Sport England Announces £24m Boost

Sport England has announced an extra £24 million to expand and extend its Sportivate programme. The National Lottery funding means Sportivate will continue helping 14 to 25-year-olds to get involved in sports until 2017.

The announcement was made at an event in Essex to celebrate the first two years of the initiative attended by Olympic Gold-medal winning cyclist Joanna Rowsell, the Rt Hon Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, and Sport England’s chief executive Jennie Price.

Sport England points to almost 190,000 teenagers and young adults who have so far benefitted from free or discounted six-to-eight week sport courses through Sportivate. Of these, 156,547 have successfully completed their coaching course, missing no more than one session.

Joanna Rowsell said: ‘It’s fantastic that Sportivate is helping so many young people to discover a new sport. I only started cycling when I was 15 and it changed my life. Sport can be amazing if you find the one that’s right for you.  Whether you want to get serious about it or concentrate on the fun of taking part, Sportivate can help you to get involved.’

Jennie Price added: ‘Sportivate’s success is built on listening to what young people want from sport and then giving them great opportunities to get involved. With dozens of traditional and non-traditional sports on offer, lots of young people are getting active and discovering a sport they really enjoy and want to keep playing.’

Sportivate aims to give young people not currently playing sport in their own time the chance to find a sport they like. The young people are then helped to find a club or venue where they can keep taking part.

The announcement was welcomed by Maria Miller, who said: ‘The number of people playing sport is on the rise, which is really good news.  We are determined to leave a lasting legacy from London’s Games, and Sportivate is playing a key part in that.  It’s really important we keep the momentum going and help even more young people develop a sporting habit for life.’

Sportivate is being delivered by the network of 49 county sports partnerships, working with local clubs and providers.