Paddy Power World Darts Championship semi-finalist Chris Dobey hit the bullseye in Sunderland – by surprising a local deaf darts team and revealing they are one of 200 clubs to win a share of £400,000 worth of vital funding from Flutter UKI.
• World number eight surprises the Sunderland Deaf Darts team and reveals they are one of 200 clubs to win a £2,000 Cash4Clubs grant
• Flutter UKI scheme has invested nearly £6.5 million into grassroots and community sports since it began
• Conservative chair of the cross-party Culture Media and Sport Select Committee - Dame Caroline Dinenage - applauds Flutter UKI's commitment to grassroots sport and drive to boost participation
The world number eight and local legend stunned members of Sunderland Deaf Society's Darts team by travelling from his nearby home in Bedlington and joining them for a quick practice session at The Victory - the only deaf-run pub in the UK.
He was there to reveal the team has secured a £2,000 ‘Cash4Clubs’ grant –which will fund training gear and cover the costs associated with competing in tournaments, including the Deaf Darts Organisation's Grand Slam in Leicester in July 2025.
It is one of many clubs running activities from American Football to Zumba that are being awarded a grant by Flutter UKI –home to Paddy Power, Sky Betting & Gaming, Betfair and tombola – this year.
After delighting the Sunderland Deaf Darts team, Dobey stayed around to give players some vital tips with the help of a sign language interpreter – and admitted the visit had a far bigger impact on him than expected.
He said: “It was really humbling to see the passion this team has for darts and to understand how important it is to them. It’s much more than a sport; it’s a social outlet and a place to build friendships.
“You speak to people like Millie Perkin and Darren Davison, and you realise that being part of this team has given them much more confidence. That is obviously what Cash4Clubs is all about - providing the funding to help these clubs stay in business, and it’s really impressive.”
Dobey added: “Obviously when I’m on the oche, you feed off the noise of the crowd and the atmosphere. I’ve just never considered what it must be like not to be able to hear that or how isolating living in a silent world might be.”
Deaf Darts team member player Darren Davison explained why financial support for his team is so important: "I played with hearing teams before, and I just couldn't communicate with them. I felt really alone and isolated. Being part of this team means we can communicate with one another, make friends, and have shared interests. It's a very different experience."
Founded almost 20 years ago, Cash4Clubs has invested nearly £6.5 million into grassroots and community sport with the aim of driving participation, improving facilities or helping clubs and charities purchase new equipment.
Other winners this year include the Swindon Storm American Football Club in the South-West, who discovered they had won a grant when a message from NFL legend Rob Gronkowski flashed up on a big screen during a Super Bowl party they attended last month.
Parkinson’s Ninja C.I.C on Merseyside is another to receive a £2,000 grant, with the money going towards running exercise classes for those suffering from a condition impacting the lives of over 150,000 people across the UK.
The Wales Armed Forces Veterans Football Club hopes to use their Cash4Clubs grant to help them realise their ambitions of competing in the 2026 Veterans World Cup. Meanwhile, the Long Furlong Horse Riding for the Disabled club in East Sussex will use the grant to buy indoor mounted games equipment.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP and chair of the cross-party Culture Media and Sport Select Committee put the importance of schemes like Cash4Clubs into perspective. She said: “We launched an enquiry into the health of sport in local communities last year because of the worrying lack of facilities across England and Wales and declining participation rates.
"Taking part in sport and physical activity is vital for fitness and well-being and I applaud Flutter UKI for their commitment to the cause with the Cash4Clubs scheme. It's great to see the wide range of clubs that will benefit from the funding this year."
Flutter UKI worked with leading UK community sports charity Sported to deliver the Cash4Clubs programme. A particular emphasis this year was put on bids that from clubs seeking to drive participation in sports and fitness, in line with a commitment from Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to transform lives through sport and physical activity.
Last year’s Cash4Clubs programme saw an extra 9,000 people engage in health and fitness from dance to wheelchair rugby, archery and swimming.
Kevin Harrington, Chief Executive of Flutter UKI, said: "The Cash4Clubs initiative was a key part of the group’s global commitment to improve the lives of 10 million people in the communities where it operates by 2030 as part of their Positive Impact Plan.Community clubs are the bedrock of sport in the UK and Ireland, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help these smaller organisations continue to make a big difference to people’s lives.
“Last year we doubled our funding from £200,000 to £400,000 after receiving so many applications. The number of clubs needing financial assistance continues to grow, which indicates the real value these grants have for local grassroots organisations, many of which are existing on a shoestring.”
Sported’s head of marketing Mark Woods said: "More than 700 clubs from across the UK and Ireland, spanning a massive variety of sports, submitted applications for the scheme and our priority was to support recipients delivering real impacts into their communities. So many of these groups are addressing barriers to participation to ensure that no-one is excluded from sport and physical activity due to financial, societal or physical challenges.
“But we know every penny is precious in what they do. The funds provided through Cash4Clubs underline the huge impact which even a modest grant can have on these organisations, and it will make a difference to the people they serve."