Charitable social enterprise and worker-owned co-op GLL has announced 118 athletes from the Royal Borough of Greenwich will benefit from the 2026 intake of its GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) – the largest independent athlete award programme in the UK.
Now in its 18th year, the GLL Sport Foundation has so far contributed nearly £20m worth of athlete funding and support and distributed nearly 35,000 awards to young and talented athletes in 69 areas of the UK where GLL operate and across 121 different sports.
Among local athletes benefitting are individuals across a range of sporting disciplines, reflecting the diversity and depth of talent within Greenwich.
With 86% of this year's cohort receiving no other form of funding – up 3% from 2025 – it outlines the significant contribution the athlete programme makes against the challenges of the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Over 18 years, the GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) has continued to be at the forefront of developing local young athletic talent, with 63% of athletes under the age of 21.
GLL’s own research shows that many talented athletes struggle to realise their dreams of sporting success due to rising costs of equipment, training, physiotherapy, travel and nutrition. For them, a GSF Award can be a vital lifeline to staying in training and meeting their potential.
At the Greenwich GSF Awards 2026 Launch Event, held at Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre on Tuesday 2nd June, around 70 attendees – including 22 athletes and partners – gathered to celebrate and learn how this year’s GSF athlete award fund will support talented athletes on their sporting journeys.
The event featured inspiring contributions from GSF Ambassadors, including Paralympic cycling bronze medallist Matthew Robertson and professional cricketer Phoebe Franklin, who shared their experiences of elite sport and the importance of support programmes such as GSF.
The evening also welcomed strong civic support from representatives of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, reinforcing the borough’s commitment to supporting sport and physical activity.
The GSF supports athletes through financial bursaries, access to physical rehabilitation and mental wellbeing support, and all athletes are also given access to over 250 sport and leisure facilities across the UK operated by GLL under its “BETTER” brand.
37% of GSF 2026’s cohort are new applicants – demonstrating the continued growth and reach of the scheme across communities in Northern Ireland, Wales and England.
GSF Patron Sally Gunnell OBE said:
“It’s fantastic to see the GLL Sport Foundation announcing its largest ever award cohort in 2026.
The support continues to make a difference to young athletes at precisely the point in their careers when they most need it – keeping them training and focused on success.
I wish them the very best of luck in their sporting careers.”
GSF Chair and GLL CEO Peter Bundey said:
“GLL is a successful worker-owned cooperative and charitable social enterprise that has brought growing impact to public services and local communities over 33 years of successful operation.
Our GLL Sport Foundation remains central to our remit to widen and deepen opportunities available to talented young athletes and build a legacy through sport.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and our own purpose-driven business model, we are delighted to announce a record 3,234 athletes will benefit from the programme this year.
I want to wish them every success and we look forward to seeing them in competition here and abroad in years to come.”
The GLL Sport Foundation’s Patron is Sally Gunnell OBE and partners involved in the programme include SportsAid, SportsAid Wales, Mary Peters Trust, sponsors from GLL’s supply chain and local authority partners.
