Eleanor Piper
Rising archery star Eleanor Piper says SportsAid funding has literally got her moving again this year and helped her afford to buy a car.
The 18-year-old is a beneficiary of Entain Holdings’ three-year partnership with SportsAid, helping young athletes across the UK realise their potential.
Athletes get funding for training, travel and equipment, as well as mentoring by Olympians and Paralympians on topics such as nutrition and sports psychology.
Piper has been receiving SportsAid funding for a number of years and she has put her grant towards buying a car, making travel to and from training all the more seamless.
“SportsAid’s been amazing, it’s been a lifesaver for my family,” said the Woking-born youngster.
“It’s been brilliant for me to able to have a car this year and made the journey from work to the training centre so much better.
“It’s hard to imagine what this year would have looked like for me without my car and without SportsAid funding.”
The young athletes will be following in the footsteps of legendary figures such as Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Mo Farah, Dame Sarah Storey and Ellie Simmonds OBE – all of whom received SportsAid support – and more recent beneficiaries including Dina Asher-Smith and Adam Peaty MBE.
The initiative is part of Entain’s Pitching In, a major new multi-million-pound investment programme designed to support and promote grassroots sports.
Piper has trained and competed with sister Louisa, 17, for the entirety of their careers and SportsAid has helped their family deal with the cost of two elite-level competitors.
“The cost of putting two people through the sport is very high,” said Piper.
“SportsAid have always been there for us and they’ve made it so much easier to manage the cost of travelling and staying at international competitions.
“It’s paid off in that we’ve won a few cadet medals together internationally and that’s thanks to SportsAid’s help.”
Entain is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. As part of this three-year partnership, Entain are supporting a diverse group of 50 UK athletes per year from a variety of spots and para-sports. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.