Aldi has launched a Sports Bursary with Team GB and Paralympics GB in an aim to provide coaching and funding to local communities.
Ten winning sports groups will be selected by the supermarket and the Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes to receive the unique Sports Bursary, which includes coaching sessions by the athletes.
Alongside this, the grocer is also offering £1,500 to buy bespoke equipment and facilities, to be supported by Aldi vouchers, which can be used to purchase supplies including sports equipment from its Specialbuys range, in a bid to inspire the next generation of athletes.
It comes as the discounter found that despite the UK experiencing a ‘summer of sports’ to be watched on screens, in reality among the country’s sports communities, many schools, local teams and clubs lack the funding to operate successfully.
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Aldi UK managing director Julie Ashfield said: “By launching the Aldi Sports Bursary we can guarantee multiple community sports clubs and schools are supported with funding and equipment that they so desperately need and deserve.
“Not to mention the fantastic opportunity to have a coaching session with an Olympic athlete. We hope that with the right products and coaching, we’re supporting the growth of our future Team GB and ParalympicGB athletes.”
Three-time Olympic champion and Team GB gymnast Max Whitlock added: “I am honoured to be spearheading the Aldi Sports Bursary initiative to get the necessary funding and joy back into local sports clubs and schools.
“I know how much I valued my time spent at my local sports club in Hemel Hempstead when I was younger, and how having a positive space available to me really helped not only my physical wellbeing but my mental health too.”
