Sports Council Grant Aid: how local athletes are using their funding

In Elmbridge, we want to ensure that everyone, regardless of their personal circumstances, can enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle to enhance their physical and mental wellbeing. We are committed to helping local athletes with training and equipment expenses so they can achieve their full potential in their chosen sports.

We recognise that rising costs can be a barrier for sportspeople to access training, purchase equipment, or travel to competitions. Therefore, we are pleased to offer our annual Sport Grant Aid, with a total of £10,000 available each year for clubs and individual athletes. Clubs can apply for up £750 and individuals £350.

We are excited to share updates from the individual athletes who successfully applied in 2024 and how they have used their funding:

Henry M., age 11
Sport: Swimming
Club: Elmbridge Phoenix Swimming Club
Achievements: Ranked 1st in the country for 50m Butterfly, 2nd for 100m Freestyle. Competed in regionals with 5 events at age 10. Ranked 1st in Surrey for multiple events and achieved 11 auto entry times. Won 2 golds and 4 silvers in the 2024 counties. Henry aims to win more medals in the 2025 Surrey County Championships and a medal at the South-East Regionals.
Funding Use: Coaching, entry fees, new fins, and goggles.

Mai S., age 16
Sport: Ice Hockey
Club/Teams: GB U16 and U18, Guildford Lightning, Bracknell Fire Bees, Guildford Firekings U18s
Achievements: Selected for an England U15s tournament in Bratislava in June 2023 and for Great Britain U16s in the Netherlands in May 2024. Recently selected to play for Great Britain U18s in a tournament in Dumfries against Spain.
Future Goals: Mai hopes to continue improving her game and aspires to become a sports physiotherapist and coach.
Funding Use: Additional kit for her first international tournament with the England U15s team in Bratislava and travel expenses for a hockey camp in Sweden.

Matthew M. age 17
Sport: Athletics (800m, 1500m)
Club: Walton Athletics Club
Achievements: Current U18 European 800m Gold Medallist and the second fastest U18 800m runner with a time of 1:46. Training towards making the U20 European Team 2025.
Funding Use: Track, gym, and pool training.

Janice F., age 71
Sport: Triathlon
Club: Elmbridge Road Runners
Achievements: Lifelong swimmer, started running in her 50s, competed in her first triathlon at 60. Selected for her first GB representative triathlon at the European Championships in Glasgow in 2018. Competed in four World Championships as a member of the GB Age Group Team. Despite being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and breaking three metatarsals in her foot in May 2024, she competed in and completed the World Championships in October 2024.
Future Goals: Resumed limited training and hopes to qualify for the 2026 European or World Championships.
Funding Use: Entrance fee and insurance costs for the 2024 Triathlon Age Group World Championships.

Sophie M., age 26
Sport: Athletics (Discus)
Club: Walton Athletics Club
Achievements: English Schools National Championships U15 Girls Discus Record Holder, South of England Regional Championships U17 Girls Discus Record Holder, 27 Surrey County records in discus and hammer.
Future goals: Break the 50m barrier in discus throw (current best performance 49.49m), finish top 4 at the England Senior Athletics Championships for discus, and top 8 in the UK Power of 10 rankings. Ultimately aiming for selection for the Commonwealth Games.

Lucia H., age 17
Sport: Hockey
Club: Surbiton Hockey Club
Achievements: Won the Talent Academy Festival with Surbiton Hockey Club and played in London's Premier League in the 2024 season.
Future goals: Train with England Age Group coaches.
Funding use: Travel expenses and new year's membership fees.

William S., age 17
Sport: Canoeing
Club: Elmbridge Canoe Club
Achievements: 2023 National Champion U16 – K1 Gold, 2023 National Champion U18 – K2 Gold, 2023 World Championship Selection, 2024 National Championship K1 & K2 Silver, 2024 European Championships – K1 Junior Men 6th Place, 2024 World Championship – K2 Junior Men Silver.
Future Goals: Medal at both the European and World Championships in 2025.
Funding use: Essential training kit.

Councillor Simon Waugh, Portfolio for Leisure, Culture and Commercial Strategy, stated, “Coaching and related costs are rising, making training and competing in performance sport very challenging. We are proud to continue this fund to help as many of Elmbridge's talented sportspeople as possible. We have a strong history of sporting success in the borough and want to see even more athletes follow in the footsteps of inspirational sports stars.”

The next round of Sports Grant Aid funding will be available from April to May 2025. If you are a sports club or an individual athlete needing funding, please visit our sports funding web page. For further assistance, email sport@elmbridge.gov.uk or call 01372 474570.