Angling Hooks £ 1.56 million from Sport England

Last summer the Angling Development Board (ADB) was invited by Sport England to demonstrate how angling could contribute to government targets of increasing participation in active sport, especially through encouraging young people and retaining them as active participants as they grow older. Sport England also wanted to develop the talent pool of anglers trying to compete at international level and proposals to improve anglers’ satisfaction with the management of their sport: a process already under way with the formation of the Angling Trust.

David Moore, Chairman of the ADB explained. ‘The ADB responded to Sport England’s challenge with a package of proposals to grow and sustain the sport of angling. Our Plan is based on a vast amount of market research, much of it from the Environment Agency’s data from millions of rod licences and information held by Sport England right back to an NOP survey 40 years ago.

‘The first area identified was the problem of young people who are introduced to the sport but are not converted into long-term anglers. Other sports have much better links between schools, coaches, clubs and facilities whereas these are widely fragmented in angling. The funding package from Sport England will help start a regional development network which can access local and regional funding and bring schools, clubs, coaches and facilities together.

“After six months’ hard work by the ADB team, the timing of this announcement coincides perfectly with the transition of the ADB into the newly constituted Angling Trust during 2009. We are already making good progress in achieving Sport England’s recognition of The Angling Trust as the Governing Body for angling in England.’

The ADB plans to start recruiting Regional Development Officers and details will be available on our website www.anglingdevelopmentboard.org.uk during February.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of Angling Trust said: “I am delighted that Sport England has recognised angling’s important role as a healthy activity for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities with this increased funding award, which is a vote of confidence in the new unified structure for the way angling is managed at a national level.  The new Angling Trust will work hard to make this grant go much further by seeking matching funds at local, regional and national levels.  This funding will help our member clubs recruit and retain members and it will secure a positive future for angling and the millions of people who go fishing each year.”