Team England announces new scholarship for young athletes

Team England has today announced that applications are now open for the newly founded Sir John Hanson Young Talent Scholarship. A £50,000 fund, made possible by a private donation, will provide financial support for five young athletes on their journey to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and beyond. The scholarship has been designed to support the next generation of English talent as they embark on a challenging journey, assisting them in fulfilling their potential on the international stage.

Ahead of Birmingham 2022 the Sir John Hanson Young Talent Scholarship offers young athletes with an opportunity over the next three years to progress through to the Team England selections, boosting their chances to compete on home soil in 2022.  Sir John Hanson was a senior British diplomat, senior executive, historian, and academic. Hanson was the Director-General of the British Council between 1992–1998 where he led a major reform programme for management change throughout the British Council, a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities.

Commonwealth Games England chief executive, Paul Blanchard, said: “We are so grateful to the Hanson family, who are good friends of Commonwealth Games England, for the opportunity to provide five athletes with this scholarship. We hope that this funding will help to support those young athletes in their journey to hopefully lead to a successful performance at a home Games.”

Distributed over the next three years, each bursary can be utilised in the best way deemed possible by the athlete, however it is anticipated that the grant will contribute towards travel to training camps and competitions, coaching and training support services, kit and equipment. Following confirmation of the scholarship, Team England will work closely with the athlete and relevant National Governing Body of sport throughout the duration of the grant agreement to ensure that the individual continues to meet the grant eligibility criteria.

In order to be eligible to apply for the grant, athletes must meet the following criteria:

• Nineteen years old or younger at the time of application deadline.
• Twenty two years old or younger for a para-athletes at the time of application deadline.
• Represented England or Great Britain at Junior/international level in their current sport/a Commonwealth Games sport.
• Part of a current performance pathway and recognised by their National Governing Body.
• Received a supporting statement from their National Governing Body.
• Not in receipt of a UK Sport Athlete Performance Award (APA).

Applications will close at 23:59 on Sunday 28 April and the five successful athletes will be announced around the milestone of three years to go until the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

For further information on the scholarship and to apply, visit www.teamengland.org/scholarship