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Wolverhampton University awarded £100k sports grant

A university has been granted more than £100,000 in National Lottery funding to help get its students involved in sport.

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The University of Wolverhampton is one of 54 educational establishments to benefit from nearly £10 million of funding to help get around 180,000 new students playing sport.

The Try It, Love It, Live It project delivers six key sports - basketball, football (including disability football), badminton, volleyball, cricket and table tennis.

The idea is that sessions are put on so that people can turn up and play and also be given the ways and means to continue with activity throughout the duration of their university life and beyond.

In total, the university's project has received £116,000 over a three-year period starting in October from Sport England's University Sport Activation Fund. The total cost of the project is £180,000 with the rest of the funding from the university.

Kay Biscomb, director of the university's Institute of Sport, said: "We are delighted that our bid has been successful. This is a new development for the Institute of Sport and demonstrates our commitment to enhancing the student sporting experience at the University of Wolverhampton."

A mix of sessions will be held on a weekly basis at both Wolverhampton and Walsall campuses.

The project will also include training of students to become coaches, volunteers, activators and officials.

It will be co-ordinated by the university's Institute of Sport with the creation of a new full-time post of sports participation officer who will work closely with the Students' Union and outside national governing bodies and organisations to assist with the implementation of the plan.

Sport England Director of Community Sport, Mike Diaper, said: "We know universities play a vital role in maintaining and growing a student's love of sport. They can encourage them to continue playing once they've left school or help those less sporty discover a new sport. By investing in the university of Wolverhampton we're helping students develop a lifelong sporting habit while they study."

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