Empowering Communities Through Sport

26 January 2026

5 Minutes

Our Communities

Together, we’re powering positive change.

By partnering with some of the UK’s most iconic sporting organisations, we’re able to show up in the passion points that matter most to our customers and communities – using that platform to drive meaningful change where it matters. Through our partnerships and funding, we’re helping communities to make greener decisions and supporting their growth.

We caught up with Abi Robins, Responsible Business Director and James Corcoran, Brand Partnerships Director at Centrica to talk about our role in communities and how we’re using the power of sport to help them.

Hi both, thank you for joining me today. Please could you give a quick overview of yourself and your role at Centrica?

Abi: I’m Abi Robins, Responsible Business Director at Centrica. As a long-time volunteer, I’m passionate about using our collective skills and experience to make a difference through our charity partnerships and community programmes. With communities across the UK still feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, I believe corporate support is crucial to ensure people receive the help they need today, and to build a better future in the years ahead.

James: I’m James Corcoran, and I lead our UK brand partnerships across British Gas, Scottish Gas and Hive, making sure they build trust and create deeper, more meaningful connections with customers, communities and colleagues to drive growth.

“Many grassroot communities face challenges which holds back participation and the growth of the game. By backing these communities, we can help unlock potential while also playing an active role in making sporting communities more energy efficient, inclusive and sustainable for the long term.”

James Corcoran, Brand Partnerships Director at Centrica

Why are we specifically committed to community sport and what are our brand partnerships?

James: Sport is one of the most powerful cultural touchpoints in the UK and I’m proud of our powerful partnership portfolio which includes WSL Football, Team GB & ParalympicsGB, Scottish Rugby and Scottish Football. Sport brings people together, builds belonging, and allows us to actively participate in the passion points of our customers, increasing our ability to form lasting connections. There is also a clear need for support. Many grassroot communities face challenges which holds back participation and the growth of the game. By backing these communities, we can help unlock potential while also playing an active role in making sporting communities more energy efficient, inclusive and sustainable for the long term.

An example is our collaboration with Scottish Rugby, which not only showcases Centrica’s Net Zero solutions by the transformation of the Scottish Gas Murrayfield estate, but is also helping clubs across Scotland reduce energy use and costs. The partnership will benefit over 130 clubs with £2m of support through the ‘Club & Community Net Zero Fund,’ helping rugby clubs in Scotland reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint through funding and expert advice.

With the Scottish Football Association, our investment delivers 120 free school holiday football camps per year and helps to grow Para Football participation through dedicated festivals. Each football camp also provides free lunches to help tackle ‘holiday hunger’ for children that need it most. As the first dual title partner of the men’s and women’s Scottish Cups, this partnership underlines Scottish Gas’ commitment to inclusivity and leadership.

Our partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB goes beyond elite sport, it’s about creating a legacy in communities across the UK. Through our Energy for Tomorrow programme, we help grassroots sports clubs become more energy efficient and sustainable. In addition, our Get Set for Positive Energy schools programme educates young people on energy saving and climate action, inspiring the next generation. These initiatives are also supported by colleague engagement, giving our people the opportunity to get involved and make a difference locally.

In early September, we announced our new partnership with WSL Football, giving us the chance to connect with customers in cities across England through the unprecedented rise of the women’s game. We’re giving away thousands of matchday tickets so more fans can experience the excitement live, and through PeakSave Sunday events, those watching at home can enjoy the action with half-price electricity.

"Our efforts to support our communities made a significant impact last year, providing essential resources and support to those in need. So, we want to maintain momentum and continue to respond to issues we know really matter to our communities and our colleagues."

Abi Robins, Responsible Business Director

What community projects have we supported so far?

Abi: In the last year alone, we’ve supported well over 800 good causes across the UK which brings much-needed support to local communities, from sports clubs and schools, to community hubs and advice centres, conservation projects and much more.

One of our big focus areas is community sports clubs. They’re at the heart of our communities but with a lot of them fearing for their future due to budget cuts and the cost-of-living crisis, they need our help which is why we’re working with them to save money on their energy and reduce their carbon footprint.

In 2024, we provided twelve new community organisations with expert advice and grant funding through our Energy for Tomorrow social impact fund, taking our total to 55 organisations supported to date, including four community sports clubs. For example, in 2024, we helped rescue Yeovil Olympiads Athletic Club with an Olympic-sized overhaul funded by Energy for Tomorrow and British Gas. The club has been retrofitted with solar panels, battery storage, heat pump, insulation, and LED lights, reducing annual energy bills by over 70% and energy consumption by more than 80%, equivalent to 10 tonnes of carbon every year. Last year we supported another 5 sports clubs with £88,300 funding from EfT and also worked with them to unlock a further £43,400 funding and 858 additional supporters with Crowdfunder matched funding.

Through The Big Difference, our local community programme, we support sports clubs alongside wider causes that colleagues are passionate about. With an annual £2m fund and 10,700 volunteering days delivered last year, we helped over 600 charities and nearly 200 grassroots sports teams with kit and equipment.

We’ve also reached over 550,000 young people through our Get Set for Positive Energy schools’ programme.

Please could you tell me more about the ‘Get Set for Positive Energy’ programme?

James: In 2024, we launched our national schools programme ‘Get Set for Positive Energy’ as part of our partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB. The programme aims to reach 1 million children and their families across the UK, inspiring them to make greener choices through school competitions and workshops run by our volunteers. We aim for Get Set for Positive Energy to become a nationally recognised educational programme, inspiring young people, schools, and their families to understand the role we can all play in saving energy and creating a greener future.

Over the 2025 summer, our Get Set for Positive Energy roadshow reached over 600 pupils directly, with the support of 58 incredible volunteers from Centrica and British Gas.

This all sounds great. I’m interested to know, how have you engaged and energised colleagues through our partnerships?

Abi: We’re focusing on backing causes that matter to colleagues. This includes offering flexibility to support personal causes, such as using colleagues’ two-day volunteering allowance to play help their chosen charities or community projects. We harness opportunities like volunteering at the Olympic kitting out days, where colleagues gave over 1,000 hours.

What are the plans for the future?

James: We’ll build on strong foundations, using our partners and high passion moments to connect more deeply and meaningfully with customers and colleagues to drive growth. We’ll also keep scaling our impact by investing in local initiatives that drive real change today while staying accountable to energising a greener, fairer future. Our partnerships go far beyond branding. They’re about genuine impact, whether that’s helping clubs cut energy costs, making sport more inclusive, or inspiring the next generation. Everything we do is purpose-led and focused on helping customers, communities and the planet thrive.

Abi: Our efforts to support our communities made a significant impact last year, providing essential resources and support to those in need. So, we want to maintain momentum and continue to respond to issues we know really matter to our communities and our colleagues.

We’ll continue to expand the Big Difference initiative by growing our strategic and local partnerships because we can’t achieve our ambitions on our own - we must collaborate and work alongside others, if we are to drive greater impact and make a lasting legacy in our communities. Additionally, we’re continuing with our Sports programme through Energy for Tomorrow, leading up to the next Olympics. This will see us give more sports clubs a new lease of life, ensuring they can remain a key feature in our communities and provide athletes of all levels with the support they need to excel. All of which, will help us ramp up volunteering as we work towards our ambitious goal to give 100,000 days to local communities by 2030.

Thank you both for your time, it’s great to hear how we’re energising our communities through sport.