Welsh sport receives £1m cash boost as 'challenges' remain

Sport Wales has welcomed a £1m boost in funding from the Welsh Government but said it remains "a challenging time" for sporting provision in the country.

The money is part of a £5m support package for Wales’ culture and sport arm’s length bodies to "help them mitigate against the difficulties they face", the Government said.

Welsh sporting organisations were bracing themselves for real-term cuts of as much as 15-20% before December’s budget.

Sport Wales eventually received a £2.5m cut to its budget for the current year and uncertainty remains around future funding levels for the organisation responsible for developing and promoting sport and physical activity in Wales.

“I am very grateful to Government for listening to us about the pressures budget cuts have placed on the sector," said Sport Wales chief executive Brian Davies.

"While it remains a challenging time, we are still focussed on creating opportunities for everyone in Wales to enjoy being active and very much welcome confirmation of this additional in-year funding.

"We will allocate it to those partners that received a budget cut earlier this year and it will help them deal with some of the challenges they are facing.”

Culture Secretary, Jane Hutt said the Welsh Government had listened to concerns regarding the financial pressures facing cultural and sporting institutions and acted to help them mitigate against the difficulties they face.

“These organisations are key in delivering a number of our Programme for Government commitments and play a fundamental role in promoting good mental wellbeing and physical health and bringing communities together. There is no doubt of the positive impact they have on people throughout Wales," said Hutt.

As well as the cut to Sport Wales' budget - who are responsible for distributing Welsh Government's spending allocation for sport - sporting bodies were also impacted by changes to funding models.

The Welsh Sports Association (WSA) represents Wales' sporting organisations who have been trying to cope with reduced levels of funding.

“The WSA really welcomes this announcement," said WSA chief executive Andrew Howard.

"The Welsh Government has listened to the united voice of the sector and found additional money to assist Welsh sport.

“We know that sport and physical activity delivers across a wide range of the Welsh Government’s agenda but especially on health and social inclusion. This additional funding can support the shared vision for safe, affordable, and inclusive sport and physical activity for all of Wales.

"The financial position over the next few years remains really challenging, especially in Local Authorities, and we will continue to work with Sport Wales, Welsh Government and the wider public sector to make the case for sport and physical activity.”