Tens of thousands of Londoners will have the chance to get active and take part in sports programmes across the capital thanks to an additional £2.5 million investment announced by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

The Mayor has launched a brand new fund to help sports clubs in the capital thrive and has extended two successful schemes that are already encouraging people of all ages to get into the sporting habit.

The three different rounds of funding launched are:

• ClubWorks – £1.35m fund to boost 300 sports clubs and organisations and help them build for the future

• Mayor’s Sports Participation Fund – £1m investment to encourage Londoners to take part in sport and physical activity

• FreeSport (in association with Coca-Cola Zero ParkLives) – £200,000 which allows youth groups and community organisations to apply for grants to run free sports activities

All three schemes are part of the Mayor’s £25m Sports Legacy Programme, which is helping to create opportunities for people to get active by investing in sporting projects across every London borough.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

“My Sports Legacy Programme has already benefitted more than 400,000 Londoners and I hope this additional funding will strengthen clubs across the capital with the ultimate aim of increasing further the number of Londoners who play sport regularly. There is no doubt grassroots sport plays an important part of our communities, offering an opportunity for all to learn new skills, get active and stay healthy.

We want this investment to ensure London continues to be the region with the highest participation rates in the country.”