
Pontblyddyn Cricket Club
£15,890 will go towards the installation of solar panels with batteries to store excess generated electricity.
Gwynedd
Nantporth CIC
£15,264 was awarded to install new energy efficient led lighting at nantporth stadium.
CPD Pwllheli Football Club
With a grant of £19,999, the club will install solar panels and new hot water and heating sources.
Port Dinorwic Sailing Club
The club was awarded £21,003 to install energy efficient lighting and solar panels.
Merthyr Tydfil
Whitehall Golf Club
An award of £1600 will be used to upgrade the club’s lighting to leds.
Stephens And George Charitable Trust
The trust was awarded £16,800, which will be used at dowlais community centre for solar panels and led lights.
Cefn Coed Rugby Football Club
The club was awarded £5,200 to install led lights.
Monmouthshire
Abergavenny Cricket Club
£21,214 was awarded for the installation of solar panels together with battery storage, upgrades to their roof insulation, led lighting and a new cellar cooling system.
Monmouth Rowing Club
£2,634 of funding will be used to install new led lighting and motion sensors at the club’s boat house.
Monmouth Sports Association
A grant of £19,071 will be used to install solar panels at monmouth sports ground.
Usk RFC
£2,800 of funding will go toward the replacement of all clubhouse lights to leds.
Neath Port Talbot
Port Talbot Town Cricket Club
The club was awarded £15,836 to go toward solar panels, an upgraded heating system and led lighting.
Seven Sisters Rugby Football Club
The club was awarded £17,940 to install a new heating boiler and system, led lighting and insulation for the premises.
Newport
Newport Squash Rackets Club
£17,822 will be used to install new energy efficient led lighting for the club’s four squash courts.
Stow Park Lawn Tennis Club
£25,000 of funding will go toward energy efficient windows and doors, led lighting and a new heating system.
Pembrokeshire
Narberth Rugby Football Club
Awarded £25,000 to install new energy efficient heating and hot water sources in the clubhouse.
Narberth & District Community Sports
Awarded £19,622 for upgrades to bloomfield house, including led lighting, a boiler upgrade and solar panels.
Neyland Yacht Club
£2,172 will be used to install energy efficient electric showers, and led lighting in the club.
Pembroke & Pembroke Dock ABC
£21,194 of funding will go toward the installation of solar panels at the club.
Powys
Aberdovey Golf Club
The club was awarded £5892 to enable them to purchase and replace all lights with led lighting.
Hay St Mary’s FC
£22,356 of funding will go towards the sustainable construction of a single-storey, timber-framed clubhouse at hay st mary’s fc, including insulation and energy efficient heating.
Llandrindod Wells FC
A grant of £24,000 will go towards the installation of external cladding and a new front door which will enable the club to reduce their high energy rates.
Welshpool Golf Club
The club was awarded £16,000, which will go toward the installation of solar panels near the club house, and heating improvements.
Ystradgynlais Community Centre Group
The community centre will use a grant of £24,000 to install solar panels.
Machynlleth Bowling Club
£2,509 was awarded to install modern heating and led lighting with motion sensors in the building.
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Phoenix Dance & Gymnastics
The club was awarded £25,000 to install solar panels on their building, which will reduce their daily running costs.
Rhondda Tennis Club
£22,569 of funding will be used to install solar panels at the club.
Thomastown Bowls Club
An award of £3,010 will fund upgrades to led lighting with motion sensors and double glazing for the club’s windows.
Tonyrefail RFC
£4,700 of funding will go towards installing led lights with motion sensors and replacing existing water heaters with eco heaters.
Swansea
Tennis Swansea 365
An award of £25,000 will be used to install led lights with motion sensors throughout the building.
Bryn Road Group Of Bowling Clubs
£4,520 of funding will be used to replace existing doors and install led lights with motion sensors.
Ynystawe Cricket Club
£25,000 of funding was awarded to go towards the installation of solar panels at the club.
Torfaen
Blaenavon Bowls Club
The club was awarded £4,752 to install led lighting.
Pontnewydd Golf Club
£19,826 from the energy saving grant will be used to install solar panels on the clubhouse.
Wrexham
Llay Miners Welfare Institute
The building is a home for football, cricket and bowls clubs, and £25,000 of funding will go toward the installation of solar panels and a new heating system.
Garden Village Bowling Club
£624 of funding will be used to improve the hot water system and provide hot water to the men’s toilets at the club.
Vale of Glamorgan
Cowbridge And District Athletics Club
The tennis club at cowbridge and district ac will use their grant of £2,261 to install a contactless intec reader system that allows club members to pay for the court floodlights by debit or credit card to prevent floodlights being used unnecessarily or left on when not needed.
Old Penarthians RFC
A grant of £22,176 will be used to install solar panels on the clubhouse roof.
The additional 22 clubs that received Energy Saving Grants in March 2024 were…
Anglesey
Menai Bridge Cricket Club
The only cricket club on the Isle of Anglesey, Menai Bridge CC have exciting plans to upgrade their facilities so that they can do even more to meet their local community’s needs. A £21,055 Energy Saving Grant will go towards the installation of solar panels and triple glazing at the club’s pavilion.
Caerphilly
Bedwas & Trethomas Bowls Club
The Bedwas & Trethomas Bowls Club estimate that their £9,756 grant to buy solar panels and battery storage will save them a whopping £74,000 over 25 years.
Senghenydd RFC
Funded thanks to a £15,680 Energy Saving Grant, new solar panels at Senghenydd RFC will reduce the club’s carbon footprint and energy costs in the long term, helping the club continue to grow and support their community.
Carmarthenshire
Llandovery RFC
This rugby club installed solar panels approximately ten years ago, which are working well. They’ve been awarded a £15,034 grant to install more solar panels and battery storage for capturing the excess power they generate.
