Image Credit- Sport England Linkedln
The company, who pride themselves on ‘working towards an active nation where everyone feels able to do physical activity, regardless of their age, background or gender’, is ensuring people can continue to participate in sport once the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
They’re providing a package, which is funded by the government and the National lottery, which aims to deliver immediate funding to those who are experiencing financial hardship. They are specifically targeting any organisations, (including ones they do not currently sponsor), as long as they have a role in encouraging the nation to be active.
The package includes providing a £20 million Community Emergency Fund, which will be opened instantly for clubs and organisations to bid into. They have a huge variety of grants available, varying between £300 and £10,000.
Not only this, but they’re providing additional support for existing partners of Sport England by allocating them a £5 million pot for them to bid into if they’re facing financial difficulty. An additional £55 million will be used to fund new and innovative ways to keep people active, whilst helping organisations adjust to a different environment.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of their package is the £115 million rollover of current funding into the 2021/22 year, providing long term certainty to those who play a vital role in providing sport and physical activity. This reassurance means clubs that rely on membership payments to survive can continue to provide resources for members after this period of uncertainty, without worrying their businesses will collapse.
The CEO of the company, Tim Hollingsworth explained the reasons behind the company’s package, telling the media ‘we want the sports sector not just to come through the crisis but to be in a position to thrive again in the future.’ He also admitted ‘we know what this funding provides is a long way still from what the sector as a whole need, and we will continue as a matter of priority to engage with our partners and with the government so that every opportunity for support is maximised.’
This assurance that companies such as Sport England are supporting the sporting community signifies there is hope in this current time of crisis and provides optimism that anyone, regardless of their ‘age, gender and background’ can continue participating in the physical activity that they love.