FAQs
SportsAid Award
SportsAid aims to support the right athletes, at the right time, with the right support. We do this through the distribution of awards of up to £1,000 to help alleviate the financial challenges that can so often be a barrier to success. In addition, the charity supports athletes (and their families) through a broad curriculum of personal development and learning opportunities. These can be accessed free of charge by all those nominated to SportsAid by their National Governing Body (NGB), regardless of whether they receive a financial award.
The number of athletes nominated to SportsAid varies each year. We typically support between 700-1,000 athletes annually.
The distribution of the SportsAid national awards is done so in yearly cycles. Athletes who are nominated to SportsAid in the Autumn of each year will be supported by the charity for a 12-month period until the next round of nominations are received. Athletes who meet the nomination criteria can continue to be supported by SportsAid. However, this is at the discretion of their NGB.
SportsAid recognises the broad and diverse range of skills needed to become a high-performance athlete. We have curated a series of in-person workshops and online sessions which cover many of the key components essential to support an athlete’s development in top-level sport. These sessions also create a unique opportunity to interact with different people from different sports and is a fantastic platform for cross-sport learning. Athletes are encouraged to attend these workshops and will be notified via email when they are due to take place. Please contact athlete@sportsaid.org.uk for further details on the different types of sessions run by SportsAid.
SportsAid is only able to make financial awards thanks to the money generated through fundraising, donations and partnerships with commercial companies, charitable trusts and foundations. SportsAid is fortunate to work with many amazing people and organisations with a passion for supporting talented athletes and helping them to achieve their ambitions. When an athlete receives an award, they have an opportunity to interact with their funding partner, with many offering one-to-one mentoring or even workplace experience.
The financial element of SportsAid awards are fundraised for, and distributed to nominated athletes, all the way until the end of September. Please be assured we are doing all that we can to try and secure an award for you.
Your first step would be to check on our website. Please search for the ‘Sports we Support’ section and see if your sport is listed. If it is, please refer to the NGB contact and nomination criteria on the page for the relevant sport. SportsAid only supports unfunded athletes who are nominated by their sport's NGB. Meeting the nomination criteria does not necessarily guarantee the financial element of a SportsAid award because the charity can only distribute what it has fundraised. If your sport is not listed, unfortunately we are unable to assist at present. We align our support to those sports and disciplines which receive Sport England Talent and/or UK Sport funding. This is to enable our processes to be as informed and targeted as possible.
SportsAid is proud to work with a diverse range of sports. All athletes who are nominated to the charity are done so by a dedicated representative from their NGB, who are responsible for the Talent Pathways of their sport. All nominations are managed by SportsAid’s Online Nomination System (ONS). Nominations are typically received between November and December each year. Please visit our ‘Sports we Support’ section if you would like to know more information about the nomination criteria for your sport.
Backing The Best Award
Backing The Best Awards are supported by National Lottery funding distributed by Sport England. SportsAid delivers the Backing The Best programme on behalf of Sport England.
Backing The Best athletes are invited to attend a yearly workshop where they are given expert advice on performance lifestyle management, nutrition, sports psychology and telling their story through the media. Parents also have their own specially adapted sessions focusing on these areas - as well as a discussion on growing relationships with prospective sponsors.
The number of athletes nominated for a Backing The Best award varies each year. We typically support up to 300 athletes annually.
The award is paid by BACS on receipt of an athlete’s award spend plan. This comes in four instalments in April, July, October and January.
Athlete must complete a four quarterly award spend plan in collaboration with their NGB, coach and parent/guardian. Typically, the award will be spent on….
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Essential equipment/ kit
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Training camps
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Competition entry fees
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Transport costs to training and competitions
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Specialist coaching recommended by the NGB
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Strength and conditioning coaching
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Physiotherapy
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Nutrition specifically for sport
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Medical expenses due to injury acquired
Nominees must….
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Be currently facing severe financial hardship and not able to meet the costs of competing in their sport
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Have a gross household income less than £55,000 (regional variations will be taken into consideration)
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Primarily living and training in England
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Be eligible to compete for England and/or Great Britain (including athletes with a leave to remain status)
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Be typically aged between 12 and 18 years old for non-disability sports and up to 35 years for disability sports
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Be deemed as talented with potential by their NGB
Typically athletes will be one of the following….
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Already highly ranked in their national age group rankings
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A member of a GB/England age group team or have significant potential to be selected
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Not be receiving individual World Class funding as a Podium or Podium Potential athlete
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Athletes who have received - or are receiving - a SportsAid athlete award, TASS award or DiSE, may be eligible for support
SportsAid is proud to work with a diverse range of sports. All athletes who are nominated to the charity are done so by a dedicated representative from their NGB, who are responsible for the Talent Pathways of their sport. All nominations are managed by SportsAid’s Online Nomination System (ONS). Nominations are typically received between November and December each year. Please visit our ‘Sports we Support’ section if you would like to know more information about the nomination criteria for your sport.
The award is valid for one year, after which the NGB can nominate the athlete again the following year (subject to meeting the eligibility criteria). The distribution of Backing The Best awards is done so in yearly cycles. Athletes who are nominated to SportsAid in the autumn of each year will be supported by the charity for a 12-month period until the next round of nominations are received. An athlete is typically expected to move on to Podium Potential (or equivalent) funding after no more than three years of receiving a Backing The Best Award.
The Backing The Best programme, managed by SportsAid for Sport England, supports athletes who would face difficulties progressing through their sport’s talent development system without critical financial help. The award is in recognition of an athlete’s sporting talent and potential. Equally, we recognise the increasing cost of high-performance sport and the Backing The Best award should enable an athlete to thrive in their sport, regardless of their socio-economic background.
