“We’re seeing first-hand the power of inclusive sport to build confidence, improve wellbeing and create a sense of belonging, especially for young people who are too often excluded.”

Access Sport has today launched its 2025–2026 Annual Impact Report, celebrating a year of significant growth that saw us support 40,909 disabled and disadvantaged young people to access inclusive community sport.

We have improved young people’s lives, supported community sport clubs and created the conditions for long-term change in the sport sector:

• 92% of our young people report feeling trust in their community
• 81% of our community clubs agree they have become more inclusive
• 91% of coaches and volunteers agreed they could apply lessons learned from our training

The announcement was made at a networking event in central London, hosted by our Trustee, Eniola Oyesanya, bringing together partners, community leaders and sector experts. The evening combined reflection on our impact with a forward-looking vision for change across London.

Opening the event, our Chief Executive, Helen Rowbotham described the past year as “transformational,” highlighting the organisation’s expanding reach across both place-based and sport-specific programmes. She emphasised the critical role of community clubs and volunteers in breaking down barriers to participation:

“We’re seeing first-hand the power of inclusive sport to build confidence, improve wellbeing and create a sense of belonging, especially for young people who are too often excluded.”

The first panel, reflecting on Access Sport’s impact over the last year, included:

• Millie Hawes, Head of Just Purpose at Fieldfisher
• Tom Gibbins, Head of Programme & Property Strategy and Foundation Development at the LTA Tennis Foundation
• Terry Cooper, Co-Founder of Aquilla Taekwondo.

Speakers highlighted the value of long-term collaboration, practical support for clubs, and the importance of embedding inclusion at every level of sport.

Our second panel focused on tackling systemic inequalities for disabled people in sport across London and featured:

• Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
• Adam Blaze, Activity Alliance CEO
• Tanya Rabin, London Sport’s Director of Communications & Advocacy.

The discussion highlighted the urgent need to address gaps in provision for disabled people across the capital, while setting out a bold, collaborative vision for change.

Panellists emphasised that only through sustained partnership, combining investment, grassroots expertise and strong advocacy, can London build a truly inclusive sport system for disabled people.

Closing the event, we called on organisations and individuals to support Access Sport’s next phase of growth in London, and beyond. With demand for inclusive opportunities continuing to rise, we are distinctly aware that collaboration and investment will be key to reaching more young people across more communities.

The message of the evening was clear: while progress has been made, there is still much work to do to ensure that every young person, regardless of background or ability, can experience the life-changing benefits  of inclusive community sport.

We would like to extend a special thanks to Fieldfisher for hosting the event and for their continued support.

Read our full Impact Report below and stand for inclusion.

Annual Impact Report >