While the Championships themselves will showcase elite performance, our work ensures their legacy is felt far beyond the stadium.

Access Sport is proud to be a delivery partner for Beyond, the official impact programme of the European Athletics Championships, Birmingham 2026.

With support from UK Sport and the London Marathon Foundation, we will deliver a community-focused programme that uses the platform of the Championships to create lasting change for disabled and disadvantaged young people across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

This work will embed inclusion in grassroots sport clubs across the region, building capacity and engaging young people who are too often excluded from opportunities to be active.

Aligned with our existing Changing Places programme, this work will aim to:

• Support local community athletics clubs to deliver inclusive activity for children and young people
• Embed running, wheeling and athletics-inspired sessions into non-athletics community clubs
• Provide clubs with the training and confidence to continue inclusive delivery long-term.

Chris Moss, Birmingham 2026 Project Lead for the Impact Plan, said: 

“We’ve built Beyond as a framework to connect partners, amplify great work already happening, and inspire new activity that aligns with our shared goals. The support from UK Sport and the London Marathon Foundation shows what’s possible when we use major events to generate real community benefit.”

Esther Britten, Head of Events and External Affairs at UK Sport, said:

“The Beyond programme and our collaborative partnership with London Marathon Foundation, alongside Access Sport and StreetGames, have the potential to make a real difference in local communities. The staging of the European Athletics Championships 2026 can leave a lasting legacy in Birmingham, the West Midlands and the nation as a whole.” 

Mike Diaper, Group Funding and Impact Director at the London Marathon Foundation, said:

“We’re proud to be launching this collaborative funding with UK Sport, aimed at inspiring lasting activity in the West Midlands. With the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on the horizon, this funding is about more than a single event — it’s about providing inclusive, community-rooted opportunities that will inspire children and young people to develop an enjoyment of sport and physical activity that will last a lifetime.” 

Helen Rowbotham, Chief Executive at Access Sport, said:

"Access Sport is thrilled to have this opportunity to use the platform of the 2026 European Athletics Championships to deliver a community focussed social impact programme in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Focusing on the needs of disadvantaged and disabled children and young people, we will be supporting community sports clubs across the region to deliver high-quality, accessible and inclusive athletics, running and wheeling offers. We can't wait to get started.” 

This work aligns with our wider mission to make inclusion the norm in community sport. The Beyond programme offers a unique opportunity to use the power of a major sporting event to build lasting change, not just for one summer, but for years to come.

Interested in benefiting from this programme at your club?
Click on the link below, and we will be in touch.

Contact Us >

Webinars
Athletics Ventures, Birmingham City Council and United By 2022 will also be hosting a series of webinars to provide more details on how the Integrated Impact Plan for the championships will address the important and valued feedback that local communities and organisations provided, which informed the shaping of the Impact Plan.

The webinars are scheduled for the following:

• Monday 8th September 10 - 11 am
• Tuesday 9th September 6 - 7 pm
• Monday 22nd September 1 - 2 pm.

To sign up to attend, please email:
[email protected].