The GLL Sports Foundation has opened its annual award programme – last year 63 Waltham Forest athletes aged from nine to 50 received over £40,000 worth of support with their athletic career
The GLL Sports Foundation (GSF) has opened its annual award programme to talented athletes across Waltham Forest as part of its mission to support emerging sporting talent. In 2025, 63 local athletes aged from nine to 50 received over £40,000 worth of support in Waltham Forest.
Now in its 18th year, the GSF is the largest independent athlete support programme of its kind. All successful applicants are provided with access to the 250 sport and leisure facilities across the UK operated by GLL under its “Better” trading brand, as well as physiotherapy, lifestyle mentoring and mental health wellbeing support.
Priority is given to Olympic and Paralympic sports, but applications are also considered from any sport recognised by Sport England, Wales and Northern Ireland, from cheerleading to BMX.
Lucy Charles-Barclay, world ironman and triathlon champion, is Waltham Forest’s GSF ambassador. She says: “The GLL Sports Foundation is an excellent way for athletes to get support across a wide range of services. With access to amazing facilities, as well as physio and mental health wellbeing support, it can really make a difference to upcoming athletes and afford them opportunities that may not ordinarily have been available to them.”
At a national level, by April 2026 over 35,000 athlete awards and almost £20million worth of support will have been distributed to aspiring sportsmen and women since the scheme’s first awards in 2008. With major events such as the Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games in 2026, the programme continues to inspire both elite performance and community engagement.
GSF supported athletes have excelled in major competitions, winning over 162 Olympic and Paralympic medals and 146 Commonwealth Games medals. The GSF’s Patron is Sally Gunnell, OBE, and previous holders of GSF awards include diver Tom Daley, swimmer Ellie Simmons and boxer Anthony Joshua.
The awards are open now and close on 20th February 2026. Applicants can apply via the website
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