NEWS & ANALYSIS FUNDING

Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged that the government will honour the financial commitment made by the previous cabinet to fund elite sport ahead of the 2020 Olympics. Last November, then chancellor George Osborne increased UK Sport’s exchequer funding pot to £148m (US$181.3m, €164.6m) to prepare for the Games in Tokyo in four years’ time. During a speech delivered during an event organised to celebrate

CRAIG BROUGH / PA WIRE / PA IMAGES

UK Sport will get Tokyo 2020 funding boost

Theresa May (far right) said the funding increase was a “bold statement” about success the achievements of Great Britain’s Olympic team in Rio this summer – where the team broke previous medal haul records with a total of 67, with Paralympics GB also winning 147 medals – May confirmed that would remain the case. She said: “Last year the government announced a 29 per cent increase in

“In four years’ time, I want another great parade after success in Tokyo”

funding for elite sport. It was a bold statement about our determination to invest in your success. “And that financial commitment will continue under this new government. In four years’ time, I want to see another great parade like today’s after another great summer of success in Tokyo 2020.” Read more: http://lei.sr?a=z3j1H

Sport England publishes Towards an Active Nation funding timeline will be able to apply for grants through Sport England’s new funding programmes from December 2016. The grassroots quango has made public its first timeline since the publication of its Towards an Active Nation strategy in May.

The first phase of the inactivity fund will

BUDIMIR JEVTIC / SHUTTERSTOCK

Sports organisations and governing bodies

be focused on getting the over-55s active, with 42 per cent of this age group likely to be inactive compared to 29 per cent of the population as a whole. Organisations bidding for money from this pot can expect awards of £250,000-

Providers aiming to take a slice of Sport

£500,000. Expressions of interest need to

England’s £7.5m (US$9.1m, €12.2m) facilities

be submitted by 13 February 2017, with the

pot – called the Community Asset Fund – will

first awards announced in June next year. In

be able to bid from January 2017 following a December 2016 launch. Money will be

The first focus wil be on boosting inactivity levels among the elderly

available for the development of single and multi-sport community facilities.

the coming months, Sport England will be publishing guides on how to bid for money from forthcoming pots of investment.

information on the types of projects it wants

Bodies that are interested in

Awards of between £5,000 and £150,000

to support. A bulk of the organisation’s

“supporting sport’s core market” will find

will be made for these projects, with the first

funding over the next four years (25 per

out the requirements in December 2016,

batch of awards announced in April 2017.

cent) will go towards tackling inactivity, with

while those wanting to work with children

the first £10m (US$8.3m, €11.1m) inactivity

and young people outside of school hours

fund launching in December 2016.

will be briefed next February.

In January, Sport England will publish its wider facilities investment guide to supply

18 Issue 128  November/December 2016

sportsmanagement.co.uk