The organisation tasked with preparing Team England for the 2018 Commonwealth Games has been boosted with £4m (US$5.1m, €4.6m) of Sport England funding.

Commonwealth Games England (CGE) will take on the National Lottery money as it prepares to defend the 174 medals it won in Glasgow in 2014, and its top ranking in the medal table.

The money – which will go towards performance environment, coaching, support staff and travel – is marked increase to the £1.6m (US$2.1m, €1.8m) that was provided by the quango for Glasgow 2014, although this Games will take place 10,000 miles away in Australia’s Gold Coast.

Alongside the cash CGE can generate through commercial means, Sport England funding will allow Team England to bring a full quota of 400 athlete and para-athletes to the 2018 Games.

Some of the funding will be focused on individual sports. These will be revealed over the next few weeks.

Ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Sport England funded athletics, bowls, judo, shooting, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

Karen Bradley, secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport, said Lottery funding had “played a crucial role in our sporting success” and this pot would allow CGE to “take a fully prepared team”.

“This funding recognises the value of the Commonwealth Games themselves, but also their strategic importance for developing talent and delivering medals in line with the government’s and Sport England’s strategies,” added CGE chief executive Paul Blanchard.