Sports grants
The Sports and Exercise Committee may award grants to sports clubs registered in Espoo that are members of a national sports organisation, or to any association with activities that focus primarily on sports and exercise.
Application period 1.1.-2.2.2024
- Rental grant for sports facilities from 1 July to 31 December 2023
Application period 29.1.-1.3.2024
- Basic grants: sports activities and special groups
Application period 1.7.- 23.8.2024
- Rental grant for sports facilities from 1 January to 30 June 2024
Application period 9.9. - 25.10.2024
- Young athlete´s grants
- Grant for coach training
- Grant for producing orienteering maps
The Sports and Exercise Committee may award grants to sports clubs registered in Espoo that are members of a national sports organisation, or to any association with activities that focus primarily on sports and exercise.
A basic grant may also be awarded to an association that engages in extensive activities relating to sports and exercise.
A club/association may receive a grant if it has been registered by the end of June in the previous year. The majority of the members must be Espoo residents. Grants are not awarded to workplace clubs that organise sports activities for company personnel. A grant may be awarded for the physical education of schoolchildren to fund competitions organised abroad.
Rental grant, sports and exercise grant, sports and exercise grant for special group and grant for coach training are primarily applied for through the electronic grant system. Young athlete’s grants and grant for producing orienteering maps applications must be submitted within the deadline specified in the announcement to the city's registry office or service points. Grants awarded to an association are paid into the association’s bank account, which is indicated on the form describing the organisation.
The Sports and Exercise Committee decides on basic grants. Targeted grants, awards for success and young athlete´s grant for young people are decided by the Sports Director in accordance with the allocation criteria approved by the Committee.
The grant is for covering expenses incurred from organising sports and exercise activities. The grant awarded for activities during an operating term on the basis of a financial statement and an annual report.
The following documents must be attached to the application:
- the strategy
- the budget*
- a form describing the organisation
- the annual report
- the financial statement
- a statement/report from the financial auditor
* The expenses of the sports and exercise activities must be broken down in the budget (expenses incurred from training, competitions, coaching and practice).
The attachments to basic grant applications must be submitted to the Sports and Exercise Services by the end of November. If the required attachments are not submitted by the deadline, any supports that have already been awarded to the association are revoked and allocated instead to the targeted grants at the end of the year.
Sports and Exercise Grant
The application opens on January 29, 2024, and closes on March 1, 2024.
The grant is primarily applied for through the electronic grant system. Please refer to the instructions under the section "Applying for Sports Activity Grants through the Electronic Grant System."
When deciding on the grant, the following factors are assessed in order of importance:
1. The number of children and youth, under 20 years old, participating in regular practice activities lasting over 3 months, as well as the number of licenses.
2. The training costs for children and youth, under 20 years old, involved in sports activities.
3. The number of coaches and instructors for children and youth, under 20 years old.
4. Operational changes.
Additionally, the following points are taken into consideration for the grant:
1. How clubs consider the involvement of immigrants and financially disadvantaged youth in organizing sports activities.
2. How clubs address the situation where a young person is at risk of dropping out of a team or club and ensure they find an alternative opportunity to participate in another team or club.
3. Partnership projects with the city of Espoo, such as low-threshold sports clubs. Please refer to section five.
4. The club is part of the Olympic Committee's Tähtiseura program for children and youth.
5. Organizing free hobby clubs.
Moreover, in order to be eligible for a grant, the club/association must have at least 20 individuals under the age of 20 who take part in regular practice sessions. The smallest grant that can be awarded is EUR 200. The grant may be no higher than one third of the expenses incurred from sports and exercise.
Enhancing Impact through Grants - More Information on the Impact of Free Hobby Clubs on Sports Activity Grants
The new groups for Spring 2024 must be coordinated with department of sports club by December 15, 2023.
The emphasis on the distribution criteria for sports activity grants is changing. The grants will now take into account more clearly and openly the responsibility of clubs in leading free hobby groups. Enabling and realizing participation in hobbies is a significant goal of the Sports and Athletics Unit. This can only be achieved through collaboration with the club community.
Transparency has also been a desire expressed by the clubs. Participation in leading free hobby clubs is intended to be considered in advance and agreed upon. The amount of the grant is partly based on the number of hobby groups led by the club.
The implementation will begin in autumn 2023. Regarding this, the grant (2500 EUR) will be paid in 2024 based on a separate attachment's report in conjunction with the basic grant application.
Instructors' fees for the groups will be paid monthly, based on statistics.
Starting from 2024 (spring and autumn semesters), the grant will be 5000 EUR per group when the criteria for the groups are met.
The Sports and Exercise Committee will cover the facility costs according to the principle of reasonability. Both the criteria and the facility costs will be agreed upon separately each time.
Criteria for Hobby Activities:
- Regular activity for 3 months during the semester
- The average group size over the 3-month period should be at least 5 visitors per session
- Special groups led by clubs will be negotiated separately
- The activities are aimed at children and youth aged 7-20.
Instructor's fee (40 EUR/h) will be paid monthly based on statistics and actual activities. The Sports and Exercise Committee/ Co-operation with sports club unit will send a WEBROPOL link to clubs for statistics purposes.
Participation in the activities is free of charge for participants.
Fee Basis:
- The club applies for sports activity grants through the electronic grant system, providing a separate attachment stating the number of hobby groups.
