SportsAid

Application/Nomination Process

There is not a direct application process as athletes are nominated automatically by Badminton England in November every year based on the applicable sport criteria, with SportsAid then directly contacting those nominated athletes to request completion of an online nomination form.

The deadline for athletes to complete their online nomination is 2 December 2019, with any successful athlete awards being provided to athletes between January and June of the following year.  N.B nomination to SportsAid is not a guarantee of a funding Award.

If you would like to find out more, please visit the SportsAid website for further information.

Backing the Best Award

Backing the Best (BTB) Awards were launched by Sport England and SportsAid in 2015 following provision of National Lottery funding, with the aim of making England talent pathways more inclusive.  The Award aims to support talented athletes who also experience financial hardship – this can be through one-off or longer-term bursary awards based on athlete circumstance.  Further information on this initiative can be found on the SportsAid website (link above).

In order for a player to be nominated by Badminton England for an Award, the player should meet the below criteria and the nomination to Badminton England must come via the player’s Coach;

Eligibility Criteria for Nominees:

Nominees must meet all of the following as per SportsAid’s BTB eligibility criteria:

1. Be currently facing severe financial hardship and not able to meet the costs of competing in their sport.  Gross household income should be less than £55,000.
2. Be English – primarily living and training in England.
3. Have a valid British passport and eligible to compete for England and/or Great Britain.
4. Be typically aged between 12 and 18 years for non-disabled and up to 35 years for disabled athletes.
5. Be in some form of structured education or apprenticeship programme.

The athlete should also meet one or more of the following sport criteria;

1. Be a current member of the England Junior Performance Pathway or;
2. Have been selected for an England representative Event in the last 12 months from the date of the deadline for nominations or;
3. Have won a National Age Group title in the last 12 months from the date of the deadline for nominations or;
4. Be ranked top 5 in the age group ranking lists

NB Athletes receiving a Backing the Best Award cannot also be in receipt of a SportsAid Award

Application/Nomination Process

Provision of the following information/evidence via email from a player’s Coach would need to be provided to Nikki Tarrant by the deadline date specified below;

• Player Name
• DOB
• Contact email address for the parent/guardian
• Confirmation of which sport criterion the athlete meets as per 1-4 above
• Confirmation of which of the above sport criteria the player meets

Process for Nominations

Nomination of a player must be received from a player’s Coach.  Accepted nominees by SportsAid, based on the quota made available to Badminton England by SportsAid (max. 10 for 2019-20), will then be directly contacted (via email to their parent/guardian) to request completion of athlete profile information online.  Following that, athletes/parents would be asked to complete a ‘Supporting Information’ form and a basic means test will be completed to ensure the funding goes to those most in need.

N.B Please note that a submission to Badminton England does not guarantee a nomination to SportsAid and additionally that a nomination to SportsAid does not guarantee an Award will be found.

Deadline For Nominations

Nominations are to be received by Nikki Tarrant by Monday 18 November 2019 at the very latest (nikkitarrant@badmintonengland.co.uk)