Mayor's Stewarding Academy

• This fund supports: development of a Stewarding Academy to professionalise career pathways for stewards across London’s football clubs and live events sector.
• Who can apply: organisations or consortiums delivering skills training within stewarding/spectator safety operating in London.
• Grant amount: apply for a grant of up to £900,000 over three years (up to £300,000 per year)
• Apply by: 17 November 2025
• How to apply: Read funding guidance (PDF, 452.52 KB) and register and apply on OPS

This joint initiative between the Mayor of London and the Premier League aims to professionalise career pathways for stewards across London’s football clubs and live events sector, supporting the capital’s growing experience economy. 

Organisations are invited to apply for up to £900,000 over three years to establish, lead and deliver an academy. This stewarding academy will develop and coordinate London’s offer of high-quality training, work experience and wider employment support so that Londoners are able to secure crowd safety roles.  

The successful lead will:

• help shape a national model
• access exclusive resources like the Premier League’s SQUAD Hub
• drive meaningful change across the sector – enhancing safety, inclusion and career progression for thousands of workers. 

This is a unique opportunity to lead a flagship programme at the heart of London’s experience economy. 

The opportunity to lead the Stewarding Academy is open to all organisations, provided they meet the following criteria either individually or as part of a consortium.

You must: 

• Be currently delivering skills training within stewarding/spectator safety. 

• Have a track record of delivering skills and training at a physical site within London. Successful applicants must operate from a London-based learning site and be willing to deliver in situ at a club/venue, with elements of training online where appropriate. 

• Be in receipt of skills funding to deliver the training, for example, from the London Adult Skills Fund or Skills Bootcamps funding. 

• Able to draw on existing contacts and networks to help convene the partnership effectively.

Find out more by downloading our funding prospectus (PDF, 452.52 KB).