The Dwarf Sports Association UK is amongst a group of over 120 organisations working in partnership with Sport England to level up access to sport and physical activity across the country.

The Dwarf Sports Association UK will receive expertise, support and an investment of £584,700 of government and National Lottery funding from Sport England to co-deliver the ambitious of its 10-year Uniting the Movement strategy.

Sport England research shows that some groups are typically less active – like women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. Right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity – and reap the rewards of being active – depend too much on your background, your gender, your bank balance and your postcode.

The DSAuk will work in partnership with key stakeholders to offer a comprehensive range of recreational and sporting opportunities for people living with dwarfism and encourage more people to lead an active lifestyle. The DSAuk’s grass roots to Paralympic pathway will ensure that there is regular delivery of events from a local to national level and that everyone’s needs are catered for. We will work hard to tackle inequality and make an active lifestyle a realistic choice for all our membership.

Over £550million is being invested in total, with the partners including the Dwarf Sports Association receiving funding for up to five years. This new funding model from Sport England provides longer-term financial security as organisations recover and reinvent from the Covid-19 pandemic.

All partner organisations were selected by Sport England due to their ability to influence change and improvement at the heart of the system they are a part of, no matter how big or small.  This is the first step on a journey to revolutionise Sport England’s approach to long-term partnerships as it seeks to partner and collaborate with innovative organisations to deliver Uniting the Movement and build a nation where everyone can get active.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “Sport England’s goal is to get everyone active– no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is. But we know through research that certain groups like people living with dwarfism are more likely to be inactive. We can only innovate and tackle inequalities effectively by thinking about long-term change; Uniting the Movement is a long-term vision, and our funding approach needs to reflect that. Changes to our funding model will help us achieve our goal, by making it easier for our partners to do what they need to do to level up and deliver.”

The Dwarf Sports Association UK is both proud and excited to be working along side the other National Disability Sporting Organisations and the 120 system partners, to ensure that more people across the country can receive an enhanced opportunity to access an active life and all the benefits that brings. We are looking forward to the next five years and hope to see more people living with dwarfism getting involved in recreation and sport.