Sport England has announced that it will fund an experimental new programme to get more disabled people into sport.
The Let’s Play programme is funded by £148,140 of National Lottery funding. It will see Sport England work with British Wheelchair Basketball and five other disability sport bodies – Powerchair Football, Boccia England, Goalball UK, GB Wheelchair Rugby and the Tennis Foundation – to offer people with a range of impairments the chance to get involved in sport locally.
The one-year pilot will involve 12 one-day multisport events across the nine regions of England, with the first event taking place on 25 March at the Trafford Soccerdome in Manchester. During the events disabled people will be able to try out different sports. They’ll also have the opportunity to meet local club volunteers and find out when and where they can play locally.
The partnership is part of Sport England’s wider £5 million Take-up Programme, which aims to boost the number of disabled people regularly playing sport. Currently there is a significant imbalance between the number of disabled and non-disabled people playing sport. In England, a disabled person is half as likely to be playing sport as a non-disabled person.
“We’re constantly striving to get more disabled people involved in sport, making it a practical lifestyle choice,” says Sport England Chair Nick Bitel.
“Our investment into British Wheelchair Basketball, working in partnership with five other disability sport governing bodies for the Let’s Play programme will provide disabled people with the opportunity to take part in a range of sports and find the ones that interest them most, hopefully leading them to play sport regularly.”
The programme is about getting disabled people interested in sport – and turning that interest into a regular sporting habit. It’s hoped that the scheme will show how sports and disability organisations can work together to share findings and get results.
Charlie Bethel, Chief Executive Officer of British Wheelchair Basketball, said: “This programme will empower local communities and groups that have never previously been engaged through the sporting landscape. It will provide more people from hard to reach communities the opportunity to take part and play sport in an enjoyable environment.”
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