Funding available to help young Chesterfield people get active

A £37,000 funding pot for projects which will get inactive young people into sport or physical activity is now open for applications.

The Lottery-funded Sportivate programme is open to sports clubs, community groups and other organisations, which can apply for a share of the cash to run sport or activity sessions of six to eight weeks to get young people active.

And this could be the last chance to apply as the programme – led by Sport England and coordinated locally by Derbyshire Sport – is currently due to come to an end in March 2017.

The main focus for this round of funding is on inactive young people who are not yet taking part in sport once a week, so applications should be for projects which target this group, and Derbyshire Sport is also keen to support more innovative projects.

Projects can cater for young people aged 11 to 25-years-old, but priority will also be given to projects which focus on women and girls, young people aged 19 to 25 years, young people with a disability, or young people who are not in education, employment or training.

Funding can used to cover costs such as coaching, venue hire, equipment, transport and marketing. Projects must support participants to continue with their chosen sport or activity after the initial six to eight weeks, with sustainable exit routes, and applications should show a clear need for the project and demonstrate how it will attract and cater for its target group.

Applications are currently open and will close on August 31, 2016. Projects will need to be delivered between October 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017.

Sport Development Officer Lewis Adams, who leads on Sportivate for Derbyshire Sport, said: “Sportivate is all about giving young people the chance to try out a sport or activity that they may never have tried before, helping them to find something they enjoy and helping them to get and stay active.

“We are particularly keen to receive applications for projects which use innovative ways to get young people active, perhaps using different technologies or new ideas, and I would encourage any groups who are looking to attract more young people into sport to apply for funding.”

For more details and to apply go to www.derbyshiresport.co.uk/sportivate-funding