RYA boosted by Sport England funding

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is among the first group of over 40 organisations working in partnership with Sport England to benefit from its new funding model.

It says it’s been awarded the long-term government and National Lottery funding from Sport England because it has committed to co-deliver change at a national and local level, to help more people enjoy the benefits of playing sport and being active. MIN has asked for clarity on the figure received.

Sport England’s support and funding are critically important in sustaining a broad range of RYA initiatives, including Sailability and other grassroots programmes such as OnBoard – the RYA’s children’s sailing and windsurfing programme – and its youth and junior performance pathway.

“This vital support and funding from Sport England will ensure that we are well-positioned to do all we can to create opportunities for members of all communities to enjoy the mental and physical health benefits of getting afloat – and for boating activity to be truly inclusive,” says Rob Clark, RYA director of sport development.

“We are proud to be working as a partner of Sport England to create a more equal society with everyone benefitting from sport and physical activity.”

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, says: “Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy aims to help everyone play sport and get active – no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background. But we know that certain groups are more likely to be inactive and need targeted support and investment.

“We can only innovate and tackle these inequalities effectively with collective action, recognising that this is about long-term change. The RYA is one of a huge number of partners we are looking to work with on exactly this over the coming years. They play a foundational role within the sport and physical activity sector and are therefore well-placed to create the conditions for change.”

Since 2005, the RYA says almost one million young people have been introduced to sailing by RYA OnBoard, and its Sailability groups run over 50,000 sessions a year for people with disabilities.