Tens of thousands of Londoners will have the chance to get active and take part in sports programmes across the capital thanks to an additional £2.5 million investment announced today by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
He has today (Tuesday 22 September) launched a brand new fund to help sports clubs in the capital thrive and has extended two successful schemes that are already encouraging people of all ages to get into the sporting habit.
The three different rounds of funding launched are:
ClubWorks - £1.35m fund to boost 300 sports clubs and organisations and help them build for the future
Mayor’s Sports Participation Fund - £1m investment to encourage Londoners to take part in sport and physical activity
FreeSport (in association with Coca-Cola Zero ParkLives) - £200,000 which allows youth groups and community organisations to apply for grants to run free sports activities
All three schemes are part of the Mayor’s £25m Sports Legacy Programme, which is helping to create opportunities for people to get active by investing in sporting projects across every London borough.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “My Sports Legacy Programme has already benefitted more than 400,000 Londoners and I hope this additional funding will strengthen clubs across the capital with the ultimate aim of increasing further the number of Londoners who play sport regularly. There is no doubt grassroots sport plays an important part of our communities, offering an opportunity for all to learn new skills, get active and stay healthy.
“We want this investment to ensure London continues to be the region with the highest participation rates in the country.”The brand new ClubWorks scheme, which is to be delivered by London Sport, will strengthen 300 sports clubs and groups in London over the next three years so they can develop a strong base of trained coaches and volunteers, ensure they are sustainable and attractive to funders and ultimately grow participation at their clubs. The scheme is being rolled out by the Mayor as the successor to his Sports Legacy Skills Fund, which helped train 13,000 coaches and officials across the capital.
A pilot group of 25 clubs have already been selected to kick-start the programme and have begun working with London Sport to identify a tailored package of support they will receive.
Grants of up to £175,000 are also now available for London-wide projects as part of the Mayor’s Sports Participation Fund, which aims to get more Londoners taking part in sport through the provision of two-year long sports participation projects.
This is targeted investment to support initiatives that aim to engage with two specific under-represented demographic groups: women and girls, and people over the age of 40. Since 2009, more than 290,000 Londoners have participated in 44 projects funded through the Mayor’s Sports Participation Fund, with activities ranging from athletics to zumba.
The third round of funding open today is FreeSport, which will see approximately 150 projects across London receive grants of up to £1,500. FreeSport, in association with Coca-Cola Zero ParkLives, aims to work with community groups and clubs to help encourage people to take part in sport and provide more than six hours of free sports coaching to thousands of Londoners. This latest funding round is targeting organisations that do not traditionally engage in sport but would like to trial sports programmes, with activities to run from January to April next year. So far 75,000 Londoners have taken part in over 1,500 FreeSport projects.
Kate Hoey MP, the Mayor’s Sports Commissioner, said: “These three programmes are an exciting opportunity for sports clubs and community groups of all shapes and sizes to get the support they need to get more Londoners active.
“We are indebted to those loyal people who give up their spare time, week in week out, wholly driven by their passion for sport. Now, with this significant investment, they have the opportunity to develop their organisation’s sporting offer through expert support, funding and guidance that will help them flourish. Through this funding, we will work with organisations that share our vision of making London the most physically active sporting city in the world.”
London Sport was launched by the Mayor in March this year to lead the delivery of grassroots sport in London.
Pete Fitzboydon, Chief Executive of London Sport, said: “London Sport is delighted to be managing the Mayor’s new ‘ClubWorks’ programme, alongside a strong consortium of partners. During the development of our new strategy – a Blueprint for a Physically Active Sporting City – it became abundantly clear that London’s extensive network of clubs is in need of support.
“These clubs, and the devoted people who run them, need more help and tailored support to allow their clubs to grow and become sustainable, and this programme is designed to do just that. We aim to increase the capacity of at least 300 sports clubs and other frontline organisations over the next three years, and have employed an experienced new team to work with a consortium of expert partners to deliver this exciting new programme.
“We are confident that by analysing what each club needs and providing specialist support, ClubWorks will help to provide both more and better opportunities for Londoners to take part in sport and physical activity. This programme is sure to be a key component in London Sport’s aim of getting one million Londoners more active by 2020.”
Organisations who are interested in applying to any of the three funds should visit www.london.gov.uk/sport for more information.