A CHARITABLE enterprise which heads up four of the town’s leisure facilities has opened applications for its regular awards in Reading.
GLL, which operates under the Better brand, has begun accepting applications for the GLL Sports Foundation Awards (GSF) for 2025.
As the largest athlete-focused program of its kind in the UK, the GSF awards provides access to facilities, financial help, physiotherapy, lifestyle mentoring, and other support to athletes.
Last year’s awards saw 51 Reading residents garner accolades, including Olympic Bronze Medallist and rower Rowan McKellar, sprinter Oloruntobi Ayorinde, Heptathlete Jordanna Morrish, and gymnast Erin Alleyne.
Research carried out by OnePoll on behalf of GSF in November 2024 found that two-thirds of the 2000 people surveyed believed more should be done to support Britain’s talented young athletes achieve sporting success.
Over a quarter–27%–said that a career in sport offers great opportunities to younger people from under-privileged backgrounds.
GLL is now accepting applications for the GSF Awards for 2025, with applications set to close on Thursday, February 20.
GLL Community Sport Manager Stephanie Smith said: “It’s a real privilege to see the difference GSF awards can make in helping talented sportsmen and women achieve their potential.
“The scheme is now in its seventeenth year and thousands of athletes in the Reading area and beyond have benefited from the wide-ranging support available during that time.
“Sporting success is a great source of national pride and I’m proud to be part of an organisation that actively encourages sporting excellence in such a practical, hands-on way.”
More information about GLL is available via: gll.org.
Applications can be submitted via: gllsportfoundation.org
