Sport England has announced a new initiative to encourage women from disadvantaged communites, and women caring for children, to get active.

The 'Active Women' campaign, funded by a £10m National Lottery funding pot and supported by the government and the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF), is the second of Sport England’s programmes aimed at addressing some of the biggest challenges for grassroots sports participation.

The first was launched in March and provided a £10m investment fund to create sporting opportunities for people in rural areas.

Each of the initiatives are aimed at helping to achieve Sport England's 2012 Olympic legacy goal of getting one million more people playing regular sport. Sport England is calling on a wide range of community groups and sectors to make applications for funding.

The launch of ‘Active Women’ coincides with the announcement that Sport England will invest £1.4m of government funding in the WSFF to help in its work with governing bodies to meet the needs of women and consequently increase participation in sport.