Students at Coventry University are being urged to give
sport another go after the university secured £98,449 in National
Lottery funding from Sport England.
Along with 40 other projects, Active Sport is being backed by
Sport England’s £10 million Active Universities fund to get more
university students playing sport, as part of the mass
participation legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games.
Running all year round, the Active Sport project aims to boost
participation in sport by offering students a series of taster
sessions in nine different sports, including golf, judo, tennis and
volleyball. Students can then benefit from six to eight weeks of
coaching and competition before continuing their participation by
joining one of the university or community sports teams. Students
will also be offered training in running and organising sport
sessions, empowering them to set up clubs at the university.
Student surveys found that time constraints, cost and a lack of
facilities were the main barriers to getting involved in sport. To
tackle these issues, the project will run activities in the evening
and on Wednesday afternoons, when there are no lectures, as well as
linking into sports facilities in the local community.
Coventry University’s Deputy Director of Student Services, Vince
Mayne, said:
“This project is a great opportunity for us to broaden the range
of activities for our students. By addressing and removing barriers
to participation and providing a structured coaching environment,
students can increase their activity levels and learn a new sport.
“
The Active Universities projects will give tens of thousands of
students across the country the chance to try out a new sport, or
get back into one they’ve tried before.
Boosting student participation will have a lasting impact on
grassroots sport because research shows that students who do play
sport at university are far more likely to continue participating
throughout their lives. It will also help tackle the issue of
drop-off in sports participation that sees many young people giving
up sport in their late teens and early twenties.
Sport England’s Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said:
“Young adults who are still playing sport when they leave
university are likely to stick with it for life, so this is a good
investment in the future. These projects have been chosen because
they really listened to what students wanted, so we are confident
they will succeed in increasing participation.”
Today’s announcement was welcomed by the Minister for Sport and
the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP and Olympic Gold medalist, Amy
Williams.
Hugh Robertson said:
“This funding for 41 different sport projects across the country
is exactly what our Olympic legacy promise is about – offering more
opportunities for people to get involved. This will boost
university sport and encourage students to continue playing once
their studies are over.”
Amy Williams, who won Olympic Gold in the skeleton at the 2010
Games, only took up her sport while at the University of Bath,
having been a 400m runner at school. She said:
“Going to university is a great chance to try out something new
and in my case that something new was the skeleton. Sport is an
amazing way to make friends, get fit, have fun and pick up skills
that could help you get a job when your student days are over.”
Recognising the strong tradition of competitive sport within
universities, Active Universities projects will meet the need for
more informal and social sporting opportunities. The projects were
chosen through a competitive process.
Chair of British Universities and Colleges Sport, Ed Smith,
said:
“This represents a great outcome for Higher Education and a
fabulous opportunity to increase the depth and breadth of
participation by young people whilst they benefit from academic
studies and the overall student experience at university. The link
between sport and life skills is evident from the way employers
seek out people who are active in sport and this will be a boost as
graduates make their way into the job market.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Sport England is focused on the delivery of a mass participation
legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We invest
National Lottery and Exchequer funding in organisations and
projects that will grow and sustain participation in grassroots
sport and create opportunities for people to excel at their chosen
sport.
For more information about Coventry University’s Active Sport,
please contact Laura Cranshaw on 024 7679 5993.
For more information about Active Universities or Sport England,
please contact the press office: Peter Dickinson on 020 7273
1800.
British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national
organisation for higher education sport.