- Note: The distribution criteria for sports activity grants will be used.
- The club can establish groups for different age groups in different locations according to the criteria.
- The establishment and operation of the group must always be negotiated in advance with representatives from The Sports and Exercise Committee/ Co-operation with sports club unit.
- For the club, this group is new and not considered an "additional session" for existing groups. The club ensures that the group consists mainly of new hobbyists.
Grant approval also requires that the club or association has at least 20 individuals under the age of 20 engaged in regular training activities. The minimum grant amount is 200 euros. The grant can be up to one-third of the expenses incurred by the club for sports activities.
Sports and Exercise Grant for Special Groups
Application period from 29 January to 1 March 2024
Applications should primarily be submitted through the online service. Supported browsers: Chrome and Firefox.
The following items are considered when deciding on the grant:
- Regular sports and exercise activities
- Camps.
- Individual sports events or similar activities organised by the association.
Online application grant for sports activities and special groups
You must log in to the service using your online banking credentials or the Mobile Certificate.
If you are applying as a registered sports club in Espoo, during your first log-in, enter the basic information about the organisation and the personal information of the responsible person as well as the community rules and board information as mandatory appendices. After this, you can fill in, sign and submit the application through the system. The sports club is responsible for the correctness of the information and its updates.
Please Note! Banking Protection may prevent the uploading of attachments when you add the information about the community. You must disable the protection before uploading attachments.
Advice is provided by e-mail at liikuntapaikkavaraukset@espoo.fi and by phone at +358 9 81652103 on Mondays and Wednesdays at 12.30-15.00 and on Thursdays at 9.00-11.00.
Go to web service(external link, opens in a new window)
Downloadable files
- Download file: EN ESPOO_Liikuntapalvelut_liikuntatoiminta-avustus_liikuntaseurat_ENGLANTI_0.pdf.EN ESPOO_Liikuntapalvelut_liikuntatoiminta-avustus_liikuntaseurat_ENGLANTI_0.pdf
- Download file: Basic information of the club.pdf.Basic information of the club.pdf
- Download file: EN ESPOO_ liikuntatoiminta-avustus_eritysryhmat_ENGLANTI.pdf.EN ESPOO_ liikuntatoiminta-avustus_eritysryhmat_ENGLANTI.pdf
Rental Grant for Sports Facilities
Grant for renting sports facilities for 2024 will be open for application from 2 January 2024 to 2 February 2024. Grant for renting sports facilities from 1 July to 31 December 2023. Grant for renting sports facilities should primarily be applied for through the online service. Go to the online application start page(external link, opens in a new window)
The grant can be awarded to clubs that have regular practice sessions that last an entire season in private or communal sports facilities in the municipalities of the Metropolitan Area. The practices must be instructed, and the young people must be under the age of 20. Grant may also be awarded to adult teams (Ltd or registered association), if the Sports Services can't offer training facilities. The grant is not awarded for expenses incurred from sports facilities rented from the city. The grant is awarded while considering the circumstances of the type of sport in question, the availability of sports facilities and the disposable allowance. The grant is meant to be allocated for the activities of young people.
Grant for coach training
Grant for coach training for 2024 will be open for application from 9 September 2024 to 25 October 2024. Grant for coach training should primarily be applied for through the online service. Go to the online application start page. (external link, opens in a new window)
Storing association information in the grant system
The grant is for covering the training expenses of the coaches and instructors of sports clubs in Espoo. Grants for education in the field of sports are granted to coaches and instructors for training courses that are part of the training programmes of federations and the Sports Federation of Southern Finland (ESLU). When awarding the grants, the City of Espoo will take account of the actual costs of training courses that have taken place in the current year.
Please note! Grants for the whole year, also for courses that will be held in November and December, must be applied for by the deadline.
Grant for producing orienteering maps
Application period 25 October 2024
The grant is for covering the expenses incurred from acquiring and preparing orienteering maps for clubs. If new maps are prepared, 10 copies must be delivered to the Sports and Exercise Services.
Young athlete´s grants
Application period 25 October 2024
The grant is for 15–22-year-old or turning 15–22 during the calendar year athletes from Espoo who are involved in individual or team sports for their success during the year, including at least a Finnish Championship and/or representing the country as part of a national team.
Scholarships are granted the athlete for covering the expenses incurred from practices and competitions in the upcoming season. If requested, the club must report on the use of the scholarship to the Sports and Exercise Services.
Please note! Grants for the whole year, also for November and December, must be applied for by the deadline. The young athlete’s competition results must be sent to the following address as soon as they are confirmed:
liikuntapaikkavaraukset@espoo.fi
The receiver of the scholarship must reside in Espoo and, if the circumstances of the type of sport in question are adequate, represent a club from Espoo. Teams are eligible for the scholarship if they represent a club from Espoo that fulfils the general instructions concerning the allocation criteria of grants.
Downloadable files
- Download file: Grants for coach training.pdf.Grants for coach training.pdf
- Download file: Youag athlete´s grant.pdf.Youag athlete´s grant.pdf
- Download file: EN ESPOO_Liikuntatilojen_liikuntatilojen vuokra-avustus_ENGLANTI (2).pdf.EN ESPOO_Liikuntatilojen_liikuntatilojen vuokra-avustus_ENGLANTI (2).pdf