41 talented young athletes from Bath and North East Somerset, including Olympian swimmers Kieran Bird and Leah Crisp and Brodie Williams who won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, will benefit from thousands of pounds worth of free memberships for sports venues and leisure centres, cash bursaries and other athlete services - thanks to leisure charitable social enterprise social enterprise GLL, which manages centres across Bath and North East Somerset under the ‘Better’ brand in partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council.
Athletes will be supported through the GLL Sport Foundation, the largest independent athlete support programme in the UK, which in 2024 marks its 16th year of supporting both emerging and established national sporting talent.
With a staggering 87% of award recipients receiving no other sport funding and 56% of recipients being aged under 21, the GLL Sport Foundation has highlighted a vital funding gap for young talented athletes and the need to tackle inequalities in sport; a significant number of award recipients have confirmed that this funding is essential to their journey and some could not continue without it.
The free training memberships can be activated across over 260 GLL and a number of partner-operated sporting venues. In addition, chosen athletes will share £111,000 of cash value awards as well as access to physiotherapy and introductory access to athlete services offered by the Foundation partner “Switch the Play”.
Peter Bundey, GSF Chair, paid tribute to the athletes, programme stakeholders and also highlighted the impact the Foundation is making to reduce inequalities across a wide range of sports.
“These awards offer a welcome boost for athletes to continue the richly diverse sports they love and excel in – allowing us to reach deep into communities across the UK to remove barriers to participation.
“Since the Foundation began, we have now given over 20,000 athlete awards, totalling over £14million of support. I would like to give heartfelt thank all our sponsors, partners and supporters, who remain the lifeblood of this fantastic GLL initiative".
GSF Patron and former Olympic Champion Sally Gunnell explained the impact of GSF support on the next generation of athletes and the communities they live in: She said: “Sport is such an important part of all our lives and has the power to inspire young people to excel and harness their talent towards their future. From my own experience starting out as a young athlete and progressing through my sport, I understand how important the recognition and support from organisations like the GLL Sport Foundation can be to a young athlete. It can make the difference in achieving sporting ambitions.
This support can positively impact communities by promoting the opportunity that sport can bring and promoting the benefits it brings in well-being from someone within that community.”
While GSF focuses mainly on supporting young and upcoming grassroots athletes in the local community, many have gone on to Olympics and Paralympics success. Award holders past and present have amassed an impressive 77 medals between them – including Tom Daley, Ellie Simmonds, Susie Rogers, Michael McKillop, Dina Asher-Smith and Charlotte Worthington.
The athlete awards cover Olympic, Paralympic, Deaflympic, Special Olympic and Commonwealth sporting disciplines.
