Access Sport awarded additional funding to make basketball and cycling more inclusive 

This further investment will help thousands more underserved children and young people participate in inclusive basketball and cycling activities across the UK.

We recently shared the good news at the opening of the newly renovated basketball court in Gibbons Recreation Ground in Brent, which is one of 12 new or improved community sport facilities already supported through our work with Access Sport. A new basketball club – Gibbons Rec Basketball Club – will also be setup to provide regular, inclusive sessions for local young people as part of our partnership. 

Mike Diaper, Group Funding and Impact Director at the London Marathon Foundation, said:

“It’s fantastic to see the Gibbons Rec basketball court now open, providing a vibrant, inclusive space for all the community to enjoy getting active. We believe physical activity has the power to change lives, and working with partners like Access Sport is bringing the transformative benefits of physical activity to even more young people. We’re looking forward to continuing our work together, supporting new facilities and clubs across the UK to make physical activity more accessible, inclusive and welcoming.”

Since 2018, we’ve committed more than £2.3 million to Access Sport which has helped 19,000 underserved young people access inclusive community sport, trained over 255 cycling and basketball clubs, and delivered 12 new or improved cycling and basketball facilities in Sheffield, Greater Manchester, Bristol and London. 

By combining forces, we’ve seen the positive change improved access to community sports facilities has on the health and wellbeing of underserved young people across the country.

With our renewed partnership, we’ll continue to make basketball and cycling opportunities more accessible, especially for those who are most often overlooked, bringing the transformative benefits of physical activity to even more young people. 

By 2031, we aim to: 

• Directly engage over 22,500 children and young people through inclusive cycling and basketball activities 
• Upskill 1,350 coaches, volunteers and young leaders
• Support 300 cycling clubs and 40 basketball clubs
• Enhance and refurbish four cycling tracks and four basketball courts in London, Manchester and Scotland.

Helen Rowbotham, CEO of Access Sport, said:

“Once again, we would like to say a huge thank you to the London Marathon Foundation for their continued support. This renewed partnership is a fantastic milestone for Access Sport. Over the next five years we will scale up our cycling and basketball programmes to positively impact more young people than ever before, create sustainable change in communities, and drive forward our efforts to make our sport system more equitable.”