Funding boost for sports at Leicester
Funding boost for sports at Leicester
The University of Leicester has been granted around £17,000 to support new sporting initiatives.
We are one of 18 universities who have successfully bid for British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Active funding linked to projects tackling inactive female students.
Across the country, 53 expressions of interest were submitted to BUCS for projects aimed at increasing female participation in sport and using physical activity to support mental health.
Our Sport and Active Life department will be receiving around £7,000 to provide new and exciting opportunities for women to get involved in physical activity. It is hoped that nationally, the £160,000 which has been given around will bring more than 5,400 new student participants.
The focus of our activity will be through Faith Groups, Learn to Lift Sessions and Female-Only Physical Activity sessions including gym and Zumba etc.
Head of Sport & Active Life Matt Weir said: “With 49 institutions across England applying for funding it is fantastic that we have been successful with our application. We hope that the money will increase the amount of female participation in physical activity.
The project will be starting in early February, if you have any suggestions or questions please email Lewis Jones – Sport Experience Officer (Participation)
We have also seen a huge boost for our Boat Club, one of the biggest mixed gender clubs on campus, who had an amazing early Christmas present. They received £10,000 to buy new equipment from Sports England lottery funded investment.
The funding will be used to buy new boats for the men's and women's crews. This will not only help improve participation and engagement in the sport, it will also give more people time out the water. High performing members will also have the opportunity to use these boats as pairs in the upcoming national selection events taking place in Lincolnshire.
Ryan Asher, the Club's President, led on a bid to receive lottery funded investment from Sport England via the Small Grants Fund. The application focused on solving an equipment bottleneck problem the club faces, with more boats needed to cope with the clubs ever increasing membership.
Thankfully, the Small Grants application was successful and the maximum award of £10,000 was awarded to the club, this funding will be spent on purchasing boats for the men's and women's crews. The addition of these boats will go a long way in improving participation and engagement in the sport, allowing more people time out on the water. Importantly, high performing members will have the opportunity to use these boats as pairs in upcoming national selection events taken place in Lincolnshire.