Mayor Welcomes London Sport Body
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has welcomed the appointment of Peter Fitzboydon as chief executive officer of ‘London Sport’ – a new organisation created to lead the delivery of grassroots sport in London.
London Sport forms a single new strategic body for sport and physical activity in London bringing together five existing bodies. Its remit is to get more people of all ages to participate in sport by working with governing bodies, sports clubs, employers and others.
The move is designed to ensure a continuing legacy from London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games by providing a more coordinated and efficient approach to grassroots sports provision. It will also seek to capitalise on opportunities for grassroots sport arising from major sports events being held in London in the coming years.
London Sport is backed by Sport England, the Mayor of London and London Councils and will be chaired by Kate Hoey MP, the Mayor’s Commissioner for Sport. It will have a budget of £5million to deliver grassroots sports programmes across London.
Peter Fitzboydon, who spent almost ten years at the Football Foundation, most recently as chief operating officer, is due to take up the position in late September.
Announcing the appointment, Kate Hoey MP said: ‘I am delighted that Peter Fitzboydon is to become the Chief Executive of London Sport. Peter has a wealth of experience in sport and specifically in the sports landscape across the capital. London Sport is being set up to ensure all Londoners benefit from more opportunities to get involved in grassroots sport.’
‘Having hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London has a set of new world class venues available for community use and we are hosting a series of major sports events. Our existing sports legacy programmes are helping to ensure that more people than ever are taking part in sport in London. We want London Sport under Peter’s leadership to build on these achievements and get even more Londoners active.’
Fitzboydon, added: ‘I feel honoured to be taking on the role of London Sport’s chief executive at such an exciting time for the organisation. Sport has been a lifelong passion, and I have witnessed at first hand its potential to create opportunities and change people’s lives. I am looking forward to leading the team to help increase participation in sport and physical activity across the capital.’
