Swim England
GLL Sport Foundation applications open to support aquatic athletes in 2023
6 January 2023GLL are continuing their support of aquatic athletes in 2023 through its athlete support programme, the GLL Sport Foundations awards.
The initiative is celebrating its 15th anniversary and allows athletes to apply apply for a range of support awards which includes financial support, access to facilities, physiotherapy, lifestyle mentoring and mental health support.
Athletes from 65 areas throughout the UK are encouraged to apply for the UK’s largest independent athlete award programme which has already contributed £13m to help more than 24,000 athletes on their sporting journey.
A number of aquatic athletes have benefitted from the support, including some of our Olympic and Paralympic stars such as Ellie Simmonds, Tom Dean, Tully Kearney, Matty Lee, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, Tom Daley and Susie Rodgers.
The foundation expects to award a further £1.2m worth of help in 2023 with the successful applicants being given access to 250 sport and leisure facilities operated by GLL under its “Better” trading brand.
These facilities include both the London Aquatics Centre and Manchester’s Aquatics Centre which is set to reopen in spring.
The programme has a range of partners involved including the likes of SportsAid, Mary Peters Trust, SportsAid Wales, as well as a number of sponsors, medical and local authority partners. A new collaboration for 2023 with Switch The Play has also been formed, who will provide wider mentoring and mental health support
Applications for GLL’s Sport Foundation close on February 20, and you can apply here.
‘Achieving sporting ambitions’
Speaking at the launch of the awards at Lee Valley VeloPark, Peter Bundey, GLL Sport Foundation Chair, paid tribute to the partners involved in the programme.
He said: “Our awards work alongside a number of national talent pathways, provide a lifeline to individual athletes as well as helping local communities discover the opportunities and enrichment that comes through sport.”
The successful impact of the Foundation is important to Patron Sally Gunnell OBE, who remains the only athlete to hold consecutive Olympic, World and Commonwealth titles.
She said: “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 young athletes. It can make the difference in achieving sporting ambitions.
“This is ever-more important today as we recover from a difficult and challenging two years, where dreams have been put on hold and sport had to stop. Athletes can now refocus having re-started competition and working towards those goals with the support of the GLL Sport Foundation.”
You can find out more information on the GLL Sport Foundation website.