MORE women in Haringey will be encouraged to get into sport thanks to a £160,000 grant from Sport England.

The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has been awarded the money to lay on sports courses, exercise classes, and educational workshops aimed at women with children from Barnet, Haringey, Enfield, and Waltham Forest.

The project is one of 20 in the UK which have received backing from Sport England, and is part of efforts to ensure as many people as possible are engaged in sport in the run-up to next year's Olympics.

Sport England is investing £10m into this and other schemes, aiming to tackle the gender gap in sports participation, especially in disadvantaged communities, where fewer than one in ten women regularly play sport.

Grant Cornwell MBE, chief executive officer of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said he was “thrilled” to have been awarded the money for an “innovative programme” which aims to benefit more than 1,000 women.

Hugh Robertson MP, minister for sports and Olympics, added: “We have many fantastic female athletes in this country, but not enough women participating at sport’s grassroots.

“More needs to be done to encourage women to participate in sport, particularly those from disadvantaged communities.

“The £10m being invested by Sport England will give women the chance to try out new sports as part of a dedicated programme and hopefully keep them in sport in the future.”