Ten players who feature in the England Roses Academy have been nominated for ‘Backing the Best’ awards, managed by SportsAid for Sport England.
Backing The Best is supported by National Lottery funding which aims to level the playing field among England’s brightest sporting prospects.
It aims to support athletes who would face difficulties progressing through their sport’s talent development system without critical financial help.
The awards are worth up to £5,000 per year to help cover costs such as travel, accommodation and medical bills.
Phil Smith, Sport England’s Director of Sport, is a leading advocate of the Backing The Best programme.
He said: “Backing The Best has been designed to give a helping hand to those who need it – so that ability and attitude are the only criteria for success, and not money.
“Ultimately, we want our national teams to be truly representative of our country, rather than just those that can afford to reach the top. We are incredibly proud of our supported athletes.”
The 10 nominated players
Peace Akinyemi, Bella Baylis, Olufunmilayo Fadoju, Shelby Harris, Molly Hole, Annabel Roddy, Lauryn Sy, Assaindey Tchine, Megan Thorne and Hannah Williams
A huge thank you to Sport England and The National Lottery for their continued support.
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