Sports clubs and talented athletes are running out of time to apply for funding from the new Nottinghamshire County Council new Sports Fund.

It’s hoped that England’s Ashes win, the forthcoming Rugby World Cup and golden performances by Team GB at the World Athletics Championships will inspire more bids to come forward before the 7 September deadline.

The Sports Fund aims to help talented individuals overcome some of the financial barriers associated with being an international level athlete, as well as providing support to local clubs for initiatives to get more people involved in sport and recruit and develop the roles of new and existing coaches and volunteers.

Applications must be submitted online at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/sportsfund2015 before 7 September.

There are four categories of funding available:
•Grants of up to £400 for Talented Athletes who have represented their country in a sport recognised by Sport England within the last eight months and/or ranked in the top five nationally in their age group.
•Grants of up to £1,000 for Sports Club Participation projects aimed at increasing the number of people taking part or the diversity of club membership.
•Grants of up to £250 for Sports Clubs Developing Volunteers schemes, to train people to become qualified officials, endorsed by a sport’s governing body.
•Grants of up to £400 for Sports Clubs Coachingschemes, which will help train individuals to become qualified level one and level two coaches.

Grants can be for a variety of uses, including specialist coaching, competition entry fees for individuals or facility hire and extra equipment for clubs.

The Sports Fund brings together the previous Rising Stars and Community Sports Fund programmes into a one-stop shop of financial support for the Nottinghamshire sporting community.

Grant-Aid Sub Committee Chairman, Councillor Joyce Bosnjak, said: “Our Sports Fund grant schemes play a vital role, both in creating opportunities for people to take part in sport at a grassroots level and through funding our most talented athletes, whose success inspires others from throughout the county.

“There’s been an encouraging response to our appeal for applications for support from the Sports Fund so far, but we’re particularly keen to hear from more disability and women’s sports clubs if possible.

“We’re also anticipating a surge of interest in rugby, following the forthcoming World Cup, so it would be great to get applications from local teams who need help to prepare for the demand that this might generate.

“I am proud that Nottinghamshire County Council continues to value sport and play an important role in helping local athletes and clubs succeed, as it has for many years.”