ADP ATHLETES INVITED TO APPLY FOR SPORTSAID (ENGLAND) 2022-23

BF invites ADP athletes to apply for SportsAid support for the year 2022-23

Athletes who have signed up for, and paid the annual subscription for the Athlete Development Programme for the 2022-23 season will be invited to apply for SportsAid Core awards or Backing the Best awards.

The invitation to apply will be emailed to all registered athletes on the ADP, with athletes encouraged to check their email inboxes, especially junk or spam inboxes. Athletes who have signed up for and paid the annual subscription for the ADP but have not received an email by Wednesday 2nd November 2022 should contact [email protected]

THE SPORTSAID AWARDS

SportsAid is a charity that aims to support talented young athletes in England. It does this by nominating athletes for awards, which provide access to a variety of resources including webinars, workshops for parents and athletes, and access to resources to support their growth as athletes. In addition to this, there is the possibility of financial support, but this is not guaranteed.

There are two awards that athletes will be able to apply for, an athlete may apply for both, but can only be in receipt of one award. BF has a limited number that it can nominate to SportsAid. For 2022-23, that number is as follows:

Core Awards:
Wheelchair fencing – 4
Non-disabled fencing – 8

Backing the Best Awards – 10

The differences in each award are detailed below, followed by the eligibility criteria:

CORE AWARD

The SportsAid Core award is funded through charitable donations, and in addition to the support detailed above, athletes have the potential for a financial award of up to £1,000. This is dependent on SportsAid’s ability to raise funding, and means that an athlete may receive all, part or none of that amount. However, they will be able to access the additional support that SportsAid offers, regardless of whether the athlete receives any financial support or not.

BACKING THE BEST

The Backing the Best Award is designed to provide assistance to the highest potential athletes who, due to financial constraints, may otherwise struggle to compete or train. In addition to the support detailed above, a Backing the Best award will come with financial support of up to £5,000. In order to ensure that support is going to those most in need, in addition to the eligibility criteria laid out below, Backing the Best applications will only be accepted from households that have a gross annual income of less than £55,000.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

SportsAid awards are aimed at supporting athletes who have ambitions to compete at the highest level, representing Great Britain at Senior World Championship, Olympic or Paralympic level. With this in mind, an athlete should consider applying for a SportsAid award if they meet the following criteria –

• Have been competing on the European Cadet Circuit, Junior World Cup Circuit (excluding Manchester Cadet Foil International, London Cadet Sabre International and Eden Cup), and IWAS Wheelchair Fencing circuit for the last year.
• Reasonable expectation to be selected for the Cadet or Junior European Championships 2023, or of having achieved the qualification criteria.
• Reasonable expectation to be selected for the Cadet or Junior World Championships 2023, or of having achieved the qualification criteria.
• Reasonable expectation of selection for the U23 European Championships 2023 and be aged under 21 – Backing the Best only.
• Reasonable expectation of selection for the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing European and World Championships 2022-23 – Wheelchair Fencing only.

For both of these awards, there are limited places available, this means that should more applications be received than there are spaces available, the following criteria will be used to prioritise athletes for support:

1. Evidence of meeting the qualifying standards for the Junior European or World Championships.
2. Evidence of meeting the qualifying standards for the Cadet European or World Championships.
3. Evidence of meeting the qualifying standards for the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing European or World Championships – Wheelchair Fencing only.
4. Attendance at Athlete Development training camps.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

An athlete is considered eligible for a SportsAid award if they meet the following criteria:

• Be a member of British Fencing’s Athlete Development Programme for the year 2022-23.
• Be in structured education.
• For Core Award – be under 18 years of age (or 35 years if competing in Wheelchair Fencing).
• For Backing the Best – be under 21 years of age.
• Have a realistic prospect of meeting one or more of the performance standards set out above.
• Hold a UK passport.
• Represent England as their home nation. Scottish and Welsh athletes should apply for SportsAid Scotland and SportsAid Wales respectively, while Northern Irish athletes should consider applying to the Mary Peters Trust. For more information about these programmes please go to – https://www.britishfencing.com/athlete-development-programme-zone/athlete-funding-support/.
• If an athlete is in receipt of a TASS award, they are ineligible for a SportsAid Core Award.
• If an athlete is currently enrolled on the DiSE programme, they are ineligible for any SportsAid award.
• If an athlete is a recipient of UK Sport funding, either individually or through a World Class Programme, they are ineligible for any SportsAid award.

TIMELINE

Monday 31st October 2022 – Applications open for SportsAid Core or Backing the Best

Friday 11th November 2022, 17:00  – Deadline for applications

Week beginning Monday 28th November 2022 – Applicants informed if they are successful or unsuccessful

March 2023 – Financial support begins for successful applicants

WHAT ABOUT ATHLETES WHO DO NOT REPRESENT ENGLAND?

Athletes who are not based in or representing England, should look at the athlete funding page of the ADP Zone, which details funding opportunities for athletes across all the Home Nations.

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