New Guide Offers Blueprint for London's Sporting Future

Sport England today unveils a unique guide to the sporting facilities that are providing the training grounds for London’s next generation of athletes, including the capital’s 2012 Olympians and Paralympians.

The 80-page document will be available to Sport England’s community sports partners across the city, showcasing twenty-nine of its best, and most diverse facilities - from Whitechapel to Westminster, Shadwell to Stoke Newington.

Over the past 10 years, Sport England has invested more than £255 million in London’s sporting network, driving projects worth in excess of £500 million. And the new guide further underlines the value of this investment, particularly to some of the city’s most deprived areas.

For example, boroughs such as Hackney and Tower Hamlets have benefited from cash injections of £23 million and £12 million respectively in the last decade, parts of which gave rise to the Hackney Community College SPACE Centre and the Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre.  

“Working closely with partners to create a step change in the quality of sports buildings and spaces is an integral part of Sport England’s vision for making London fit for 2012,” said Matt Delaney, Regional Director, Sport England, London Region. “This document aims to provide a snapshot of the huge range of sporting facilities available to sports enthusiasts across our capital.”

“These facilities can also have a wider impact upon the communities in which they are based,” he added. “Many of those featured in this guide offer services above and beyond sport, including IT capabilities, libraries and soft play areas for children. And in some areas, this breadth of facilities has helped to reduce local crime figures.”

To obtain a copy of the guide, please contact Shareena Ali, Regional Communications Manager, Sport England, London Region, at Shareena.Ali@sportengland.org

About Sport England

Sport England is the agency tasked with the development of community sport in England and invests Lottery and Exchequer funds into sport. www.sportengland.org

Sport England has nine Regional Sports Boards (RSBs), each made up of experts from areas such as business, local government, sport, health and education. The RSBs provide the strategic lead for sport in their regions and distribute investment for grassroots sport.

Sport England has invested more than £2.2bn of Lottery funds into sport across England and more than £550 million from the Exchequer.