This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
The Isle of Wight Council’s sports unit is accepting applications for its popular ‘talented athlete’ scheme.
The scheme gives support to Isle of Wight athletes who are performing at a high level in their sport with the aim of helping their development and achieving further success. There is a closing date of 31 December for applications to be sent in, with those who are successful announced in January.
Sportsmen and women who are accepted as a talented athlete are given free access to council-run leisure centres, discounted travel on Wightlink and assisted bus travel with Southern Vectis as well as discounts in selected local retailers and physio services.
For people to be eligible, they must meet certain criteria. This includes being ranked in the top ten of their sport at regional level or top five at county level. They must also be a member of a county, regional or national team squad and be an Isle of Wight resident.
Isle of Wight Council Executive member with responsibility for sport, Ian Stephens, said:
“The talented athlete scheme provides vital support to help our elite sportsmen and women of all ages develop their skills in their chosen field.
“It is support such as this which can help them go further and access the services they need to develop, from the use of leisure facilities for training to travel discounts which assists with competing in national or regional competitions.
“We are is very pleased to continue to offer the talented athlete scheme with our partners to help support the development of a number of our top sporting stars.”
To request an application pack, contact the council’s sports unit on (01983) 823818 or email [email protected].
The scheme was first launched in 2013 and has since supported numerous sporting stars.
