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Sport England announces first major investments as it builds movement to tackle inequalities

Today, Sport England has announced the first 43 partner organisations to

benefit from its new longer-term funding model, as part of its mission to level up access to sport and physical activity right across the country.


The 43 partners - including the youth charity StreetGames, disability charity

Activity Alliance, talented young athletes’ charity SportsAid, National Governing

Bodies of sport from England Boxing to Goalball, and Active Partnerships across

England from Country Durham to Devon – have been chosen because they

have a foundational role within the sport and physical activity sector. In addition, they have committed to tackling inequalities and helping level up access to sport and activity. They will receive funding for up to five years, with over £193 million of government and National Lottery funding being invested between the partners.

This is the first step on a journey to revolutionise Sport England’s approach to

long-term partnerships. The new funding model provides the critical financial

security needed to deliver Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy and to help transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity. This is particularly important as organisations seek to recover and reinvent themselves from the Covid-19 pandemic.


“Uniting the Movement aims to help everyone play sport and get active"

Sport England research shows that some groups are less active than others –

like women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. The

pandemic has exacerbated these existing inequalities, meaning that the work

to get inactive groups engaging with physical activity requires a more focused

and strategic approach.

The 43 organisations were chosen for their unique position to be able to

influence positive change and improvement throughout the sector, their own

networks and beyond, to tackle inequalities. The partners will focus on having

strong governance and integrity, diversity of leadership and workforces, and creating inclusive and safe cultures within sport and physical activity. Examples

of organisations include:

Active Partnerships across England playing a role to connect communities and local organisations, to change the conditions locally that means opportunities aren’t equal for everyone and supporting others to create more equal and inclusive places for people.


National Governing Bodies of Sport which will use their influence in governing and developing a wide range of sports to diversify their professional and volunteer workforce and reduce barriers to ensure all communities are welcome and better represented at all levels.


Activity Alliance is a leading disability organisation in the sport and physical activity sector as well as StreetGames and Sported, with their focus on the potential of sport in developing communities and individuals.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “Uniting the Movement aims to

help everyone play sport and get active– no matter who they are, where they

live, or what their background is."

“But right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity depend too

much on background, gender, bank balance and postcode. Certain groups are

more likely to be inactive and need targeted and innovative support."

“We can only tackle these inequalities with collective action, and a focus on

long-term change. That’s why our new longer-term funding model should have

a transformative impact."

“The 43 partners we’ve announced today all play a foundational role in the sport

and physical activity sector; they are uniquely placed to create the conditions

for change and co-deliver Uniting the Movement in partnership with Sport

England.”

The foundational partners are just one type of partner Sport England will work

with as it builds a wider movement made up of other innovative organisations,

place-based partners, and delivery partners, all working towards the same

goals. There will be other funding routes available for wider partners via Sport

England’s open funds:


https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/our-funds#ouropenfunds-168

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*Further partnership announcements will be made in the coming weeks:

  • Active Black Country

  • Active Cumbria

  • Active Devon

  • Active Dorset

  • Active Gloucestershire

  • Active Humber

  • Active Norfolk

  • Active Partners Trust

  • Active Suffolk

  • Active Surrey

  • Activity Alliance

  • Badminton England

  • British Orienteering

  • British Shooting

  • British Wheelchair Basketball

  • County Durham Sport

  • Energize Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

  • England Athletics

  • England Boxing

  • England Golf

  • England Lacrosse

  • GB Taekwondo

  • Get Berkshire Active

  • Goalball UK

  • GreaterSport

  • Leicestershire and Rutland Sport

  • Living Sport

  • North Yorkshire Sport

  • Northamptonshire Sport

  • RISE North East

  • Royal Yachting Association

  • Rugby Football League

  • Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership

  • Sport Birmingham

  • Sported

  • SportsAid

  • StreetGames UK

  • Table Tennis England

  • Team Beds and Luton

  • Tees Valley Sport

  • Together Active

  • Volleyball England

  • Wiltshire and Swindon Sport

  • Yorkshire Sport Foundation

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