Sport England Unveils £40m Grassroots Boost

Sport England has marked the first anniversary of the Closing Ceremony of London 2012 by extending its Inspired Facilities Olympic and Paralympic legacy fund through until 2017 with a further £40 million worth of additional National Lottery funding.

As a result, 321 sports projects will secure a share of £16,225,446, with the latest investments set to bring big improvements to local facilities, from new playing surfaces to floodlights and better changing rooms.

An example of the 321 successful bidders include:

• Warrington Gymnastics Club which will use £50,000 to move into and install kit at a new facility in the town.
• Birmingham City Clubs for Young People which will use £50,000 to expand a popular boxing gym and put in female changing rooms.
• Sheffield FC Futsal which has been awarded £48,299 to buy a portable futsal floor and create a high quality home for futsal in Sheffield.

The new announcement means that 1,361 grassroots sports facilities have now benefitted in the two years since Inspired Facilities was launched, with a total of £69.9 million invested. 

This week many of those facilities are offering free sports sessions to local people to celebrate the National Lottery backing they’ve received from Sport England.

Sport England’s chair, Nick Bitel – who joined London 2012 trampoline gymnast Kat Driscoll at a gymnastics club in Milton Keynes that has been transformed by investment from Inspired Facilities – said: ‘A year on from the Olympics, it’s inspiring to see how our investment is transforming sporting facilities in hundreds of communities. The great news for sports clubs across the country is that we’re putting an extra £40 million into Inspired Facilities so many more projects will benefit in the coming years.’

Driscoll commented: ‘It’s fantastic to see so many local sports facilities, including lots of gymnastics clubs, benefitting from this lottery investment, with even more set to benefit in the future. Good facilities are really important to grassroots sport as they are the places where you can discover just how fun sport can be.’

Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson added: ‘This £40 million injection of National Lottery funding will be a huge boost to local sports facilities across the country. Coming a year on from hosting the London 2012 Games it demonstrates our commitment to a tangible and long lasting sports legacy. The Inspired Facilities fund has been a massive success and by extending it to 2017 it will help encourage many more people to get involved in community sport.’ 

Bids will be accepted for the next round of Inspired Facilities funding from the 21 October 2013. You can find out more at: www.sportengland.org/inspiredfacilities.