Association of Colleges

Sportshub East Midlands, the regional sports strand of the AoC East Midlands has been selected as a delivery partner in a new national project that will get 30,000 women playing ‘doorstep sport’. Active Women has been unveiled by Sport England which is investing £2.295 million of National Lottery funding into the initiative.

Active Women, which will be delivered in 47 of the most disadvantaged areas in England including Hastings, Wigan and Bristol, will offer 16- to 25-year-old women innovative and engaging ways to participate in sport. It will also see over 200 events and festivals organised, 1700 new coaches and volunteers recruited and 1260 qualifications gained by those taking part.

Sportshub East Midlands is one of 62 organisations delivering the project, which is being led by multi-award winning sports development charity StreetGames.

In Nottingham and Derby, Sportshub East Midlands will work with Castle College Nottingham, Derby College, New College Nottingham and South Nottingham College to provide badminton, street dance and street cheer sessions for female students aged 16-19. Students will also have access to coaching and leadership qualifications in these activities to help support the sustainability of the project

Sarah Larnder- Regional (AoC East Midlands) Development Manager for FE Sport said:

‘The funding to support sports sessions aimed specifically at females is warmly welcomed within the Further Education sector in the East Midlands. Young people in Further Education Colleges are at the critical age where drop out from sport all together is very high, with especially low figures of participation within the female population.

Badminton and Street Dance/Cheer are very popular sports within the sector and with this additional support we hope the initiative can help increase female participation levels and address drop out in Castle College, New College Nottingham, South Nottingham College and Derby College.’

Active Women is one of 20 being funded by Sport England to boost women’s participation in sport, especially those who care for children or who live in disadvantaged communities because they face some of the biggest barriers to participation. Just one in 10 women living in disadvantaged areas regularly play sport.

Jane Ashworth, Chief Executive of StreetGames, said:

“This groundbreaking project is one of the biggest mobilisations of women in sport ever. It will see the expertise and experience of a vast range of organisations pooled together to establish new interventions, new training packages and new ways of thinking that will grow and sustain participation in sport by young women from areas of significant disadvantage. The project will play a significant role in ensuring a legacy for women's sport well beyond the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The targeted investment will support more women from disadvantaged communities - and women caring for children – to play sport as part of the drive to deliver a mass participation legacy from London 2012.

Hugh Robertson, the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said:

“We have many fantastic female athletes in this country, but not enough women participating at sport’s grassroots. More needs to be done to encourage women to participate in sport, particularly those from disadvantaged communities. The £10 million being invested by Sport England will give women the chance to try out new sports as part of a dedicated programme and hopefully keep them in sport in the future.”

Jennie Price, Sport England’s Chief Executive, said:

“For many women with children or those managing a tight budget, sport – and time to themselves - can slip down the list of priorities. The projects we’re funding have asked local women what is preventing them from getting involved and what sports interest them, before coming up with an offer that is appealing and accessible.”