As the government eases lockdown restrictions for sport, more people with cerebral palsy will be able to find their local sport and activity clubs thanks to our brand new online Club Finder.

We are delighted to launch Club Finder on our website this week which will enable more people with cerebral palsy the opportunity to connect with a club and find a sport to suit them as restrictions ease.

In 2020 we began our mission to create a national club finder which could be used and be accessible to everyone through a simple postcode search. We listened to the individuals, families and professionals who have asked for this information and talked to our network of clubs.

Although we have always been able to provide information on a case-by-case basis, there has not been an online activity club finder for people with cerebral palsy to use in this way.

Almost 500 clubs have now signed up to be part of the club finder and more are expected to join as clubs open up and staff and volunteers return to the sector.   The Club Finder is part of the online service CP Sport has been able to develop since incorporating Go Membership software in 2020.

This agreement between CP Sport and the clubs demonstrates that the clubs are committed to developing and promoting inclusive opportunities for people with cp to access locally in a safe, inclusive and positive environment meeting specific requirements set out by CP Sport including affiliation with an NGB (where applicable), safeguarding and qualified coaches, and accessibility for disabled people.

It is free for clubs to be part of the CP Sport Club Finder and is free for anyone to access and use it to find clubs. The club finder will allow anyone to locate and then contact their nearest sports club through a simple postcode search.

The Club Finder can be found here: https://www.cpsport.org/club-finder/

To register as a club on our new Club Finder, clubs need to complete the CP Sport Club Finder Agreement here, and a member of the club will need to sign up to its free Coach and Officials or Volunteers Membership here. For more information about the club finder contact richard.kerr@cpsport.org

Adi Fawcett, CP Sport COO said:

“Our new Club Finder service will be a fantastic tool for us to connect as many people as we can to the local clubs and activities up and running in their area.  Our aspiration is to provide a wide variety of choice for all ages that are easily accessible.  We hope that with the easing of restrictions and return to sport that we can not only help our community to keep and stay active but also support the clubs who will be starting their return to sport.”

CP Sport are looking forward to working in partnership with many more organisations this year to bring even more opportunities for people with cerebral palsy.

Sport England provide helpful guidance on returning to activity for individuals and clubs: https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/coronavirus/return-play

Activity Alliance resources include a guide to reopening in an inclusive way: http://www.activityalliance.org.uk/how-we-help/resources/reopening-activity