The Andy Biddle Youth Sports Foundation
Charity 1182935
Overview
Summary
The Andy Biddle Youth Sports Foundation appears to be a small, place-based grantmaker that strengthens youth sport through local clubs, coaches and individual participants rather than delivering sport directly. Its role is distinctive in linking memorial fundraising to practical capacity-building: it began by supporting accredited coach and mentor training, then broadened towards helping clubs and young people pursue wider sporting goals. Its focus on football and cricket gives it a clear identity, while its formal remit leaves scope to support other amateur sports.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Sutton Vesey
Confidence: low
The foundation's current grants page identifies Boldmere St Michael's as an awarded grantee. The club's official website locates its community stadium in Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield. This is evidence of grant-funded operational reach, rather than evidence that the foundation runs a site there. The supplied evidence does not directly establish the ward assignment, and the grant page does not date the individual award.
- ABYSF, Grants page
The foundation states that it annually supports local young sportspeople and clubs in Sutton Coldfield and surrounding areas, and lists Boldmere St Michael's among organisations awarded a grant. - Boldmere St Michael's FC, official website
The club gives its venue as The Amber Arena & Community Stadium in Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield.
Remaining uncertainties
- The evidence supports a Sutton Coldfield-focused grant-making footprint, but does not provide a current, dated list of all grant recipients or their service locations. It therefore does not justify identifying every Sutton Coldfield ward as an operational area.
- The supplied evidence does not directly establish the ward in which Boldmere St Michael's operates.
- The foundation says it supports Sutton Coldfield and 'surrounding areas', but does not define the outer boundary. Its reach may extend into neighbouring areas outside Birmingham.
- No evidence confirms that the foundation owns, leases or directly operates a sports venue. Its registered address should be treated as a correspondence address, not an operational site.
- The listed sports clubs are evidenced as grant recipients, not as formal delivery partners; no continuing partnership arrangements are described.
Additional evidence needed
- A current annual report, grant register or impact report naming each recipient, award date and recipient venue or service area.
- Confirmation from the foundation of whether it operates any premises or uses regular delivery venues.
- A published eligibility map or a defined list of places covered by 'Sutton Coldfield and surrounding areas'.
- Details of any ongoing delivery or referral partnerships with funded clubs, schools or sports governing bodies.
Areas of work
- Amateur Sport
Who they help
- Children/young People
How they help
- Makes Grants To Individuals
- Makes Grants To Organisations
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A local enabler rather than a direct provider
The foundation appears to work through existing sporting infrastructure, using grants to increase the capacity of clubs, schools, coaches and individuals rather than running sessions itself.
Why it matters
This suggests its influence may be distributed across Sutton Coldfield's youth-sport ecosystem. Understanding which recipients it supports would reveal where it is reinforcing local provision and where it may be able to connect otherwise separate organisations.
Show evidence
“The charity makes grants to individuals and organisations.”
Source:Charity Commission“Grant applications are invited from youth sport coaches, managers and young sporting individuals.”
Source:Organisation
Coach development may be its foundational lever
Although the foundation now supports broader goals, its original emphasis on accredited training suggests it may view trusted adults' skills as a durable route to improving young people's access to sport.
Why it matters
This distinguishes the foundation from grantmakers focused only on equipment or participation fees. It may have accumulated insight into local coaching needs and could be a useful bridge between clubs and sport-governing-body training pathways.
Show evidence
“In 2018, the main aim was to fund sports coaches and mentors to attend accredited training schemes provided by the ECB and FA.”
Source:Organisation“The training schemes have been utilized effectively.”
Source:Organisation
Focused sporting identity with potentially broader reach
Football and cricket appear to be the foundation's strongest thematic anchors, reflecting Andy Biddle's sporting connections, but its charitable objects allow support across amateur youth sport.
Why it matters
This combination may help the organisation mobilise support through recognisable local sporting networks while retaining flexibility to respond to unmet needs in other sports. It would be worth testing whether grants remain concentrated in its two named sports.
Show evidence
“The objects give particular focus to football and cricket.”
Source:Charity Commission“The objects promote participation of people under 18 in amateur sport.”
Source:Charity Commission
- Which sports, clubs, schools and neighbourhoods have received grants, and whether support is concentrated in football and cricket.
- Whether grants primarily fund training, equipment, fees, facilities or individual development.
- How the foundation identifies need, measures outcomes and reaches young people without established club connections.
Remaining uncertainties
- A dated grant register showing recipient, sport, location, amount, purpose and whether the recipient was an individual or organisation.
- Trustee reports or impact evidence describing participant outcomes, selection criteria and partnerships with local clubs, schools and governing bodies.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
To help fund youth sport in Sutton Coldfield for the public benefit. In particular football and cricket, sports dear to the late Andy Biddle. To achieve these aims by fundraising and inviting grant applications to be considered by the Trustees periodically.
Charity objects
TO PROMOTE THE PARTICIPATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS IN AMATEUR SPORT IN SUTTON COLDFIELD AND SURROUNDING AREA BY MAKING GRANTS TO, IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY TO COMMUNITY AMATEUR SPORTS CLUBS, OTHER AMATEUR SPORTS CLUBS AND SCHOOLS PROVIDING FACILITIES FOR AMATEUR SPORT AND AMATEUR INDIVIDUALS WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON FOOTBALL AND CRICKET IN MEMORY OF ANDY BIDDLE