WORCESTERSHIRE 4 SCHOOLS & COLLEGES

Active Universities is the latest of Sport England’s themed funding rounds that aim to tackle specific barriers to sporting participation.

Sport England has set an ambitious target of getting an extra million people playing more sport by 2013, 300,000 of which should come from the further and higher education sector. It is hoped that the Active Universities fund will lead to at least an additional 100,000 students participating in a minimum of three 30-minute sessions of sporting activity per week.

Through the scheme, universities are invited to team up with local authorities, county sports partnerships, and sports governing bodies to develop projects that encourage more students to take part in sport.

Funding is available for partnership projects that, for example, widen the sports offered at universities, make better use of links with local sports clubs, or build a network of volunteer coaches and officials to promote sport.

Applications are made via a two-stage process, with initial expressions of interest needing to be submitted by 23 June.

Sport England’s third annual Active People survey, published back in December, found that more than 519,000 higher education students were already playing sport at least three times a week. The research also revealed that almost three-quarters of students would like the opportunity to take part in more sporting activities.

For further information about the new Active Universities programme, visit the Sport England website (opens a new window)