Earlier today British Cycling announced the news to tie in with their wider plans for quality, diversity and inclusion. The bursaries are being released with the aim of broadening access to cycling education initiatives. The further aim is to transform the diversity of Britain’s coaching workforce.
This month, British Cycling released its long-term strategy, Our Ride. It lays out their aims and priorities in seven key areas to ‘to embed equality, diversity and inclusion at all levels of the sport.’
The press release reads:
All new funding streams are now open, with applications sought in particular from women and girls, those aged 14-21, and clubs looking to provide inclusive opportunities for disabled people and people from diverse ethnic or LGBTQ+ backgrounds. Additional funding is also being made available to the British Cycling regions to support this work.
Despite an increase over recent years, women continue to represent only 33% of the coaching workforce. Of British Cycling’s volunteer workforce, 8.7% are from an ethnically diverse community and 11.6% have told British Cycling that they have a life-limiting illness or disability – compared with 17% and 17.8% of the general population, respectively.
The new funding streams are:
Flying Start Bursary: Targeted specifically at young people aged between 14 and 21-years-old. This bursary offers discounts of up to 70% off coaching courses. It is for those that are supporting cycling activity, either in a club, school, or community. 50% of the bursaries available are reserved for women and girls.
Ignite Bursary: Created for women and girls, the Ignite Bursary offers a discount of up to 55% off coaching, ride leadership and mountain bike leadership courses which support British Cycling activity, including clubs, programmes, and events.
Club Delivery Bursary: Designed to support, retain and grow club activity with a focus on improving diversity and inclusion. Applicants will receive a £100 discount on any formal coaching qualification.
Inclusive Clubs funding: This is a discount for private course bookings for clubs that can demonstrate they are working to improve diversity and inclusion in cycling. Clubs will need to allocate 50% of places to underrepresented groups in cycling, including female, black, Asian, minority ethnic, LGBQT+ cyclists or disabled cyclists.
Greater Support for Coaches
Simply put, coaches play such a vital role to inspire and nurture riders whether coaching in schools, clubs, communities or with elite riders. We want to ensure that there are opportunities for anyone with an interest to start their coaching journey.
It is important that have a greater diversity of coaches, more representative of our society if we are genuinely going to make the sport more inclusive and accessible and grow participation. The introduction of these new bursaries is another important step towards ensuring that coaches of all backgrounds and abilities are supported in the right way.
Widening access to education and coaching has been a key theme emerging out of our recent discipline plans. It is a key part of the plan to action our aims in Our Ride. We are delighted to start this important work straight away.
British Cycling’s Cycling Delivery Director, Danielle Every
The #OurRide strategy details the national governing body’s aims and priorities in seven key areas, covering the period 2021-26. These are: British Cycling’s culture; decision-making structures; the organisation’s workforce; marketing and communications; membership, clubs and services and the talent pathway. Partnerships have been developed over the past nine months in collaboration with the organisation’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group of independent experts.
For more information and to apply, please visit British Cycling’s website.
Related Stories:
Breeze into the Forest: Women’s Rides go Off-Road
British Cycling Have Big Plans for Mountain Biking
British Cycling Reveals New Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group
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