Sport England to invest £1m in creating a more diverse workforce for grassroots sport

Sport England has revealed the 16 projects which will share £1m worth of funding from the Workforce Diversity Great Ideas Fund.

Those receiving grants range from programmes run by local sports clubs to national governing bodies, with each aiming to engage women and/or black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) communities in coaching or volunteering.

These include Brighton Table Tennis Club, who'll develop a training scheme that supports community clubs to have a more diverse membership and workforce.

Elsewhere, Vandyke Upper School in Bedfordshire will work with their local Active Partnership to engage 40 mums as volunteers at the school gates.

“If we are to tackle inactivity and work more with those who are regularly dropping in and out of sport, we need a flexible workforce who can help people manage a range of emotional and practical barriers to activity within their daily lives.” said Stuart Armstrong, Sport England's strategic lead for workforce transformation.

Cathy Hughes, Sport England's head of equality and diversity, added: "It's vital for the sport and physical activity workforce to be representative of those taking part, or wanting to take part.

“We know that a workforce which represents women and people from a BAME background will be most effective at engaging them.

“When the workforce is diverse, it can lead to better decision making and greater ability to reach out to people who are currently choosing not to engage with the traditional sport sector.

“We will continue its support for recruiting more people from a diversity of background and experience by working with partners and individuals who will benefit from this fund.”

The full list of the 16 organisations/projects to share the funding

St Matthew Big Local (£36,639)

The Urban Fitness Collective (£53,860)UK Deaf Sport (£53,000)

Yorkshire Sport Foundation (£48,000)Brighton Table Tennis Club (£40,000)

YHA - England and Wales (£119,953)ARCA Generation (£40,000)

Manningham Mills Sports and Community Association (£32,000)British Canoeing (£28,000)

Sporting Communities CIC (£120,000)Vandyke Upper School (£8,500)

The Outward Bound Trust (£39,856)Sportshall Associates (£8,000)

Her Spirit Ltd (£118,870)Active Communities Network (£161,910)

The Access to Sports Project (£50,000)