Ceredigion
Cilgwyn Golf Club
A £13,880 grant will be used by this Lampeter golf club to help fund solar panels and battery storage, loft insulation work and new LED lighting complete with sensors for their clubhouse. They’ll also install a rainwater harvesting system which will reduce their reliance on mains water for washing down machines and irrigating the greens in times of drought. All of these measures will put the club in a strong position to survive both financial and environmental pressures in the future.
Flintshire
Mold Golf Club
Last year, the club installed solar panels which are generating good energy savings, but not enough surplus to make use of the battery storage they also installed. Now, thanks to a £13,666 Energy Saving Grant, the club will install 16 more panels and double their battery storage. They plan to use the surplus energy to charge their fleet of eight golf buggies, used daily by members and visitors. Their grant will also enable them to replace their lighting with energy-efficient LEDs.
Gwynedd
Pwllheli Sports Club
The annual electric and gas bills for this multi-sports club are currently around an eye-watering £20,000. The installation of solar panels and an air source heat pump, supported by a £24,440 Energy Saving Grant, will help to make the club more environmentally and financially sustainable for many years to come.
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Town Football Club
As the club look to reduce their use of fossil fuels, a £5,952 grant will go towards the cost of buying an ‘A’ energy efficiency rated gas boiler, motion sensors and the insulation of exposed pipeworks at their Penydarren Park Ground.
Morlais Castle Golf Club
Based in a remote location north of Merthyr Tydfil, this golf club currently has no direct gas supply and relies on aged oil-fuelled heating systems for hot water and central heating. However, they already have solar panels, so will be using a £25,000 grant to link those panels up with a brand new heating and water system. They’ll also be buying battery storage to capture excess power generated by the panels and will be carrying out some insulation work too.
Neath Port Talbot
Briton Ferry Llansawel AFC
This football club’s electric and gas bills have doubled over the last two years, while their water bill is ten times higher. A £24,995 Energy Saving Grant will go towards the purchase of a new energy efficient boiler, together with new radiators, so that the central heating system which serves their clubhouse, cafe and changing rooms can be overhauled. All of the taps at the facility will be replaced with water-stopping ones, while the shower heads in the changing rooms will be replaced with new high-pressure fittings that save water.
Giants Grave Boys & Girls Club
Just up the road from Briton Ferry Llansawel AFC, this community football club south of Neath is in one of the top 10% most deprived areas of Wales. A £22,902 Energy Saving Grant will fund the installation of solar panels, helping the club deal with sky-rocketing energy bills so that they can continue to provide affordable activities for their local community.
Cwmafan FC
In the Afan Valley, just north of Port Talbot, this club has been providing sporting opportunities for over 30 years. Faced with rising energy prices, the club was keen to explore options for cutting their bills. They’ll be using a £13,000 grant to help pay for the installation of solar panels which are predicted to have a payback on investment within five years.
Pembrokeshire
Fishguard Sports AFC
This Pembrokeshire football club has been awarded a £10,888 grant to help fund several Insulation improvements as well as a new heating system. They’ll also be buying a solar panel battery to store more of the excess power generated by their existing solar panels which were installed in 2022.
Kingsmoore Sports & Social Club
A £16,201 grant will be used to fund solar panels, together with battery storage, which the club predicts will provide over 50% of their energy needs. This will go a long way towards helping the club continue to stay open and serve the local community.
Pembrokeshire Yacht Club
The Pembrokeshire Yacht Club are expecting the installation of 35 solar panels, plus battery storage, to significantly slash their energy bills. They’ve received a £15,146 Energy Saving Grant.
Powys
Llandrindod Wells Golf Club
With its south-facing clubhouse roof, situated unobstructed high up on a hillside, Llandrindod Wells Golf Club is perfectly suited to make use of the solar panels they’ll be purchasing with their £20,774 grant.
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Beddau RFC
Beddau RFC, which has been running for over 125 years, will use a £15,635 grant to install solar panels which will make them more sustainable for the long-term. With reduced costs, the club look forward to being open for longer hours and more available to the local community.
Swansea
Penlan RFC
This Swansea rugby club will be using their £11,600 grant to carry out several energy-saving improvements on their 43-year-old clubhouse. New doors and windows will be installed to conserve heat better, while new LED light fittings and a new ground source heat pump will both reduce their energy bills.
Vale of Glamorgan
Dinas Powys Bowls Club
Like so many other clubs, rising energy costs have been a huge drain on finances at Dinas Powys Bowls Club, so they’re excited to make use of a £14,598 grant to secure their long-term future. They’ll be installing solar panels, LED lighting and an 80-litre electric water heater to make use of the solar panels as a replacement for their gas hot water boiler. Their Energy Survey predicts that the improvements will lead to savings of £51,250 over 20 years.
Barry Romilly Bowls Club
This busy bowls club in the Vale of Glamorgan is also used by community groups for activities ranging from yoga to reiki. Because the facility is used all-year round, the installation of solar panels and battery storage thanks to a £13,041 grant will generate huge savings. In fact, when combined with the fact they’ve also installed double glazing, LED lighting and a new electric heating system in recent years, the club predict that their mains electric usage will soon be zero!
Vale Cricket Club
West of Cowbridge, in the village of Corntown, the Vale Cricket Club are also embracing solar panels. They’ve been awarded the maximum £25,000 grant to fund solar panels and battery storage which will reduce their utility bills significantly.
Wrexham
Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club
A £13,904 grant will enable the club to buy solar panels, combined with battery storage, which they estimate will save them around £5,000 every year. The grant will also fund ‘passive infra-red lighting’ in some areas across their building where constant lighting isn’t needed, as well as ‘smart cellar technology’ which is a more energy efficient method of keeping their cellar chilled for storing beer.
