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Commonwealth Games equipment giveaway

Introduction

Please note, this giveaway has now closed to applicants.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Sport England are pleased to invite community organisations to apply for sporting equipment which was used at the Games.

The opportunity is open to organisations providing inclusive and accessible sports, physical activity and wellbeing activities in communities in the West Midlands (Birmingham, Black Country, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire, Hereford and Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire).

The organisations will be encouraging participation and cohesion through sport, while promoting the benefits of physical health and wellbeing for their community.

Our main purpose is to help everyone in England to get active regardless of their age, background or ability.

This complements Birmingham 2022’s pledge to deliver an inclusive, accessible and sustainable Games.

Both us and Birmingham 2022 are committed to tackling inactivity and extending the reach of sporting and physical activity opportunities, and these are set out in Birmingham 2022’s Physical Activity and Wellbeing Legacy Plan.

This sporting equipment includes an array of items from across the Commonwealth Games sports, such as basketballs, netballs, boxing gloves and rugby equipment.

There's also a range of consumable items which may indirectly help your organisation run activities, such as vacuum cleaners, mops, buckets and ice machines.

A full list of the lots available are available via the sports equipment gifting legacy catalogue.

Please note, at the point of releasing the list of “lots”, we’re still collating equipment from each Games venue. There’ll be some items that have been broken/damaged or lost during the Games and/or in transit. Therefore, the final lots may differ from those published.

Need help applying?

You may know of someone in your community that can help you with an application – the application process is detailed further down this page – but if not, you could contact one of the following Active Partnerships in your area:

You can also contact Sport England via [email protected] should you need this introduction in another language.
 

Who can or can't apply?

  • Who can apply?

    Non-commercial, community-based organisations within the West Midlands, such as local voluntary and community groups, schools and educational establishments (for non-curricular activity), sports clubs, Community Interest Companies (CIC’s) and social enterprises who deliver, or would like to deliver, community-based projects which seek to tackle inactivity and promote the physical and mental benefits of leading an active life.

    It is essential, as an applicant, you meet the following criteria:

    • Be an organisation who’ll use the equipment to deliver activity in the West Midlands with all, or a large majority, of participants who live in the region.
    • Be a charitable and/or non-commercial organisation with a governing document.
    • Confirm you have a safeguarding policy and equality, diversity and inclusion policy.
    • Be an organisation that:
      • provides low-cost access to sport and physical activity, in the context of the communities it serves
      • improves/sustains/increases sport and physical activity participation
      • sustains/increases the diversity of its participant base.
    • Can demonstrate a clear need for the sports equipment.
    • Intend that the equipment will remain the property of the organisation and not become the property of individual participants.

    We expect to receive a high volume of applications for the supply of equipment available.

    We anticipate there to be applications from many eligible and worthy recipients, therefore in order to make a decision we’ll consider the following prioritisation factors:

    • Small community organisations where there’s the most need to support activity in the community.
    • Where organisations may not have the opportunity or ability to seek support elsewhere.
    • Organisations that support people who’ve previously felt excluded from getting active.
    • Proportional distribution amongst a range of groups who support different audiences to become active. 
    • There’s a spread of beneficiaries across the West Midlands region.
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  • What this opportunity can't support

    • Applications from individuals
    • Commercial organisations
    • Instances where equipment would be for personal or commercial use
    • Applications from local authorities.
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How to apply

You can apply via two methods:

  • Guidance for online form

    Applications should include:
    1. Background details
      • Name of your organisation and the postcode of where the equipment will be used.
      • Confirm that you have:
        • a governing document
        • safeguarding policy
        • equality, diversity and inclusion policy 
        • for high-risk sports (see catalogue) your club/organisation is recognised by the respective national governing body (where required).
      • Tell us which equipment lots you wish to apply for – you can apply for a maximum of three lots.

     

    1. In no more than 500 words, tell us about the current situation for your participants and organisation, including:
      • What sport/physical activity sessions do you run?
      • How many participants and volunteers currently engage with your session(s)?
      • Who takes part and whether the sessions are targeted at a particular audience or group?
      • How does your activity provide access to activity where there may be barriers to participation, such as financial, accessibility, location?
      • The cost involved in participating in your session(s). Please also note any annual/monthly membership fee.
      • How your organisation currently funds itself.

