Welcome to the Lee Valley Sports Development Team, dedicated to increasing participation, sporting opportunities and performance pathways throughout the Lee Valley Regional Park, London, Hertfordshire and Essex.
The Lee Valley Sports Development team have 30 years experience between them of working within sports development, as well as experience in elite, professional sport. The team are at the heart of the London 2012 Legacy, with four Olympic and Paralympic Venues to activate.
The team have the following main roles across Lee Valley Park:
- Increase community engagement in sport
- Improve existing sport and physical leisure opportunities
- Supporting high achievement through our centres of excellence
- Contributing to development projects
- Activating sustainable legacy across Paddlesport, Cycling, Tennis and Hockey
QUEST – Quality Award
QUEST is the national quality scheme for sports and leisure within the United Kingdom. In 2011 Lee Valley Sports Development Team received an ‘Excellence’ score of 86%, an improvement of 13% from 2009.
The team are committed to continuously improve their standards and quality of programmes. QUEST is a great way to quantify their achievement, success and progression.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (the Authority) has a 10 year plan for sport and leisure, 'Sports and Leisure for the Next 10 Years'.
The key principles are:-
- Improving existing sports and leisure opportunities by working in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors
- Encouraging and assisting high achievement by providing regional centres of excellence in a number of sports
- Using the Authority’s resources to raise external funding and to contribute to development projects
Grants
The Authority has an annual grant budget which is awarded to sport projects that demonstrate how they will contribute to the development of the Lee Valley Regional Park as a regional centre for sports development. This can range from supporting sports agencies within the region, to sports clubs and individual athlete support. Applicants must show that their activities meet the following:-
- Assist in progress to high achievement producing winners and champions of the future
- Show a commitment to a junior development programme
- Have a pathway to excellence level sport
- Link to a National Governing Body and using qualified coaches
- Are committed to and operate within Equity and Child Protection principles
Applications for support need to meet stipulated criteria to show how they contribute to the delivery of the Authority’s objectives, which includes the government’s wider objectives for sport.
The application process is relatively simple:-
- Complete an application form. To ensure you do this effectively and that your application shows the added value that a grant will bring to your project, you are advised to discuss this with the Sports Development Officer
- If the Authority agrees to fund your application, it will send you a formal agreement to sign. This will set out any specific conditions, for instance, the promotion of Authority support at suitable events
- The funding / support will then be release.
- Once the funding comes to an end, the Authority will request a detailed report outlining how the funding was used and that it made a positive difference. This will be a key factor in future funding decisions.
For an informal discussion regarding the grant programme or for submitting the application forms please contact the Sports Development Officer (details below):
The Authority’s Sports Development programme can help you:
- find places to play sport
- source funding
- raise your profile
- help create networks
- promote your activities
- help deliver winners and champions of the future
- help organise events
- host events
Achievements of the sports development programme to date
Those who have recently benefited from the grant programme include:-
- Stars of the Future programme for talented young golfers
- Junior synchronised skating team at Lee Valley London Skating club
- Hertfordshire Player Support Programme to benefit 170 talented athletes across sports
- a talented young female golfer
- Beaumont Diving Academy in Hertfordshire
- Enfield and Haringey Athletics Club
- A scheme to halt the drop out in Girls playing sport after leaving school in partnership with Proactive East London (based in Tower Hamlets)
Sports Development by area / venue
For facility related sports development please refer to the relevant page on the website:
Partnership Working
The Authority also works in partnership with a number of agencies to assist in the delivery of it’s objectives and deliver theirs
To discuss any area of the Authority's work in sports development please contact:
David Chalfen
Sports Development Officer
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Myddelton House
Bulls Cross
Enfield
Middlesex
EN2 9HG
Tel: 01992 709902
For more information on what the team are doing make sure you check out facebook and twitter:
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