Aspiring athletes in York are being urged to apply for GLL’s Sports Foundation funding.
GLL, the charitable social enterprise and worker-owned co-op that operates four Better leisure centres in the city, is inviting athletes from York 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, 28 talented individuals from York ranging from 10 to 66-years secured awards through the programme totalling £18,000 – including Lucy Hurn.
Lucy, who lives in Haxby and trains at York Leisure Centre and Yearsley Swimming Pool, had her most successful year last year, completing two Ironman races.
The first was Ironman Leeds, where she achieved a personal best, finishing 2nd in her age group and fulfilling a goal she had held for almost a decade – qualifying for the Ironman World Championships. Three months later, Lucy travelled to Kona, Hawaii to race one of the toughest events of her life – over 12 hours racing in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
Lucy Hurn, who has a personal trainer and coaching business, Feel Fit with Lucy, and is the UK’s first Mental Health and Exercise Triathlon Coach explains: “The GSF Award was instrumental in my success last year and I’m incredibly grateful. Weekly strength and conditioning sessions helped prevent injury and build the durability needed to race two Ironman events, whilst regular weekly swim sessions were vital.
“It allowed me to invest in my training which was fundamental to achieving my goal of not only podiuming at Ironman Leeds but qualifying for the Ironman World Championships.”
Natalie Thomas, GLL’s community sports manager in York said: “Our GSF Awards provide a lifeline to individual athletes as well as inspiring other young people in local communities.
“We encourage as many talented athletes 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 York including taekwondo, cycling, swimming, volleyball, modern pentathlon, athletics, boxing, skiing, triathlon, ultimate frisbee and wheelchair basketball.
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.
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, visit the GLL Sport Foundation website.
