Golf in Wales will receive £1 million of financial support from the Welsh Government to help ensure the biggest women’s sporting event ever staged in Wales leaves a lasting legacy.
The investment will support the Women’s Golf Legacy Fund, which aims to create lasting change by addressing the barriers women and girls face in golf. The initiative will provide grants for golf club schemes across Wales, with a focus on developing inclusive, family-friendly and gender-equitable facilities.
The AIG Women's Open will be held at Royal Porthcawl from July 30 to August 3, marking the first time the championship has been held in Wales. This funding reflects the Welsh Government’s commitment to using major events to inspire change.
“It is a truly exciting time for our golf club to host the AIG Women's Open in Wales. Thanks to the support of the Welsh Government, we can help to increase the number of golf clubs that can serve us through improved facilities that will stand the test of time. Golf service opportunities available for women and girls.
“While we continue to deliver a wide range of services and initiatives to support our Play for Everyone: For Fun, for Sport, for Life strategy, we believe this investment will enable us to do even more to increase the participation of women and girls Be involved in the game of golf, either as a player or as part of the workforce.
“Together we hope that the AIG Women's Open, the largest ever women's sporting event in Wales, will have a similar long-term impact as the 2010 Ryder Cup.”
Jack Sargeant, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnerships, said: “2025 will be an important year for women’s sport in Wales and I am very keen to ensure that the Welsh Government and partners capitalize on the The spotlight on elite athletes serves as a springboard to provide real, lasting opportunities and experiences for women and girls at all levels in Wells.
“The support we are announcing today will help ensure Wales gets the maximum benefit from the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club later this year – not only welcoming thousands of golf fans from around the world to Wales , and it’s important to capitalize on forever raising the profile of women’s golf as an event that inspires and drives others to take part.
The AIG Women's Open is a reflection of the R&A's commitment to developing women and girls' golf through its Women's Golf Charter.
Phil Anderton, chief development officer at the R&A, said: “We believe that providing women and girls with the opportunity to play golf in a welcoming, inclusive environment where they feel comfortable and with facilities designed specifically for their needs will have a Help break down barriers to participation and participation.
“We applaud the Welsh Government and Golf Wales for developing this initiative, which reflects the values of the R&A Women’s Golf Charter, and we look forward to seeing the positive benefits of this substantial investment.”
By improving facilities and creating a welcoming environment, the Women's Golf Heritage Fund also supports Wells Golf's vision to make golf “everyone's game.”
To receive funding, clubs will need to sign up to the R&A's Women's Golf Charter by 2025, be affiliated with Golf Wales and participate in the New2Golf Beginners Golf Scheme, or a similar introductory golf course designed to target under-represented groups.
Eligible projects include on-course toilet facilities – highlighted in the survey as a key barrier for female golfers – as well as upgrades to women's locker rooms, family-friendly spaces, unisex changing facilities and improved disabled access.
Other projects that could be considered include family seating areas close to coaching facilities, promoting the Welsh language, improving greenkeeper facilities to attract more women into greens maintenance, or anything else aimed at recruiting and retaining women and girls and increasing participation innovative programs to engage golf with as diverse an audience as possible while also helping to meet the needs of existing players.
Applications are available from all Wells Golf affiliated golf clubs through the application portal, which opens on January 14th and closes on March 7th.
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