Goalball UK secures increased funding for the LA 2028 Paralympic Cycle from UK Sport and Sport England.
Today, Monday 16th December, UK Sport and Sport England have announced that Goalball UK will receive an investment of £950,600 to support the Performance Pathway Programme.
The investment comes from Government and National Lottery funding from both UK Sport (£525,000) and Sport England (£425,600).
In percentage terms, this equates to a 96 per cent uplift from the previous award.
Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, said:
“It’s thanks to the unwavering support of the UK Government and our wonderful National Lottery players that we are able to announce this historic investment today, towards continuing to create the greatest decade of extraordinary sporting moments.
“The past few years have been tough for our sports with the delayed Tokyo Games and shortened Paris cycle, and we know finances remain under extreme pressure. We have looked to relieve some of this pressure through our investment today, however we know we must continue to innovate and collaborate, together, to grow a thriving sporting system that’s fit for the future.
“Huge credit to the leaders in our sports for all the hard work they’ve done, with us, over the past 18 months to put us in this brilliant position to be able to say we are ready to win well in the LA cycle and beyond.”
Time for Change
Despite many positive performances within the Paris Cycle, both our men’s and women’s teams fell short in our ambitions to deliver medals at any level, as well as not qualifying for the Games. As a result, we have undergone a series of programme reviews resulting in several much-needed changes in both personnel and structure.
Goalball UK’s forward thinking performance strategy was the catalyst for the long-term funding and increased investment. The new strategy is committed to improving the way our performance pathway is delivered, which in turn, will better prepare our Great Britain representative teams.
Today’s announcement demonstrates a significant vote of confidence from both UK Sport and Sport England. We are extremely grateful to them for affording us the opportunity to build on the good work already in place, and we are excited by the opportunities this will present through to LA 2028 and beyond.
John Grosvenor, Goalball UK Chair said “Thank you to UK Sport and Sport England for their support of the necessary changes within our Performance Pathway Programme. Goalball UK are committed to providing the best opportunities for athletes who are blind or partially sighted with the outcome being successful teams and Paralympic qualification.”
Mark Winder, CEO at Goalball UK said: “We are proud of the progress we are making in our programme, which is now led by High Performance Lead Gary Fraser and National Talent Lead Faye Dale. The performance of both teams has been recognised, and this is the continuation of a journey towards Paralympic qualification.
I would also like to personally thank Emma Anderson (UK Sport) for her support during the process. Both Sport England and UK Sport have been tremendous in their support of Goalball UK, and we thank them for advocating and recognising the strides we have made. In addition, I would like to thank the Board of Goalball UK who have been unwavering in their support and Peter Elliott and John Grosvenor who have supported us during the process of change.”
Gary Fraser, High Performance Lead at Goalball UK said “The Goalball UK Performance Pathway Programme has seen a lot of necessary changes over the past 12 months, as we focus on making a high-performance impact on the international stage. We are extremely grateful for the support and faith shown in us by UK Sport and Sport England. This increased investment will have substantial impact through the LA 2028 cycle and lay the groundwork for long-term programme development.”
Faye Dale, National Talent Lead at Goalball UK said “After years of hard work from everyone involved, this announcement shows the faith and trust shown by both Sport England and UK Sport in our ambitions to develop our sport. We are excited to kick start the new Performance Pathway Programme for the LA cycle with additional support and provide opportunities for talented athletes at all levels of our pathway.”
Goalball UK Would also like to thank Perfection Travel and Events Ltd, Direct Business Group, SOL PV, PE Office and Northern Accountants for their support of the Programme.
