Sport England announce grass roots funding

IT just gets better and better for British Cycling.

Just days after sweeping the board at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year the Manchester-based alchemists are among the biggest winners after Sport England revealed their grass roots funding campaign.

In total Sport England will distribute £480million across 46 sports with cycling receiving £24.3m - an increase of more than 200 per cent.

There has also been first-time funding for 14 sports including handball and fencing - two of the nine sports shunned by UK Sport - as Sport England bid to achieve their goal one million Brits playing more sport by 2012.

Other sports to receive a sizeable war chest include athletics, which saw a small cut in funding from UK Sport, with a rise of 300 per cent to £20.4m.

Football unsurprisingly has also seen its pockets lined with £25.6m added to the £60m given to the Football Foundation but cricket has only seen a three percent increase of £1m.

SPORT ENGLAND'S FUNDING BREAKDOWN

Cricket	£37.8m
Rugby Union	£30.7m
Rugby League	£29.4m
Tennis	£26.8m
Football	£25.6m
Cycling	£24.3m
Swimming	£20.9m
Badminton	£20.8m
Athletics	£20.4m
Netball	£17.3m
Rowing	£9.1m

Secretary of state for culture Andy Burnham believes London 2012 presents an opportunity too good to pass up to inspire the British public to immerse themselves in sport.  

"Ahead of 2012, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get more people participating regularly in sport," he said.

"This will be a tough challenge, but with this huge investment in the broadest range of sports, we believe it can be done."