Local disabled people are going to have more opportunities to take part in sport in Sheffield, thanks to a new project.
Sheffield City Council and local charity, Within Reach, will run the project, called ‘Disability Sheffield – Opportunities in Sport for Disabled People’. Sport England and the Football Foundation have committed over £100,000 to the project.
It’s all about creating new opportunities for disabled people to take part in sport and get more physically active, right from the grassroots to elite level competition. The project will run for three years.
Six sports will be the focus of the work – athletics, boccia, football, swimming, table tennis and wheelchair basketball.
Cllr Sylvia Dunkley, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Tourism from Sheffield City Council said: “This is really positive news, and it means that the work the Council already does on encouraging disabled people to be active and get involved in sport, will continue and grow. As a city this is a fantastic opportunity for us to develop and strengthen sporting opportunities for disabled people, especially in the build up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Encouraging more people in Sheffield to get involved in sport at whatever level, and creating ways for more people to participate in sport is a key focus for our work in making the most of the Games. I very much hope that local disabled people will get involved and make the most of the opportunities that this project will generate.”
Mike Elliott from Within Reach said: “We will now have a team of officers dedicated to raising even further the profile of sport for disabled people in the City”.
Anne Boyd, Regional Lead for Yorkshire, Sport England Said: “The opportunity to try a new sport for the first time is often all a person needs to catch the sporting bug. The Disability Sheffield project is a great way for young people with disabilities to try new sports and have a quality sporting experience that will encourage them to stay involved.”
Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation said: “We warmly congratulate Sheffield City Council and the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA for their hard work and dedication in securing this award.
Football is our national game and the Football Foundation is investing money from the Premier League, The FA and Government into the grass roots to help give everyone the opportunity to play it and stay healthy.
“This exciting new project in Sheffield is the latest example of how we are working with key partners to create a level playing field across the country and opening up access to sports.”
