GLL, the charitable social enterprise and worker-owned co-op that operates Better leisure centres across the North East, is inviting athletes from the region to apply for funding from the largest athlete support programme of its kind in the UK. Awards include financial bursaries, free access to gyms, pools and other sports facilities, physiotherapy, lifestyle mentoring and mental health wellbeing support.
Celebrating its 18th Year, the GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) Awards 2026 are now bigger and better than ever. A record-breaking £2m of bursaries and 'in kind' support for 2026 will enable talented young athletes to take part in the UK's largest scheme of its kind.
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.
In 2025, 58 talented individuals from the North East secured awards through the programme totalling £40,000 including Anna Nicholson who lives in Chester le Street and trains at Gateshead International Stadium and Heworth Leisure Centre.
In October 2025, Anna, who has cerebral palsy, competed at her third World Para Athletics Championships winning her first medal, bronze, with a PB throw of 9.58m in the F35 Shot Put. She has since been back in training and is focusing on the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.
Anna explained: “The GSF award gives me the opportunity to access all Better leisure facilities to train and work towards my goals without worrying about membership costs associated with using the track, gym and pool.
“The scheme has supported my athletics journey from being a very new athlete aged 16-years to competing in competitions across the country. The backing of GSF and other people having faith in me gave me the confidence and determination to believe that could I achieve anything I put my mind to.”
Alison Westworth, GLL’s Partnership Manager for Newcastle, said: “Our GSF Awards have always been about removing barriers and giving talented athletes the opportunity to fulfil their potential, providing a lifeline to individual athletes as well as inspiring other young people in local communities.
"We’re incredibly proud to be supporting athletes across the North East and these awards can be truly transformational for sportspeople at a crucial stage in their development. We encourage as many people as possible to look into the scheme and find out how they may benefit from our support."
The GSF Awards support a range of disciplines in the North East including swimming, athletics, netball, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, shooting, basketball, gymnastics, disc golf and wrestling.
The innovative sports programme has for nearly two decades proved a popular and essential support programme for athletes battling the high costs of training, travel and equipment needed for their sporting journey.
All successful applicants will be given access to the 250 sport and leisure facilities across the UK operated by GLL under its "Better" trading brand.
It has always been a core mission of the GSF programme to support young emerging talent on their sporting journey, with the majority of athletes aged under the age of 21 and the largest cohort under 18 years old. Across the programme, 88% of athletes who receive GSF Awards receive no other funding or athlete support, which underlines the importance of the scheme to its athletes - and to GLL's social values”.
With the success of UK's athletes inspiring national pride as well as widening and deepening the positive impact of sport in local communities, the GSF makes a firm claim to be the most successful independent athlete support programme of its kind in the UK.
The GSF has supported many successful athletes, including Tom Daley, Ellie Simmonds, Anthony Joshua and Kimberley Woods. Past and present GSF athletes won 77 medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
With major events such as the Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games in 2026, the programme continues to inspire both elite performance and community engagement.
The GLL Sport Foundation's Patron is Sally Gunnell, OBE, and partners involved in the programme include; Mary Peters Trust, SportsAid, SportsAid Wales, sponsors from GLL's supply chain and Switch The Play Foundation.
Applications are open until 20th February 2026.
For more information, go to: www.gllsportfoundation.org
