More than 3850 Young People in the Black Country Benefit from Olympic Legacy Programme

A year on from winning two Olympic gold medals at London 2012, cyclist Jason Kenny was today celebrating a legacy programme that’s helped more than a quarter of a million young people to get involved in sport.

New figures published by Sport England show 256,297 teenagers and young adults have so far benefitted from free or discounted six-to-eight week courses in 70 different sports through Sportivate. This includes more than 3,850 young people in the Black Country who have joined in with a wide range of Sportivate projects happening in their area, 3,174 of whom missed no more than one session.

Backed by National Lottery funding, Sportivate aims to give young people who currently aren’t playing sport in their own time the chance to find a sport they like. The young people are then helped to find a club or other venue where they can keep taking part.

Jason Kenny only got into cycling by chance when his uncle booked a velodrome for a cycling event and ended up with a couple of spare spaces which gave Jason and his brother the chance to give it a go.

Jason said: "I stumbled into cycling and fell in love with the sport instantly. Not everybody has had the opportunities that I have had but this is what is so great about Sportivate.  It offers young people the chance to try new sports with the help of fantastic coaches. I would encourage all young people to get out there and find a sport they enjoy.”

One of the young people in the Black Country who has got hooked on sport after trying out the Soccersize sessions run by Urban Kickz says the confidence she’s gained through attending the Sportivate sessions has really changed her attitude to sport and life. She reports feeling a new found confidence that she can do more do things now than before and is not afraid to try new things. She said "it was something that I had never tried before and it made me realise that sport can be fun. I made new friends, have lost weight and feel better about myself after taking part in the sessions and it was a great laugh.”

Alex Martin, Cardio Tennis Coach on the Black Country Sportivate programme said: "Getting people into sport is really important, giving them something totally different to do can motivate them, whether it be looking for a job, staying in or going back to education or just trying to get a bit fitter, programmes like Sportivate are perfect to help us do this.”

Research shows that eight out of 10 of the young people are sticking with sport three months after they’ve completed their Sportivate course.

Sport England’s Director of Community Sport, Mike Diaper, said: "The key to Sportivate’s success has been listening to what young people want from sport locally and then offering a great sporting experience at times and places that fit with their lives.”

Sportivate is being delivered in the Black Country by the Black Country BeActive Partnership, working with local clubs and providers.

The Director of the Black Country BeActive Partnership, Simon Hall said: "We are proud of the London 2012 legacy in the Black Country, which has seen more young people being supported to get involved in sport through programmes like Sportivate, more schools doing school sport and competitions, more volunteers, better clubs and more adults taking part in sport programmes. We will work to ensure that the legacy effect lasts longer than this first year and I look forward to still talking about the impact of the legacy in 2017”