SportsAid is the only national charity (#1111612) of its kind, helping young British sportsmen and women aspiring to be the country's next Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and world champions. SportsAid was established in 1976 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge became the Patron of SportsAid in 2013 and has met many young talented athletes helped by the charity, as well as Olympians and Paralympians who were previous beneficiaries, at fundraising events, training days and performance workshops.

SportsAid originally acted as the major source of financial support for the country’s elite athletes before the arrival of National Lottery funding through UK Sport in 1997. SportsAid then began to focus purely on the next generation of young talented athletes and continues to play that role today. 

SportsAid has supported tens of thousands of athletes during the critical early stages of their careers, with Sir Mo Farah, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Baroness Grey-Thompson, Dame Sarah Storey, Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Katherine Grainger and Daley Thompson CBE among its extensive alumni.
“I was helped by SportsAid when I was starting out in
my career. Receiving a SportsAid award makes you
feel valued and that you can keep going forward and
do better in your sport. I’ve never forgotten that. If
you get support from SportsAid, it’s recognition of how
good you are as an athlete and that you have a future.”
- Paula Radcliffe MBE, Marathon world record holder

More recently, Laura Kenny CBE, Ellie Simmonds OBE, Adam Peaty MBE, Georgie Hermitage MBE, Jade Jones MBE, Hollie Arnold MBE, Pam Relph MBE, Natasha Baker MBE, Tom Daley, Lutalo Muhammad and Dina Asher-Smith have all received SportsAid awards within the last decade.

The charity’s impressive track record was highlighted at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games where SportsAid alumni won 150 medals. This included 46 of Team GB’s 67 medals (20 gold, 15 silver, 11 bronze) and 104 of ParalympicsGB’s 147 medals (44 gold, 28 silver and 32 bronze). At the most recent Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, 397 SportsAid supported athletes competed for the various Home Nations winning 139 medals between them.

Each year, SportsAid will support around 1,000 young athletes – the vast majority aged 12 to 18 – by providing a financial award to help with training and competition costs. This is often the first recognition an athlete receives from outside their support network and acts as a real motivational boost.

These athletes are the UK's brightest sporting prospects. They are nominated to SportsAid by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports. Most of them receive no funding at that point other than the support from SportsAid, which means they rely heavily on their parents for support.

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000. The awards are generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities. The latter includes challenge events such as the London Marathon and RideLondon.

SportsAid also manages the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) and Backing The Best (BTB) programme on behalf of Sport England. TASS helps athletes (16-plus) balance their sporting and academic careers, while BTB supports the most financially challenged young athletes.