Sadiq Khan launches community sport fund for young Londoners

LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday (7) launched the city's biggest community sports fund to help under-served and vulnerable young Londoners to access and enjoy sport and physical activity, a statement said.

Khan collaborated with the London Marathon Foundation and Sport England to launch the Go! London fund which aims to transform the lives of young Londoners, aged 4-24.

As part of the initiative, £19.5 million will be spent on improving the lives of young Londoners facing physical, social, economic or educational challenges.

Charities, youth groups, social enterprises and faith groups can apply for grants from £40,000 to £150,000, the statement added.

They can use the fund to improve existing sport and physical activity programmes and deliver new services, such as youth mentoring and extra support for young people with special educational, disability and mental health needs.

The fund has been established as part of a new partnership between City Hall, which has given £4.5m, the London Marathon Foundation and Sport England, which have given £7.5m respectively, supported by London Marathon Events and London Sport.

The partnership aims to invest at least £10m into grassroots sport and physical activity initiatives by 2025 and to leverage an additional £3m into the Go! London fund by 2027.

The fund will run for at least five years from March 2023 with several funding opportunities available later this year and in 2024.

“I know the huge difference that sport can make to physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and it’s vital that all young people can take full advantage of these benefits, no matter their personal circumstances," Khan said.

“City Hall will work closely with our Go! London partners to seek new opportunities to support London’s youth through sport, building a better, safer, more prosperous London for all.”

Catherine Anderson, executive director of the London Marathon Foundation, said: “Our vision is Inspiring Activity and, since the London Marathon was founded in 1981, we have worked to inspire people to get active. The Go! London fund will create exciting new opportunities for children and young people to lead active and healthy lives.

"We look forward to seeing projects and initiatives supported by Go! London using the transformative power of sport and physical activity to bring about long-term, positive change across the capital.”

Emily Robinson, CEO of London Sport, said: “The fund will change the lives of thousands of young Londoners and help them reap the physical, mental and social benefits of an active life.

“London Sport is proud to contribute to this unique collaboration, and we’re excited to work with some of our biggest partners to tackle inactivity and inequality in the capital.”