Ninety talented athletes and sports people from Croydon have received awards from the GLL Sports Foundation (GSF), to help them along their sporting journey.
The athletes, who compete nationally and internationally, received grants of up to £500 to help with access to sport facilities, physiotherapy, lifestyle mentoring and mental health support.
With a staggering 89% of award recipients receiving no other sport funding and 57% 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 young sports men and women were recognised at an awards ceremony at Ashburton Hall on Thursday (18 July).
Peter Bundey, GSF Chair, who attended Croydon’s Awards Event at Ashburton Hall paid tribute to the athletes and programme stakeholders and 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 28,146 athlete awards, totalling over £15million of support. I would like to give heartfelt thanks to all our sponsors, partners and supporters, who remain the lifeblood of this fantastic GLL initiative".
Richard from Allen Taekwondo Academy in Thornton Heath said; "the support that the GLL Sport Foundation has provided over the years for our athletes at the club is fantastic. It means our athletes train more and gain further access to Better's gyms and pools across Croydon. Allen Taekwondo brings the best out of the our community from grass-roots through to Olympic hopefuls and the additional support from the Foundation really helps our cause.
Skye Taylor, 4 times British Taekwondo Champion adds; "The award really helps towards attendance at international competitions and will continue to help with bringing me closer to my dream of being a GB athlete and competing in the Olympics."
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, said: “Tackling inequality and improving the health of our residents is so important. Our gyms and leisure facilities provide opportunities for us all to improve our wellbeing.
“These awards are a fitting tribute to our talented local sportspeople. I wish them all the best in their future career and I can’t wait to see them competing in future international competitions”
GLL run seven Better Leisure centres across Croydon as well as the Park Tennis courts. More information about where they are and the facilities available can be found on
their website.
