Let’s keep the nation playing the beautiful game. Because there’s no football without grassroots football.
For the past 25 years, Barclays has proved itself as the leading brand in football time and time again. Its work began with the Premier League 25 years ago, where it remains the Official Banking Partner. The bank has since made headlines with its record-breaking investment and title sponsorship of the Barclays Women’s Super League, the Barclays Women’s Championship, as well the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Championship and Scottish Women’s League One. Its work in crucial grassroots football initiatives has seen millions of pounds of investment and tangible change to hundreds of thousands of individuals needing better access to the beautiful game – from providing equal access for girls to football in schools through the Barclays Girls’ Football School
Partnerships to providing grants and support to underrepresented groups in the community through the Barclays Community Football Fund and more.
Celebrating this 25-year anniversary of supporting football and the bank’s long-term commitment to the game and grassroots sports, Barclays today announces ‘The Lost Ball Project’. We all know how disappointing it can be when a football gets lost up a tree, stuck on a fence or roof, or gets a dreaded puncture, so the initiative will see the bank give away 25,000 footballs across the UK, with customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs from today until 22ndMay. Having have played an integral role in supporting the whole football pyramid, this initiative is particularly meaningful because there is no football without grassroots football. After all, to play football, all you need is a ball.
An emotive film (linked here) accompanying ‘Barclays Lost Ball Project’ captures the comedic loneliness of footballs lost to the game. From streets, parks and football pitches to railway bridges, schools and homes, still images of footballs lost flash up on screen, underlined by James Blunt’s poignant “Goodbye My Lover”, invoking a feeling of real, unadulterated Britain and encapsulating a sense of tragic comedy.
When Barclays became title sponsor of the Women’s Super League in 2019, it was the biggest investment ever made by a brand into women’s sport in the UK. Since then, women’s football has seen exponential growth, the Barclays Women’s Super League is now the most followed women’s domestic league with 3.2m followers and average attendance at matches up 283% since 21/22 season.
Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen great success, with the number of participating schools rising from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024. So far, Barclays has helped more than 2.5m schoolgirls access football.
As part of their partnership, Barclays and the Premier League are also coming together on a number of community initiatives to drive greater diversity across the future football workforce, particularly in under-represented groups. The partnership includes crucial backing and funding from Barclays, and a commitment to create pathways and positive opportunities for young people entering the world of work, breaking down barriers they may face and equipping them with the skills required for future leadership positions.
Supporting communities that need it the most, the Barclays Community Football Fund, in partnership with Sported, has supported over 3,300 community sport groups and benefited more than 530,000 individuals since 2022. Targeting groups in area of deprivation, the ground-breaking £1million-a-year fund supports young people from underrepresented background, including women and girls, racially diverse communities, those with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and lower socio-economic groups.
Tom Corbett, Group Head of Sponsorship, Barclays said: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years. Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers Lost Balls means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”
With thanks to Carver PR
Both my granddaughter and grandson play football, they would appreciate one of your balls .They cost my daughter a small fortune in replacement balls due to punctures.