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Home Community sport development

About Community sport development

We are here to support the development of sport and activities which meet the needs of local communities. This includes local sports clubs and activity programmes for local people.

Club Durham

Club Durham is a free service which brings together a wide range of support which is available to clubs and community groups delivering sport and physical activity, to help create safe and enjoyable environments for all who participate in a wide variety of sports and physical activity across the County.

Club Durham will support you with accessing a wide range of training, tools, and resources. We will help you understand your management, members, and volunteers, develop your skills, access funding opportunities, and create a more sustainable club or group along the way.

Get involved, get information and advice by visiting the Club Durham website where you can register online.

Durham Institute of Sport (DIS)

County Durham has a legacy of producing sports men and women who have competed at the highest level in their chosen sport. To help maintain this, DIS helps nurture and develop our sporting talent of the future. We work together with the best performers and sports practitioners, and provide support and assistance to optimise training, preparation, and performance in athletes.

Discover the impact DIS has had on County Durham’s next generation of elite athletes.

DIS is delivered in partnership by Durham County Council and Durham University.

Our Athlete Support Scheme provides athletes with easy access to essential training facilities. Support may be subject to change:

  • free access to our leisure centre facilities (fitness gym and swimming pool) during opening hours
  • free access to strength and conditioning training at Durham University
  • free access to a range of specialist workshops
  • discounted physiotherapy
  • discounted sports psychology

There are strict eligibility criteria for applications as places are limited. DIS is specifically intended to support athletes performing and working at top tier county level (minimum) through to international level, and as the performance pathways for different sports vary hugely, the relevant National Governing Body (NGB) of sport is consulted to ensure that support is offered appropriately.

If this is your first time applying, please email us for advice on the eligibility criteria and how to apply. Applications open each year in February and then close on the 1 March. Applications are then assessed with a 12-month Durham Institute of Sport membership given to those successful to start in April until the end of the following March.

We do have an age restriction for 14 years and above (13 years if in the year 9 school group at the time of application).  This is because much of the support is around strength & conditioning and as places on the scheme are very limited this upper age category is the most suited for the scheme.

Join in – young people’s programmes

Ready, Sett, Go

Ready, Sett Go is a free physical development programme for nurseries and school reception classes. It’s a 10 week programme that uses physical activity and play to develop children’s fine and gross motor skills (large and small muscle movements). These skills are important for a child’s fundamental movements but also contribute to a wider range of developments such as writing and communication.

Ready Sett Go transcript.pdf

Taking part in the programme will help the children embed an active lifestyle through childhood and into adulthood, reducing the risk of obesity and associated health risks. The programme is delivered by our highly qualified staff and involves training and mentoring your staff to continue the programme.

Activities that the children take part in are based on illustrations of our Early Years Foundation Stage physical activity resources called ‘Brock the Badger and Friends’ and you will receive an equipment kit bag and resource cards for free, worth over £400, which will let you continue creating the sessions in future.

After school clubs

A club for children who do not get involved in traditional sports at secondary school. We aim to encourage everyone to be active, and work with the school and pupils we will develop and deliver fun and engaging activities at the after-school sessions.

Doorstep clubs

We work with existing youth organisations to introduce sport and physical activity in a youth group setting, mentor youth leaders to have the confidence to deliver physical activity in the future, and work with the young people to design the programme and deliver the activities they want to try out.

Find out more

If you are interested in your child, school or youth organisation getting involved in these activities, contact us.

Community sport development