A London sports group is among those which will benefit from a share of £120million in funding to help young athletes explore and develop their potential.
The funding from Sport England aims to open doors for all youngsters regardless of their background or financial circumstances, SportsAid research from 2022 showing typical costs of over £6,600 a year for athletes to develop their potential, including access facilities, coaches, equipment and travel.
The talent funding is being delivered through its existing partnerships with over 70 sports organisations and Sport England is working with partners providing accessible, inclusive pathways, such East London’s Badu Sports which was awarded £485,000.
Badu Sports founder and CEO Nana Badu said: “At Badu, we know that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not.
“This partnership will allow for greater access to the potential we know exists in our community and enable the most underserved groups to thrive and we are excited about what this means for our young people.”
A key component of the initiative includes a £1.5 million boost to Backing the Best, the programme which aims to help young athletes with the least resources receive additional financial support.
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and double bronze medallist Amber Anning were both supported by Backing the Best through their formative sporting years.
This investment is significant in helping to create environments that focus on participation, improve diversity and turn potential into talent.
Through creating more inclusive talent pathways, Sport England aims to increase participation in sport, 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 can have the same opportunity.
Tim Hollingsworth of Sport England said: “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.
“However, the reality is that the sheer cost of developing athletic potential is a major barrier for young talent.”
Picture credit: Keiley Rainey
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