Clubs celebrate £17.4 million Inspired Facilities funding

Community sports clubs across the country are celebrating today, after Sport England announced that 350 clubs will receive a total of £17.4 million Inspired Facilities funding.

The funding is part of the £135 million Places People Play programme – delivering the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to communities across England.

‘For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facilities got better,’ said Sport England Chair Richard Lewis.

‘We’ve had unprecedented demand for this fund, which has really hit the mark with sports clubs. It shows we’re offering the sporting legacy that people want.’

Wallingford Rowing Club is one rowing club to have benefited from the first round for Inspired Facilities funding, receiving £50,000 to put towards a new community multi-sports gym.

‘The grant is a huge step towards developing the new facility,’ said Club Captain Caroline Greves.

‘With the support of organisations such as Sport England, we’re now a step closer to realising our goal.’

Today’s grants are the first of five funding rounds of Inspired Facilities, the second of which opens on 1 February 2012.

‘This is a fantastic funding project that will deliver a real legacy from the London 2012 Games,’ added LOCOG Chair Seb Coe.

‘It will provide a whole range of sporting opportunities for young people through improved facilities and will I hope inspire them to take up sport.’

To find out more about how to apply for the second round of Inspired Facilities, visit inspiredfacilities.sportengland.org.