Young people to benefit from 3,000 new after school sport clubs

Young people across England will soon get the chance to join one of 3,000 new after school clubs offering exciting opportunities to play Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Sport England is investing £1 million of National Lottery funding in the new Change 4 Life Sports Clubs. Our investment will help sports governing bodies to deliver the programme and employ and train coaches.

“These clubs will give thousands of teenagers the chance to take up sports they may never have played before, helping more young people to discover that sport really offers something for everyone," said Sport England’s Chief Executive, Jennie Price. "Getting involved in sport when the school day is over is an important step towards continuing participation into adulthood.”

Six million pounds of Government and Lottery funding is being invested to create the network of new clubs in secondary schools and colleges. The clubs will give youngsters of all abilities the opportunity to play a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports including:

• Badminton
• Boccia
• Fencing
• Handball
• Table tennis
• Volleyball
• Wheelchair basketball.

The £6 million will pay for new equipment and qualified coaches to run the clubs alongside young volunteers.

The clubs will help towards the drive to deliver a lasting sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They are also part of the Government's aims to offer all young people five hours of high quality sport a week (inside and outside of school) by 2012-13.

The first clubs will open in 2010 autumn term, with all of them up and running by spring 2011.

“One of the most important outcomes from the UK hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 is that we become a more active nation," said five-time Olympic Gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave. "Of course that means ensuring those who are already participating in sport keep it up for life but we also need to reach out to those who think sport is not for them. These Change 4 Life Sports Clubs can help us do that and ensure a passion for sport burns brightly inside thousands of young people.”

Change 4 Life Sports Clubs are being funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (£3.38 million), Department of Health (£1.5 million) and a Lottery grant from Sport England (£1 million). Schools will develop the clubs in partnership with sports governing bodies, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust.