- £32 million Lottery programme to get 300,000 young people
playing sport
- Chance to win London 2012 tickets for those who remain regular
participants
Hundreds of thousands of teenagers and young
adults are to benefit from a new sports programme that aims to
fulfil the legacy promise made by Seb Coe in Singapore in 2005 to
‘inspire young people to choose sport’.
Sportivate will give 14- to
25-year-olds the chance to receive six to eight weeks of coaching
in a sport of their choice. Launched by Sport England today, the
£32 million National Lottery-funded project will help those who
aren’t currently playing sport in their own time to get out and
give it a go.
As part of the Places People Play
mass participation legacy programme, Sportivate will see
300,000 teenagers and young adults completing sports courses over
four years.
Sport England’s Chief Executive, Jennie Price,
said:
“Lots of young people think sport isn’t for
them. I would like them to have the chance to discover whether
there is a sport they really enjoy, so this programme is all about
choice. Everyone who takes part will receive high quality
coaching – giving them the confidence and skills which will make
them want to keep playing in the future.”
Today’s announcement was welcomed by the
Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, and
Commonwealth Games medalist, Zoë Smith.
Hugh Robertson said:
“This £32 million Lottery programme launched
by Sport England will give hundreds of thousands of teenagers and
young adults across the country the opportunity to try out and get
coached in the sport of their choice. I’m sure these same young
people will also be inspired when the world’s greatest athletes
compete here at next summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games and will
then want to stay involved in sport for many years to come.”
Zoë Smith became the youngest ever
weightlifting Commonwealth medalist when she won bronze at the 2010
Delhi Games at the age of 16. Zoë, who now has her sights set on
competing at London 2012, said:
“Getting the chance to get out and try a new
sport is fantastic. I didn’t take up my sport until I was 12, so it
just shows if you’re up for some fun and trying something new, you
can find a sport you really want to stick with.”
Sportivatewill be delivered by
the network of 49 county sports partnerships who will work with
local providers and sports clubs to help 14- to 25-year-olds to
continue taking part long after they have completed their
course.
To help inspire
and motivate the participants, our Sporting Champions - a team of
current and retired elite athletes - will visit Sportivate
sessions to share their experiences and enthusiasm for
sport.
As an additional incentive, teenagers and
young adults who stick with sport will have the chance to enter a
ballot for free London 2012 tickets. Sport England has hundreds of
Olympic and Paralympic tickets available for Sportivate
participants via the London 2012 Ticketshare initiative.
In order to be eligible for London 2012
Ticketshare, participants will need to complete the sports course,
missing no more than one session, and then continue to participate
in sport for at least three months.
Sportivate is an inclusive programme
that will create opportunities for disabled and non-disabled
participants. Courses on offer include:
- Eight-week beginners’ judo courses in Lincoln
- Beginners’ wakeboarding courses in the Cotswolds
- Eight-week introduction to golf for disabled teenagers and
young adults in Bedfordshire
- Mixed tennis sessions for 17- to 24-year-olds in Newcastle upon
Tyne
- Football sessions for women in Trowbridge, Wiltshire
- Athletics courses in Tooting Bec, London
- Parkour/free running introductory courses at Waveney in
Suffolk.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Sport England will invest £8 million of
National Lottery funding per year over the next four years into
Sportivate.
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..
Sporting Champions
Sporting Champions is a Sport England
initiative bringing world-class athletes face-to-face with young
people and young adults to inspire and motivate them. For
more information, please visit the Sporting Champions
website.
London 2012 Ticketshare
London 2012 Ticketshare is an exciting
initiative that will allow many individuals who would not normally
have access to the Olympic and Paralympic Games the chance to
attend. Tickets are funded through a levy on London 2012 Prestige
Ticketing hospitality packages.