Days after publishing its first long-term strategy for equality, diversity and inclusion, Our Ride, British Cycling can today announce a range of new bursaries and financial incentives at a value of £110,000 to broaden access to cycling education initiatives and transform the diversity of Britain’s coaching workforce.

All new funding streams are now open, with applications sought in particular from women and girls, those aged 14-21, and clubs looking to provide inclusive opportunities for disabled people and people from diverse ethnic or LGBTQ+ backgrounds. Additional funding is also being made available to the British Cycling regions to support this work.

Despite an increase over recent years, women continue to represent only 33% of the coaching workforce. Of British Cycling’s volunteer workforce, 8.7% are from an ethnically diverse community and 11.6% have told British Cycling that they have a life-limiting illness or disability – compared with 17% and 17.8% of the general population, respectively.

The new funding streams are:

Flying Start Bursary: Targeted specifically at young people aged between 14 and 21-years-old, this bursary offers discounts of up to 70% off coaching courses for those that are supporting cycling activity, either in a club, school, or community. 50% of the bursaries available are reserved for women and girls.

Ignite Bursary: Created for women and girls, the Ignite Bursary offers a discount of up to 55% off coaching, ride leadership and mountain bike leadership courses which support British Cycling activity, including clubs, programmes, and events.

Club Delivery Bursary: Designed to support, retain and grow club activity with a focus on improving diversity and inclusion, applicants will receive a £100 discount on any formal coaching qualification.

Inclusive Clubs funding: This is a discount for private course bookings for clubs that can demonstrate that they are working to improve diversity and inclusion in cycling. Clubs will need to allocate 50% of places to underrepresented groups in cycling, including female, black, Asian, minority ethnic, LGBQT+ cyclists or disabled cyclists.

British Cycling’s Cycling Delivery Director, Danielle Every, said:

“Simply put, coaches play such a vital role to inspire and nurture riders whether coaching in schools, clubs, communities or with elite riders and we want to ensure that there are opportunities for anyone with an interest to start their coaching journey.

“It is important that have a greater diversity of coaches, more representative of our society if we are genuinely going to make the sport more inclusive and accessible and grow participation. The introduction of these new bursaries is another important step towards ensuring that coaches of all backgrounds and abilities are supported in the right way.

“Widening access to education and coaching has been a key theme emerging out of our recent discipline plans and is a key part of the plan to action our aims in Our Ride. We are delighted to start this important work straight away.”

Last week, British Cycling published its first long-term strategy to embed equality, diversity and inclusion at all levels of the sport and activity of cycling and ensure that riders of all backgrounds and abilities have the opportunity to fulfil their cycling ambitions.

The #OurRide strategy details the national governing body’s aims and priorities in seven key areas, covering the period 2021-26. These are: British Cycling’s culture; decision-making structures; the organisation’s workforce; marketing and communications; membership, clubs and services; the talent pathway; and partnerships and has been developed over the past nine months in collaboration with the organisation’s 14-member Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group of independent experts, which was appointed in February 2021, and through extensive consultation with external stakeholders

For more information and to apply, click here.