Casey Stoney, former England international and now head coach of Manchester United’s new women’s team, visited the Women’s Sports Programme Manchester yesterday (8 July) to present them with their British Ethnic Diversity Sports Award (BEDSA) and a cheque for £5,000 from Spirit of 2012.
The Women’s Sports Programme Manchester won the Spirit of 2012 Connecting Communities BEDSA, which recognises an organisation, individual or project that has had a significant impact on bringing communities together through sport or physical activity.
Spirit of 2012 was established by the Big Lottery Fund to continue and recreate the spirit of pride, positivity and social connectedness that people experienced during the London 2012 Games.
“I’m delighted to give WSPM this award,” said Casey. “It’s fantastic to see the work being done here to get women from different faiths, backgrounds and areas of this city together. They’re here to have fun and get fitter, but they’re also building friendships and making connections, and that boosts their mental as well as physical health. It’s what sport is all about.”
Casey led a skills session with the group before Debbie Lye, Spirit of 2012 chief executive, presented them with a £5,000 cheque.
“We were really pleased that the WSPM won our Connecting Communities BEDSA and want to help them expand the programme so that more women in Prestwich can come here to enjoy sport and connect with other people in their community that they might not otherwise get to know.”
“We’re also really grateful to Casey for coming along to the Maccabi Centre with us today to pass on some of her football expertise, and to chat about her incredible career as well as her new job with United. There were quite a few reds among the WSPM women, and they can’t wait to get behind Casey and the team when matches kick off in September.”