Applications have opened in Reading for the 2025 GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) awards.
The largest athlete programme of its kind in the UK, GSF awards include financial help, access to sport facilities, physiotherapy, lifestyle mentoring and mental health wellbeing support.
In 2024, 51talented individuals in the Reading area won awards – among them Olympic Bronze Medallist rower Rowan McKellar; sprinter Oloruntobi Ayorinde; heptathlete Jordanna Morrish and gymnast Erin Alleyne.
According to research carried out by OnePoll on behalf of GSF in November 2024, two thirds of the 2000 people surveyed (66%) say they believe more should be done to support Britain’s talented young athletes achieve sporting success and over a quarter (27%) say that a career in sport offers great opportunities to younger people from under privileged backgrounds.
Operating under the Better brand, GLL is the not-for-profit social enterprise that runs four leisure centres in Reading on behalf of Reading Borough Council.
“It’s a real privilege to see the difference GSF awards can make in helping talented sportsmen and women achieve their potential,” said GLL Community Sport Manager Stephanie Smith.
“The scheme is now in its seventeenth year and thousands of athletes in the Reading area and beyond have benefited from the wide-ranging support available during that time.
“Sporting success is a great source of national pride and I’m proud to be part of an organisation that actively encourages sporting excellence in such a practical, hands-on way.”
The deadline for GSF Awards applications is 20 February 2025. For more information and an application form, go to www.gllsportfoundation.co.uk
