On Your Marks…

On your marks…

At ASDA, we are committed to supporting our local communities and promoting ways that sport can contribute towards a healthy lifestyle.

That’s why we’ve launched ‘ASDA Sporting Chance’, a new community sports initiative that gives children access to free sports sessions during the school holidays, whilst working with the charity SportsAid to support some of the UK’s best up and coming young athletes.

Pairing two athletes with every one of our stores, 730 non-disabled and disabled young athletes will be selected each year from now until 2013 and provided with a £500 grant every year. ASDA stores will be committed to supporting their two allocated athletes, helping to raise their profile and fundraise in the local community. The intiative marks an investment of over £2miliion from ASDA.

Free sessions this summer…

As part of the sporting chance programme, free sport sessions are up for grabs during school holidays, kicking off this summer. Customers can pick up free vouchers from the checkouts at their local store.

Making sport more accessible…

“ASDA sporting chance is all about making sports more accessible and giving thousands of kids the chance to participate in sports in their local community,” says Andy Bond, CEO and President of ASDA. “Sport has always been integral to my life and it gives me a sense of tremendous pride that ASDA is now helping to provide a wealth of sporting activity for kids in the community at no extra cost to mum.”

Tim Lawler, CEO of SportsAid said, “More investment is essential to ensure we continue to help talented young athletes who can represent Great Britain in the future. ASDA’s commitment is a fantastic boost to British sport.”

Sporting stars…

Previous recipients of sports aid bursaries include, Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Kelly Holmes, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson OBE, Roger Black, Amir Khan and Darren Campbell.

Athletes - Roger Black and Dame Tanni Grey Thompson OBE are ambassadors for the ASDA sporting chance campaign.

“It takes a huge amount of commitment and dedication to become a successful sports person – it can also be very expensive,” states Roger Black.

“The first time I was given any recognition as an athlete was by SportsAid, aged 18, who provided me with a financial award when I was starting out in 1985. Such backing was essential in helping me compete at the highest–level. ASDA’s commitment will make a real difference to the kids involved – whether it is paying for petrol to get to training sessions, or simply buying new equipment.”

Dame Tanni Grey Thompson OBE said: “When I received my first grant from SportsAid in 1992 it not only provided me with some much needed financial support but also boosted my self–belief in the knowledge that there was backing available for disabled sportspeople. As a nation we can do much more to nurture and grow our talent at a grass roots level for both non–disabled and disabled athletes – ASDA’s sporting chance is a great example of this.”

Sporting chance incorporates a wide variety of sporting activities, from football to fencing, gymnastics to jogging – there’s something out there to suit everyone.

For more information on the scheme, follow this link to the ASDA web page
www.asda-sportingchance.co.uk