Spartans Community Foundation

What Spartans Community Foundation does

Spartans Community Foundation is a registered Scottish charity (SC037598) and social enterprise established in 2006 as the charitable arm of Spartans Football Club, headquartered at Ainslie Park, 94 Pilton Drive, Edinburgh. The Foundation delivers an integrated portfolio of community services across three pillars — Youth Work (free clubs, holiday programmes, STEM clubs, residentials), Education (alternative schools for students at risk of exclusion, in-school youth work, tutoring), and Health & Wellbeing (Connections Para Football, Walking Football, Still Kicking women's football, yoga, pilates, Sporting Memories). It operates 36 distinct programmes reaching more than 2,000 people weekly, delivered through a combination of paid staff (83 employees) and volunteers at the Ainslie Park facility, in local schools, and through partner organisations.

The business model blends charitable donations and grants with a small set of commercial revenue streams — facility and pitch hire (11-a-side, 7-a-side, 5-a-side pitches and clubhouse room hire), kids' football coaching and birthday parties, and a café — all of which are reinvested into free or low-cost community programmes. The Foundation does not operate a proprietary technology platform; service delivery is human-led and distributed via on-site programming, in-school delivery across North Edinburgh, online booking (ClassForKids), and community word-of-mouth. Strategic partnerships with the Scottish Football Association (Extra Time Programme), the NESSie consortium (Fresh Start, North Edinburgh Arts, Move On), and Spartans FC anchor delivery and funder relationships.

Leadership is in transition: Debbi McCulloch became CEO in late 2023/early 2024 succeeding Douglas Samuel, and Allan Fraser took over as Chair from Craig Graham in March 2026. The Foundation received the King's Award for Voluntary Service in 2024 and opened a £1.4m purpose-built Education and Youth Work space in September 2025, signalling continued investment in physical and programmatic capacity in one of Edinburgh's most deprived areas.

Name

Spartans Community Foundation

Legal name

The Spartans Community Foundation

Website

https://spartanscf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spartans Community Foundation is a registered Scottish charity (SC037598) and social enterprise in North Edinburgh delivering integrated youth work, alternative education, and health and wellbeing programmes to over 2,000 people weekly through 36 programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Services (Charity & Social Enterprise)

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Community youth work
• Social enterprise charity
• Alternative education
• Community health wellbeing
• Sports facility hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: Charitable donations from individuals, trusts, and foundations that support community programs and operations
2. Facility and Venue Hire: Revenue from hiring out 11-a-side, 7-a-side, and 5-a-side pitches with changing rooms, plus room hire for events, workshops, and functions in the community clubhouse
3. Community Coaching Services: Fees from kids football coaching, holiday camps, and commercial football programmes
4. Hospitality and Café: Café services generating revenue, with profits reinvested into community programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Spartans Community Foundation is a registered charity and social enterprise operating from Ainslie Park in North Edinburgh, delivering free youth work programmes, alternative education for at-risk students, and health and wellbeing activities (including walking football, yoga, pilates, women's football, and para-football). Earned income is generated through kids' football coaching, kids' birthday parties, pitch hire, room hire, and a community café, with all profits reinvested into community programmes.

Product overview

Spartans Community Foundation is a charity and social enterprise offering a portfolio of community services centered around sport, education, and health and wellbeing. The organization operates as a unified set of programs rather than a platform architecture. Core offerings include Youth Work Programs (youth clubs, STEM clubs, holiday clubs, and residentials), Education Programs (alternative schools for primary and secondary students), and Health and Wellbeing Activities (Connections Para Football, Walking Football, Still Kicking, yoga, pilates, and Sporting Memories). Additional services include Kids' Football Coaching, Kids' Birthday Parties, and Pitch/Facility Hire. The Foundation also delivers the Scottish FA Extra Time Programme for primary school children and participates in NESSie, a collaborative initiative providing family support services. The organization reinvests commercial revenues (from facility hire, coaching, and hospitality) into community impact programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Work Programs Free youth work activities including weekly youth clubs, holiday clubs, day trips, residentials, STEM clubs, cooking clubs and match-day clubs delivered for children and young people aged P3 to S4 at Spartans facilities and in local schools.
• Education Programs Alternative schools for primary and secondary students at risk of exclusion from mainstream education, youth work in primary schools, and programmes delivered by Education Officers supporting young people from nursery through to positive post-school destinations.
• Health and Wellbeing Activities Free or low-cost community health and wellbeing activities including Connections Para Football, Walking Football, Still Kicking women's football, yoga, pilates and Sporting Memories groups for adults and seniors in North Edinburgh.
• Kids' Football Coaching

