By working together we will support more disabled and disadvantaged children and young people to experience the life-changing benefits of inclusive community sport. 

We have received a £500,000 investment from Sport England to support our mission to make inclusion the norm in community sport.

Announced on the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, we will use this funding to drive positive change at a national and local level, enabling more disabled and disadvantaged children and young people to enjoy the benefits of inclusive community sport. 

Research shows that, even in 2025, too many young people remain unable to access the transformational benefits of community sport, specifically women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. The opportunities to get involved in your local community sport session and reap the life-changing rewards of being active, depend too much on your background, your gender and your postcode.

We will use our tried and tested club development model to create inclusive offers where they don’t currently exist and drive tangible change. We will train, equip and support more community sport clubs, coaches and volunteers to provide inclusive programmes, unleashing their potential to transform the lives of underserved young people in their local communities.

We will also continue to work in partnership with national governing bodies, Active Partnerships and other sports organisations to develop inclusive grassroots sport focused initiatives across the sector and expand our Inclusive Club Network offer.

This collaborative approach aligns with Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy, as well as their increased focus on place-based working, targeting those areas with the greatest need and delivering real, sustainable change.

Jeanette Bain-Burnett, Executive Director for Policy and Integrity for Sport England said:

"We are proud to work with, and support Access Sport as they continue to drive positive change and ensure people, regardless of their background, bank balance or ability, have equal opportunities to feel the mental and physical benefits of being active." 

"Tackling Inequalities is at the heart of our strategy Uniting the Movement, as we aim to break down the barriers communities face in accessing physical activity - we look forward to delivering on this ambition alongside Access Sport."

Helen Rowbotham, Chief Executive at Access Sport, said:

“We are immensely thankful to Sport England for this investment. The objectives set out in Sport England’s ongoing Uniting the Movement strategy are key to everything we do and their five catalysts for change are embedded within our organisational culture, working practices and growth ambitions. We share their focus on tackling societal inequalities and look forward to achieving our shared objectives into the future.”

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