Sport England's £1.8m coaching scheme provided 7.5 million people with access to quality coaching during 2007-08.

The coaching bursary scheme, delivered in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, SkillsActive and sports coach UK, provided people with the opportunity to take part in accredited coaching courses across 45 sports. It forms a part of Sport England's target of getting one million people playing more sport. So far the scheme has provided 3,900 bursaries, supported 1,800 coaches to achieve further qualifications and supported coaching schemes.

Stephen Studd, SkillsActive Group CEO, said: “Coaches are the lifeblood of sport in this country and investment of this size will both support their development and continue to build a coaching infrastructure for the future.   "Quality coaching underpins so many of Great Britain’s sporting ambitions – to be in the top five sporting nations by 2012 and to raise participation at grassroots level – so it is important we ensure the right people with the right skills are in place to support and deliver those ambitions.”  

Sport England plans to invest tens of millions of pounds in coaching over the next four years to provide further opportunities to develop grass-root sporting potential.