sport £18m football facility fund launched


Te Football Foundation has launched a new grant scheme which will invest in the devel- opment of new and enhanced local sports facilities across England and Wales. Funded by the Premier


League and delivered by the Football Foundation, The Premier League Community Facility Fund (PLCFF) will invest £18m into new or refur- bished sports facilities over the next three years. It is open to all football club


community-led organisations from the Premier League, Football League, Football Conference, and the Conference’s North and South divisions. Te first facility to benefit from the fund is


Stretford High School in Lancashire, where a new, full-size floodlit third-generation artifi- cial grass pitch has been built with the help of a £350,000 grant.


Te funding will invest £18m into grassroots facilities over three years Located less than a mile from Old Trafford


stadium, Te Manchester United Foundation is a key partner in the project. Te foundation will have 10 hours’ free use of the facility each week and will see Kickz community project sessions being delivered at the site by the end of the first year. Details: http://lei.sr?a=z8v4T


Olympics helped pull the UK out of recession


The UK is officially out of recession – partly thanks to the economic boost provided by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Figures from the Office


for National Statistics (ONS) show that the UK economy grew by 1 per cent during Q3 2012 (the period from July to September) – an increase significantly more than economists had expected. Among the sectors showing


growth during the period were hospitality and tourism. Hotels showed greater activ-


Te London 2012 Games offered a significant boost to the UK’s economy


ity, with higher revenues in July and August being attributed to the Olympics. The arts and entertainment sector has


also been showing strength for some time with further growth in the most recent


quarter. According to the ONS report, there was evidence from survey returns that out- put in the cultural sector was “higher in July and August because of the Olympics”. Details: http://lei.sr?a=a4D1n


Active Universities attracts 46,000 students in first year


More than 46,000 university students have got involved in sport in the first year of Sport England’s Active Universities campaign. Te three-year, £8m project is part of work


to tackle the issue of drop-off in sports par- ticipation that sees many young people giving


© CYBERTREK 2012


up sport in their late teens and early twen- ties. Te first results from 40 funded projects across 49 universities have now been revealed and show how a range of sports have benefit- ted from an increase in people taking part. Details: http://lei.sr?a=i5l7g


Twitter: @leisureopps England will host the Rugby World cup in 2015


RFU plans £26m rugby legacy investment


Te Rugby Football Union (RFU) will invest £26m in developing the sport’s grassroots as part of a strategy to create a lasting legacy from the 2015 World Cup in England. Te RFU predicts an increase in inter-


est in rugby both during the run up and aſter the World Cup and is keen to capi- talise on it. Announcing the plans, RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie outlined seven areas of focus for the RFU in the lead up to 2015 and beyond. Te seven areas include a £10m facil-


ity fund to improve club equipment and facilities at more than 500 clubs across the country and a new £1m training fund which will deliver more than 6,500 newly quali- fied referees and coaches. Elsewhere, RFU’s All Schools programme


will ensure that more schools offer rugby while a target has been set to encour- age 15,000 new players to take up touch rugby. Tere will also be increased efforts to work with universities and employers to encourage ‘returning players’ – peo- ple aged 16-24 who might have played rugby at school but aren’t currently active. Details: http://lei.sr?a=H5S7x


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital 3


Caerphilly leisure facilities set for revamp


Leisure facilities in Caerphilly County Borough, south Wales, are set for a revamp as councillors meet to discuss a raſt of improvements. Te borough coun- cil’s Environment Scrutiny Committee is considering a range of investment ideas proposed by individual leisure managers. Suggested improvements include an


indoor 3G training surface at New Tredegar Leisure Centre; interactive water features, a play zone and slides for the pool at Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre; and a modular changing room at Bedwelty sports field. It has also been proposed that the ten-


nis courts at Risca Leisure Centre are converted in to a floodlit 3G area and that vibration training equipment is installed in fitness suites at Newbridge, Pontllanfraith and Risca Leisure Centres. Details: http://lei.sr?a=E8R7U


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