Long-term Sport England investment to Unite the Movement

Volleyball England is among the first group of over 40 organisations working in partnership with Sport England to receive funding from its new funding model. With our foundational role in the sport and physical activity sector, we are well placed to help level up access to sport and physical activity across the country.  

An investment of £2.1 million of government and National Lottery funding will be received over the next five years from Sport England, beginning April 2022. We have been awarded long-term funding because of our commitment to co-deliver changes at a national and local level, to help more people enjoy the benefits of playing volleyball. 

All system partner organisations were selected by Sport England due to their ability to influence positive change and improvement throughout the sector, their own networks, and beyond. This is the first step on a journey to revolutionise Sport England’s approach to long-term partnerships which will see it build new relationships with innovative organisations, as well with existing partners, local partners, and delivery partners to further the Uniting the Movement strategy. 

Sport England research shows that some groups are typically less active – such as women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. Right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity – and reap the rewards of being active – depend too much on your background, your gender, your bank balance, and your postcode. 

We will help to tackle these inequalities through several key initiatives. Bolstering our data and insights programme, we will be able to make evidence-based targets and interventions in volleyball pathways, ensuring barriers to participation are overcome.  

We will support and encourage place-based development by those who understand the communities they operate in – volleyball clubs. 

And we will continue our programme of digital transformation to improve our interactions with existing and prospective customers. 

These are also key focuses of our strategy, The Game Plan. 

Over £193 million is being invested for this first group of 43 partners, including Volleyball England. This new funding model from Sport England provides longer-term financial security as organisations recover and reinvent from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “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.  

“Volleyball England 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. They will also act as a resource for other innovative organisations with the same goals as we seek to create a more equal society with everyone benefitting from sport and physical activity.” 

Sue Storey, CEO of Volleyball England, said: “Sport England is our biggest partner and so I’m delighted that we have been successful in applying for funding to help them on their mission to tackle inequalities. 

“This investment represents a continuation of the same financial support we received in the previous period and will help us to transform lives and communities through volleyball.”