England Golf awarded £12.8 million Sport England grant

England Golf has welcomed the award of a £12.8 million grant by Sport England which will be used to develop the sport over the next four years (2009-13).

The grant is a significant increase on the £8.2 million awarded for the previous period and together with club and coaching funding already secured means that more than £14 million will be available to support development programmes at every level of the game.

Bill Bryce, Chairman of the England Golf Partnership, said: “We are delighted with the support shown by Sport England at a time when funding is increasingly under pressure. It is testament to the progress made by all of the partners in meeting the challenge to deliver sustainable growth throughout the game.”

“We look forward to sitting down with Sport England in the New Year to refine our proposals and beginning work on the core objectives of getting more people playing the game and to increase the frequency and enjoyment of those already participating.”

The funding will be used across key projects including developing support to the 26 County Golf Partnerships already in place and those being formed, together with the launch of new programmes aimed at increasing participation among key audiences such as women.

England Golf is a partnership between the English Golf Union, the English Women’s Golf Association and the PGA with the support of the Golf Foundation and Sport England.

County Golf Partnerships are an initiative that have been introduced via England Golf’s ‘Whole Sport Plan’ for golf and are an integral part of England Golf’s vision to ‘Grow the Game’.