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IS IT GAME OVER FOR LOCAL SPORTS CLUBS?
2 July, 2024
2 IN 5 SPORTS CLUBS IN THE UK ARE UNDERFUNDED AND UNSUPPORTED – ALDI LAUNCHES SPORTS BURSARY WITH TEAM GB AND PARALYMPICSGB
- 41% of Brits say their local sports clubs desperately need funding, research from official Team GB and ParalympicsGB sponsor, Aldi reports
- In a bid to help rekindle the UK’s passion for playing sports, the supermarket is launching a sports bursary initiative – offering coaching sessions with Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes, a desirable cash prize, and Aldi vouchers to ten winners
- Community sports teams, schools and clubs across the nation have until 27th July to apply
New research reveals that despite a jam-packed sporting summer on our screens, the reality amongst local sporting communities is not so stellar. While almost a third (31%) of Brits are part of a local sports club or team, over a quarter (30%) feel there aren’t enough coaches or leaders to cope with the numbers wanting to join clubs, and 2 in 5 (41%) say more funding is desperately needed for their local group to operate successfully.
Major sporting events such as the Olympics and Euros typically inspire the nation to get up off the sofa and participate in sport or leisure activities, but the research reveals that for 1 in 3 (30%), their local club has been forced to shut down in recent years; highlighting a real gap of sporting opportunities for local communities.
And it’s not just about getting in shape as the study suggests that despite the obvious physical benefits of joining a local sports group, three-quarters of people (79%) believe it benefits people’s mental health too.
So, to help local sports groups get back on track, Aldi is launching a Sports Bursary with Team GB and ParalympicsGB to provide much-needed coaching and funding to local teams, schools and clubs up and down the country.
Ten winning sports groups will be selected by Aldi and Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes to receive the unique Sports Bursary, which includes a ‘money can’t buy’ coaching session at their club, led by a Team GB or ParalympicsGB athlete to inspire the next generation of athletes. To top it off, they will receive a cash prize of £1,500 to buy bespoke equipment and facilities, and Aldi vouchers, which can be used to purchase products, and supplies including sports equipment from its Specialbuys range.
Aldi’s Sports Bursary is open now until 27th July. To apply on behalf of a team, club or school, simply send an email to aldisportsbursary@clarioncomms.co.uk outlining your name, age, where your group is located, size of the group, and any social media handles.
Entrants should also outline why their group, club or school would benefit from the prize. Further details and terms and conditions can be found on the Aldi Sports Bursary web page.
Max Whitlock, Team GB gymnast and three-time Olympic Champion, said: “I am honoured to be spearheading the Aldi Sports Bursary initiative to get the necessary funding and joy back into local sports clubs and schools. I know how much I valued my time spent at my local sports club in Hemel Hempstead when I was younger, and how having a positive space available to me really helped not only my physical wellbeing but my mental health too.”
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, said: “By launching the Aldi Sports Bursary we can guarantee multiple community sports clubs and schools are supported with funding and equipment that they so desperately need and deserve. Not to mention the fantastic opportunity to have a coaching session with an Olympic athlete! We hope that with the right products and coaching, we’re supporting the growth of our future Team GB and ParalympicGB athletes.”
How to enter:
To enter the competition, you must be at least 18 years old and send an email to: aldisportsbursary@clarioncomms.co.uk, including:
- your name
- age (person entering must be over 18)
- name of group leader
- number of people in the group
- your position and role in the group
- location of the group
- how long the group has been running for
- website URL (if applicable)
- social handles (if applicable)
- 200 words detailing why your group will benefit from the prize
Terms and conditions apply. For full T&Cs visit: www.aldi.co.uk/sports-bursary
For more information, please contact the Aldi Press Office on:
T: 0161 235 0300 or aldi@citypress.co.uk
Business news
ALDI BACKS CHARITY CALL FOR SUPERMARKETS TO MAKE FREE PERIOD PRODUCTS AVAILABLE IN STORE TOILETS
13 August, 2026- New Aldi-commissioned research reveals 67% of shoppers think supermarkets should provide free period products in customer toilets
- Three quarters (75%) say free period products should be as readily available in supermarket toilets as toilet paper and soap
- Aldi is backing charity partner Freedom4Girls’ call for other major UK supermarkets to make free period products available in store toilets where facilities allow.
Aldi is supporting its charity partner, Freedom4Girls, in calling for more supermarkets to make free period products available in store toilets, as new research reveals shoppers support supermarkets providing free access to essential period products.
Tina Leslie MBE, founder of Freedom4Girls and Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, have jointly written to the chief executives of major UK supermarkets, calling on them to make free period products available where store facilities allow.
The Aldi-commissioned survey of 2,000 UK shoppers found that 67% believe supermarkets should provide free pads and tampons in customer toilets, while 67% say they would be more likely to view a supermarket positively if it offered the service.
The research also found that three quarters (75%) of shoppers think period products should be treated as an everyday bathroom essential, just like toilet paper and soap, while 66% say supermarkets have an important role to play in supporting people who may struggle to access or afford them.
It comes after Aldi became the first UK supermarket to offer free period products in all customer and colleague toilets, with customers and colleagues able to take what they need, when they need it – no code word or loyalty scheme needed.
Since launching the initiative in March 2025, Aldi has provided one million free period products through its store toilets, helping to make everyday essentials such as tampons and pads more accessible to everyone who needs them.
Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: "Access to period products should be a basic right, not a privilege. That is why we made free period products available in our store toilets for customers and colleagues, with no questions asked.
"The latest research shows shoppers support supermarkets making period products more accessible. Together with Freedom4Girls, we’ve written to the chief executives of other major UK supermarkets, encouraging them to consider introducing free period products where facilities allow.
"This is a simple, practical step that could make a real difference to customers and colleagues across the country. These products are essential, and we believe making them freely available is the right thing to do."
Tina Leslie MBE, Founder of Freedom4Girls, a menstrual equity charity dedicated to tackling period poverty, said: "Period poverty remains a huge issue in the UK, and we’re encouraged to see Aldi continuing to use its platform to push for wider change.
"Providing free period products in supermarket toilets is a practical way to help people access what they need discreetly and with dignity. We would welcome more retailers taking similar action to help tackle stigma, affordability and access."
The findings also suggest that free period products in supermarket toilets would help tackle a range of barriers, with 69% of shoppers saying the provision would help people who unexpectedly come on their period while away from home, 58% saying it would help those who cannot afford products when they need them, and 48% saying it would reduce embarrassment around asking for or buying period products.
When asked where free period products should be made available, 56% of shoppers selected supermarket customer toilets, ahead of shopping centres, transport hubs and leisure centres.
62% also said they would expect large supermarkets to provide free period products in customer toilets, while just over half (51%) said they would be more likely to shop with a retailer that made period products freely available in-store.
Among those who have or have ever had a period, 53% said they had been caught short without period products while shopping or away from home, while 93% said they had used toilet roll, tissue or another alternative because they did not have a product available.
Aldi’s in-store provision forms part of its wider commitment to supporting communities and improving access to everyday essentials. The supermarket has also donated one million period products to people experiencing period poverty through partnerships with charities including Freedom4Girls.
Customers can also donate period products through Aldi’s in-store donation points, with items distributed to food banks and charitable organisations via its community partner Neighbourly.
ENDS
*Research carried out in July 2026 by OnePoll among a sample of 2,000 UK shoppers.
