£120m funding is dedicated to allowing young talent to reach the Olympics or Paralympics - regardless of background, bank balance or postcode.
Sport England’s biggest-ever investment into talent includes a boost to partner SportsAid’s Backing the Best programme, providing essential financial help for athletes with the least resources
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson (800m, Athletics) and double bronze medallist Amber Anning (400m mixed relay and 400m relay, Athletics) were both supported by Backing The Best
Following TeamGB’s 65 medals in Paris, and with ParalympicsGB preparing to travel to Paris, Sport England has today announced that it has dedicated £120m to developing talent for the next generation of Olympians and Paralympians. The funding will increase and enhance opportunities for talented young athletes in England to explore and develop their athletic potential - regardless of their background or financial circumstances.
"We believe that all talented young athletes should have the opportunity to reach the Olympics or Paralympics - regardless of their background, bank balance or postcode."
SportsAid research from 2022 showed it typically costs over £6,600 a year for young athletes to develop their sporting potential. These costs can include accessing facilities and coaches, equipment, and the travel and accommodation required for training and competing nationally and internationally.
More recent feedback gathered from the 391 athletes nominated for Backing The Best support in 2024 showed the impact of inflation in recent years, with their anticipated annual costs jumping 47% to an average of £9,700.
Sport England’s talent funding is being delivered through its partnerships with over 70 sports organisations. The funding also includes turbo-charging the Backing The Best programme, run by SportsAid, with a further £1.5 million of National Lottery funding for the next two years. The extra funding is designed to offset the inflationary impact on costs for young athletes, especially for those with the least resources.
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and double bronze medallist Amber Anning were both supported by Backing The Best through their formative sporting years. The two athletes hail from opposite ends of the country; Hodgkinson grew up in Atherton and Anning is from Hove.
Backing The Best alumni heading to Paris for the Paralympic Games include swimmer Ellie Challis, from Clacton in Essex, who won silver in Tokyo; and powerlifter Mark Swan, from Seaham in Durham – both of whom have previously won SportsAid’s prestigious One-to-Watch Award.
The funding will support athletes starting in grassroots environments, as well as those already on talent pathways - formal high-performance sports programmes - and will be available for the 2025 to 2029 funding cycle.
The talent funding is part of Sport England’s plans to tackle inequalities in sports across the country, which is at the heart of its 10-year Uniting the Movement strategy. The latest Active Lives Children & Young People survey found that stubborn inequalities remain in activity levels, with Black and Asian children and young people and those from the least affluent families still less likely to play sports or be active than other groups
Through creating more inclusive talent pathways, Sport England aims to increase participation in sports, boost diversity at a grassroots level, and give more and better opportunities to all young people to explore and develop their potential
In addition, it aims to drive greater diversity within national teams, which in turn will demonstrate to the next generation of young people that they could have the same potential to reach the Games
As well as boosting financial help available, Sport England is working with new partners that are embedded in their communities and providing accessible, inclusive pathways, like Badu Sports in East London. Badu was awarded £485,000 to provide more and better opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to explore and develop their sporting potential. Badu has a multisport approach to talent development, including athletics, basketball and women & girls’ football.
Tim Hollingsworth, the CEO of Sport England, said:
“Affluence and activity levels are often closely linked; the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to be active. This starts at a grassroots level and goes right up to high-performance sports. Access to opportunities is unequal and too often dictated by wealth, postcode and education settings.
“But we believe that all talented young athletes should have the opportunity to reach the Olympics or Paralympics - regardless of their background, bank balance or postcode. Talent pathways also allow young people to develop important life skills, such as teamwork, resilience and problem-solving. All young people deserve to benefit from these skills; their impact lasts far beyond the few athletes who make it to the podium.
“However, the reality is that the sheer cost of developing athletic potential is a major barrier for young talent. The likes of Keely and Amber show precisely why making inclusive talent pathways and removing financial barriers for athletes is so vital – and that’s what this funding is for.”
Sports Minister, Steph Peacock said:
"This £120 million from Sport England will extend the talent pathway supporting future Olympic and Paralympic success stories from the grassroots up.
"Dedicated funding means our Team GB and Para GB athletes can better focus on their training and achieve the results we have seen in Paris.
"Alongside Sport England, the Government is working to improve access to level the playing field so all of our emerging talent have the best chance of success wherever they are from."
Tim Lawler MBE, chief executive of SportsAid.
“An inclusive and accessible sporting pathway offering everyone the help they need to succeed is a shared vision across sport.
“The existing inequities across society as well as in sport are challenging us all to work more closely together to help each successive generation. The funding commitment announced from Sport England will directly enable that and SportsAid will continue to play its part to support young athletes and their families in those crucial formative years.”
Nana Badu, the founder and CEO of Badu Sports, said:
“At BADU, we know that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not. This investment is significant in helping to create environments that focus on participation, improve diversity and turn potential into talent.
“This partnership will allow for greater access to the potential we know exists in our community and enable the most underserved groups to thrive. We are excited about what this means for our young people.”
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