About us…
Great Athletes is a social enterprise with a mission to help children to be more physically active. Over the past couple of decades, scientists have explained and confirmed how physical activity improves many aspects of a child’s life, including their academic performance and general wellbeing.
We achieve our mission by bringing top athletes, World champions, Olympians and Paralympians, into primary schools all over the UK to run inspiring events. We work with over 50 brilliant athletes from a range of disciplines and sports, each one with a unique story to tell about overcoming challenges and the importance of following your dreams.
Great Athletes events also help schools raise money for resources that promote physical activity.
How we fund the programme:
The Great Athletes programme is funded by sponsorship raised by the schools we visit. Schools pay Great Athletes to cover the costs of the event, to support financially their athletes and to enable Great Athletes to continue to advance its physical fitness-promoting activities which has two elements: firstly, Great Athletes are paid a fee per pupil taking part*. If insufficient funds are raised to cover this participation fee, Great Athletes will cover any shortfall out of its own resources – the school is not left out of pocket.
Of the funds raised on top of the participation fee, the school will retain 60% to spend on activities, services or equipment that promote physical activity and 40% will go to Great Athletes to continue to support its mission. To date, Great Athletes has helped schools raise over £6,500,000 to promote physical activity and inspired over 3 million children.
Great Athletes never turns down a school that wishes to run an event even when there is little expectation of a fee being paid by a school.
*The admin fee is £1.50 for schools of 350+ pupils, £2.00 for schools of 150 – 349 pupils, £2.50 for schools of 80 – 149 pupils, and £3.50 for schools with less than 80 pupils taking part in the fitness circuits.
