The RYA is encouraging clubs and centres to take part in ‘Sportivate’. The Sport England initiative aims to capture the excitement of London 2012 by providing attractive sporting opportunities for teenagers and young adults.

‘Sportivate’ will encourage thousands of 14-25 year olds to learn a new sport by providing them with six weeks of coaching in an activity of their choice.

From Summer 2011, until March 2015 Sport England will invest £32 Million of National Lottery funding into the programme, which is part of the Places People Play mass participation legacy programme.

The funding is distributed via the 49 County Sports Partnerships (CSPs), who will work with local providers and sports clubs to develop courses based on feedback from teenagers and young adults on the types of sports they are interested in playing.

“This really is a fantastic opportunity for clubs, not only to invite young people from the local community who could potentially become members, but to gain valuable funding to run the courses to accommodate them.” Graham Manchester, Strategic Lead for the RYA Adult Participation Programme explains.

“You may have been oversubscribed for a similar course where the cost has proved a barrier, or have run an open day where a number of 14-25 year olds have expressed an interest in a dinghy or windsurfing course that you cannot afford to deliver. The funding from ‘Sportivate’ will enable your club to welcome more teenagers and young adults into the sport who will hopefully continue participating for the long term.”

To find out whether you are eligible for funding, contact your local CSP for details http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/places_people_play/sportivate.aspx

The RYA have developed a guide for clubs who wish to apply for funding with a case study which can be found at www.rya.org.uk/go/kyc ( bottom right of page).