Sport England funding boost for English Institute of Sport

Sport England is to increase its funding of the English Institute of Sport (EIS) over the next four years.

The EIS will receive £10.5m in the next financial year – an extra £2m to be spent in partnership with targeted National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBS).

A subsidiary of Sport England, the EIS provides a national network of support services to elite athletes across the country.

Along with NGBS it offers a range of services including strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists and physicians, psychologists, nutritionists and sports massage therapists.

The funding will enable the EIS to build on the successes of its first two years and to increase investment in scientific support.

Sport England’s newly appointed director of sport, Stephen Baddeley, will work closely with the EIS team. Commenting on the recent announcement, the former Commonwealth and European Men’s Singles badminton champion, said: “This increase in funding will help deliver one of our key objectives of increasing international success in sport.

“Following on from England’s tremendous success at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo, Australia, the services provided to our future and current athletes during the two-year cycle to the Olympic Winter Games in Turin and the four-year cycle until the Olympic Games in Beijing are vital to our success.”

EIS chair, Steve Cram, added: “We operate in a constantly evolving, ultra-competitive, environment. Sport England’s support will enable us to continue to develop the world class practitioners who will give us the best chance of winning medals in Beijing and, hopefully, a London Games in 2012.” Details: www.sportengland.org or www.eis2win.co.uk