Issued by City of York Council
City of York Council is set to help more local people get into sport thanks to £248,530 of National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Community Sport Activation Fund.
The council is among 32 projects to receive a share of £5.1 million of funding to support grassroots sport activity across the country and build a lasting legacy from last year’s successful Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Our programme will make playing sport and active recreation easier and more enticing for York residents across generations. The programme will employ six staff to work with community clubs and organisations to provide sports opportunities for those aged 14-25, adults (25-55) and those aged over 55.
Councillor Sonja Crisp, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism said: “Our programme will make playing sport and active recreation easier and more enticing for York residents across generations. The project will use various incentives to get people enjoying sport at least once a week.
“This will be through training programmes linked to mass-participation events like the York Marathon or the Tour de France and by informal opportunities to play sport like Back to Netball. We will also be targeting specific groups such as mothers and young people not employed nor in training, plus we’ll be trying to get people involved in sports and activities by running taster sessions held at clubs.
“The programme will employ six full-time staff for three years to work with community clubs and organisations to provide sports opportunities people aged 14-25, adults aged from 25-55 and for people aged over 55.”
Sport England’s Community Sport Director, Mike Diaper, said: “This fund was created to respond to the demand among local communities for investment to reach down to the local level. By working with new partners, taking a flexible approach and investing in innovative ideas, we’re offering people the chance to get into sport in a way that most suit their needs and aspirations.”
The Community Sport Activation Fund will invest a total of £40 million of funding over five funding rounds. The second round of funding is now open and closes on 1 July 2013. Community groups, charities and councils are among those that can bid for funding for up to three years, with grants between £50,000 and £250,000 available for a wide range of projects.
Successful projects bidding to this fund will demonstrate:
- A focus on a defined geographical area and community
- Understanding of what local people want from sport with ambitious but realistic plans to get more people involved
- Strong local partnership, including other funding sources.
You can find full details of fund at the Sport England website.