Quantifiable outcome

• 36 programmes delivered annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Forrest Precision ENGminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Forrest Precision ENG was Spartans FC match sponsor for their game against Edinburgh City and generously donated four hospitality places to Spartans Community Foundation, allowing two local families connected with the Foundation to enjoy matchday hospitality.
• NESSie (North Edinburgh Support Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNESSie is a collaborative initiative comprising four third-sector organisations: Fresh Start, North Edinburgh Arts, Move On, and Spartans Community Foundation. Established to provide comprehensive support to individuals in North Edinburgh with a 'No Wrong Door' approach. Spartans staff provide intensive 1:1 and family support as part of this partnership, helping people overcome barriers to employment and further education.
• Scottish Football AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Scottish FA for Extra Time Programme providing breakfast, after school and holiday activity clubs for primary school children. Scottish FA provides funding and framework; Spartans delivers programmes targeting families on low incomes, helping sustain parental working hours and improving child wellbeing.
• Spartans Football ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnections para-football is the para football section of The Spartans Football Club, delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation. Spartans FC is the parent football club from which the Foundation was established as its charitable arm in 2006.
• Sporting MemoriesminorOthersPartnership with Sporting Memories UK network for the Sporting Memories group that meets in the Spartans café, providing opportunities for older adults to socialise and share memories about local history and sport.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foundation of Light: Charity of Sunderland AFC delivering sport, education, and health programmes in the North East of England. Long-established football club foundation with a comparable integrated sport-education-health model.
• Tottenham Hotspur Foundation: Charitable arm of Tottenham Hotspur FC delivering programmes in employment, education, health, and social inclusion in North London. Comparable model mixing sport-based youth work with alternative education and community health.
• Celtic FC Foundation: Charitable arm of Celtic FC operating community programmes in health, education, youth work, and poverty relief across Scotland. Closely comparable Scottish football club foundation with similar funding model and target beneficiary base.
• Rangers Charity Foundation: Charitable arm of Rangers FC delivering health, education, and youth-focused programmes across Glasgow and the West of Scotland. Same sport-based community foundation model with similar programme mix.
• Chelsea Foundation: Charitable arm of Chelsea FC delivering education, sport, and social inclusion programmes across London and internationally. High-resourced football club foundation with a comparable youth, education, and disability inclusion focus.

Emerging players

• Access Sport: UK charity providing inclusive sport opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged young people. Strong overlap with the Connections Para Football and disability inclusion work.
• Greenhouse Sports: UK charity using sport to engage young people facing disadvantage, with a focus on coaching and mentorship in schools. Comparable sport-for-social-outcome model, though without the football club anchor or facility-based commercial income.
• Street League: UK charity using sport to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into education and employment. Comparable outcomes focus (employment and further education pathways) and youth segment.

Regional players

• Edinburgh Community Foundation: Local grantmaking foundation for Edinburgh and the Lothians distributing funds to community organisations. Closely comparable geography and beneficiary base, with a grantmaking rather than direct-delivery model.
• The Wheatley Foundation: Scottish charitable foundation tackling poverty, housing, and employability across central Scotland. Comparable community development mission and Scottish operating context, though not sport-anchored.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Spartans_CF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRaeM7Axfl1xtzdwOvCV2KA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpartansCommunityFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/spartans_community_foundation
• TikToktiktok.com/@spartansfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spartans-community-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spartans Community Foundation