The
University is one of 54 universities to benefit from almost £10 million of
funding aimed at getting nearly 180,000 new students playing sport.
The
funding will directly benefit the University’s IN2Sport programme, run in
partnership with Nottingham Trent University. IN2Sport will offer students the
chance to take part in sport without the commitment of regular training. Weekly
sessions in sports such as badminton, futsal, netball, handball, rounders,
tennis and lacrosse will be offered at both universities with sessions run by
student volunteers.
The
programme targets those students who are interested in
sport but may not wish to play in a university team, those who have been
unsuccessful at club trials as well as students who are unsure of their
standard of play or want to move up a level from what they are already doing.
Sam
Bell-Minogue, Assistant Director of Sport (Participation) at the University,
said: “This Lottery funding means we can provide an inclusive programme for all
university students. Having listened to the students’ voice we can now offer
them access to sport-specific coaches in a broad range of activities, inspiring
them to start and enjoy sport and increase their levels of activity.
“We
believe IN2Sport will improve the health and well-being of our students,
raising their aspirations and their quality of life.”
Currently
just over half of higher education students take part in sport at least once a
week. The funding will support projects to increase this level of participation
by trialling new methods of getting students into sport and offering a wider variety
of opportunities to keep them playing sport during their time at
university. It will also help tackle the issue of many young people
giving up sport in their late teens and early twenties.
Sport
England Director of Community Sport, Mike Diaper, said: “We know universities
play a vital role in maintaining and growing a student’s love of sport. They
can encourage them to continue playing once they’ve left school or help those
less sporty discover a new sport. By investing in The
University of Nottingham we’re helping students develop a lifelong sporting
habit while they study.”
Karen
Rothery, Chief Executive of British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS),
said: “Universities have really risen to the challenge to increase sport
participation, firstly through Active Universities, and now through the
University Sport Activation Fund. We at BUCS are delighted that our work with
Sport England over the past five years has resulted in such a success story,
and are confident that we will continue to enhance the student experience
through sport in many creative ways throughout the life of the University Sport
Activation Fund delivery.”
This
project forms only a small part of The University of Nottingham’s six year
vision for sport. Over the past year a significant amount of funding has
allowed improvements of the facilities at both the Jubilee Campus and Grove
Farm sports fields. These projects play a large part enhancing student sporting
experience and the delivery of a wide range and breadth of activity through
programmes such as IN2Sport.
— Ends —
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Notes to editors: The University
of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to
a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a
headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good
University Guide 2014). It is also the most popular university in the UK
among graduate
employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution
to Sustainable Development’. It is
ranked in the World’s Top 75 universities by the QS World University Rankings.
Impact:
The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will
deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape
the future. More news…
Sport England is focused on helping people
and communities across the country create a sporting habit for life. We will
invest over £1 billion of National Lottery and Exchequer funding between 2012
and 2017 in organisations and projects that will:
- Help more people have a sporting
habit for life
- Create more opportunities for
young people to play sport
- Nurture and develop talent
- Provide the right facilities in
the right places
- Support local authorities and unlock
local funding
- Ensure real opportunities for
communities.
The
National Lottery has been changing lives for 18 years. Every week
National Lottery players raise over £30 million to help change people's lives
across the UK.