£8 million boost for disability sport

Sport England has announced an £8 million boost in funding for disability sport, with £7 million of National Lottery funding available through the Inclusive Sport fund and £1 million through Get Equipped, a new equipment fund.

The Inclusive Sport fund aims to increase the number of opportunities available for disabled people to play sport, by ‘investing in organisations with good ideas and the right expertise to make this happen.’ Get Equipped, meanwhile, will offer sports clubs the opportunity to apply for up to £10,000 grants for specialist equipment to deliver disability sport.

“This time last year we were hosting the greatest Paralympics ever,” said Prime Minister David Cameron. “We saw record crowds, record-breaking performances and an inspirational focus on ability over disability.

“Now it’s six months until the Sochi Paralympic Games, three years until Rio and today we’ll find out where the 2020 Games will be held. Not everyone can be a David Weir, Ellie Simmonds or Johnnie Peacock, but London 2012 ignited an enthusiasm for sport across Britain and this funding will help secure our Paralympic legacy, giving more disabled people the opportunity to get active and enjoy sport.”

One club that has already benefited from Sport England’s Inclusive Sport funding is Oundle Town RC, which now has an outreach programme that stretches across Northamptonshire.

“Over the past few years we have been limited to working with just a few disabled young people,” said Oundle Town’s Development Officer, Steve Rustage. “With the funding we received from Sport England, we’ve been able to go out into day centres, colleges and schools to help disabled people like Julie get involved in sport. By the end of the year we hope to have introduced over 800 disabled people from across Northamptonshire to rowing, both indoor and outdoor.”

The second round of Inclusive Sport funding begins on October 10th. Download a copy of the prospectus.

To find out more about Sport England funding and how it can help your club, visit www.sportengland.org/funding.