     

    1. Tell us what difference the equipment would make, including:
      • How would you use the equipment?
      • How will you store the equipment?
      • The impact it would have on your participants, community and organisation, discussing how it would improve/sustain/increase sport and physical activity participation.
      • Your organisation’s ambitions for the future. What do you hope to carry on doing and anything you hope to change?
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  • Guidance for audio/video submissions

    Applications should include:
    1. Background details
    • Name of your organisation and postcode(s) where equipment will be used.
    • A phone number and email address to contact you.
    • Confirm that you have:
      • a governing document
      • safeguarding policy
      • equality, diversity and inclusion policy 
      • for high-risk sports (see catalogue) your club/organisation is recognised by the respective national governing body (where required).
    • Tell us which equipment lots you wish to apply for – you can apply for a maximum of three lots.

     

    1. Tell us about the current situation for your participants and organisation, including:
      • What sport/physical activity sessions do you run?
      • How many participants and volunteers currently engage with your session(s)?
      • Who takes part and if the sessions are targeted at a particular audience or group?
      • How does your activity provide access to activity where there may be barriers to participation, such as financial, accessibility, location?
      • The cost involved in participating in your session(s). Please also note any annual/monthly membership fee.
      • How your organisation currently funds itself.

     

    1. Tell us what difference the equipment would make, including:
      • How would you use the equipment and how you will store it?
      • The impact it would have on your participants, community and organisation, discussing how it would improve/sustain/increase sport and physical activity participation.
      • Your organisation’s ambitions for the future. What do you hope to carry on doing and anything you hope to change?

     

    You may want to include footage of the location, participants and/or current activity - you must ensure you have the appropriate permission of all participants to film.

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Given the volume of equipment to distribute, we do expect the majority of community groups applying to have plans in place to collect the equipment.

If, however you're unable to arrange collection (e.g. you don’t have a suitable vehicle available for the size of the equipment, or similar) then we'll work with you to find a solution.

Please note this in your application.

Know someone who could benefit?

We want to ensure the sports equipment benefits communities in the West Midlands, so that the legacy of the Games will remain for years to come. 

So, if you have or know a sports club, charity, community group or a programme that delivers sport and physical activity in the West Midlands and is in need of some equipment to help people get active please share this page with them.
 

Decision process

  1. Once your completed application is received, it will be assessed and then reviewed by the B2022 Sports Equipment Legacy Assessment Panel. The panel will include representatives from: B2022 partners, Sport England, Active Partnerships, national governing bodies of sport and a community voice.
  2. If an application is successful, we’ll be in touch via email to confirm the offer of equipment. Once the agreement is in place, arrangements to collect or drop off the sports equipment will be confirmed.
  3. If an application is unsuccessful, you’ll be contacted via email. Unfortunately, due to the volume of expected applications, we’ll be unable to give individual detailed responses but will outline the main reasons applications have been unsuccessful. However, you should note that all decisions are final and there will be no right of appeal.

The application window will close on 19 September 2022 at 5pm.

We expect to notify all organisations the week commencing 10 October 2022, with collection commencing the same week for a period of 3-4 weeks. 
 

Apply now

Promotion and reporting

If successful, and on receipt of the equipment, we may ask you to support an announcement through our communication channels.

We’d also encourage you to promote your new equipment and the opportunity for your community via your own social media platforms – we’ll provide guidelines to support your promotion.

We’d also like to support any launch events that you plan where the equipment will be used, so please let us know the details via [email protected].

Successful organisations will also be asked for the following reporting in order to safeguard the investment into communities:

  • Within 12 weeks of receipt of the items, we ask for photographic evidence of the items being used together with a short summary of how it’s benefitting those involved. 
  • You should be aware that in some instances we may ask for a further update up to one year after receipt.
     

Terms and conditions

For further information or queries, please contact us via [email protected].

The closing date for applications is 19 September 2022.

  • The legal stuff

    • Submitting an application doesn’t guarantee you’ll receive the equipment. All items will be gifted based on the application meeting the criteria and prioritisation factors, plus the availability of equipment post Games. 
    • This equipment is a gift to the community, therefore it mustn’t be sold on or used for commercial activities. Where an organisation can no longer use the equipment for its intended purpose, they should contact Sport England, and/or find an alternative community organisation that can, and notify Sport England via [email protected] 
    • It’s the responsibility of the organisation to have planning permission and/or building regulation agreements, where necessary, to accommodate the sporting equipment.
    • You’ll release Birmingham 2022 and Sport England of any liability in relation to any equipment you receive.

    By submitting an application to the Birmingham 2022 sports equipment gifting legacy, you’re acknowledging you’ve read and understood the terms and conditions as follows:

    • You’ve read and understood the conditions under which the sports equipment is awarded.
    • You’ll notify Sport England immediately if the information changes in any way.
    • You give permission for Sport England and Birmingham 2022 to record the information in your application electronically and that this information may be shared with partners in relation to the application and evaluation of the equipment. 
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