31 March 2026
RYA launches WaveMakers in Portsmouth to help widen access to sailing’s talent pathway
The RYA is expanding its WaveMakers programme to Portsmouth in partnership with the Andrew Simpson Foundation.
The RYA is expanding its WaveMakers programme to Portsmouth in partnership with the Andrew Simpson Foundation, marking the next step in its work to identify and develop high-potential young sailors from under-represented communities.
Identified as a need through the RYA’s Pathway Review, WaveMakers was established to help tackle barriers that can prevent talented young people from accessing the sport and progressing through the British Sailing Pathway.
Following a successful pilot in Birmingham, supported by SportsAid Backing the Best grant scheme, the RYA has now secured ongoing Sport England funding to expand the programme into a new Portsmouth site.
WaveMakers is part of the RYA’s wider commitment to building a sport that is more representative of and relevant to British society. The programme is designed to support talented young people who may otherwise be excluded by cost, access, confidence or lack of opportunity, helping them take meaningful steps towards competitive sailing and future progression within the British Sailing Pathway.
The programme sits within the RYA’s talent inclusion work and is intended to create a more inclusive entry point into British Sailing Talent Academies and, over time, the British Sailing Youth Team.
The new site at the Andrew Simpson Centres Portsmouth will complement the existing Birmingham programme, with Birmingham continuing to focus on dinghy sailing and transitions of the existing cohort from junior into youth classes. Portsmouth will offer a foiling and boards-focused environment, ultimately supporting talented athletes into the iQFOiL class.
The expansion reflects both the progress already made through the pilot and the long-term ambition to create more inclusive routes into performance sailing.
The programme’s long-term ambitions are to see WaveMakers sailors selected for the British Sailing Youth Team within four years and to win a Youth Nationals medal within five years. Supporting goals include progression into Talent Academies and top 10 national results as the programme develops.
Since launching in Birmingham in 2024, WaveMakers has shown the value of a more joined-up and targeted approach to talent development based on potential. In its first year, the programme reached hundreds of young people through community outreach, brought new sailors into a year-round coaching environment, and provided practical support for training, events and progression. It has also highlighted the importance of working closely with families and communities new to the sport in order to build trust, confidence and long-term engagement.
WaveMakers forms part of the RYA’s pathway evolution and talent inclusion work, responding to a clear need to widen access and ensure potential is not limited by personal circumstance. The programme combines community engagement, talent identification, year-round academy support and transition support, helping sailors move from first experiences on the water towards sustained development.
“WaveMakers is about recognising talent, broadening opportunity and making sure more young people from whatever background can see that sailing has a place for them. We want our British teams to be more representative of British society, and we want more people to benefit from everything a life in sailing can offer. Portsmouth is an exciting next step in that journey.”
“Our partnership with the RYA is built around opening up access and creating meaningful opportunities for young people. Expanding WaveMakers to Portsmouth allows us to build on what has already been achieved in Birmingham and support even more young people with the potential to thrive in our sport.”
As WaveMakers grows, the RYA hopes the programme will not only support more young sailors to progress, but also help create a new generation of role models who can show the sport is for anyone.
The Portsmouth launch is expected to support the first intake of sailors from around Easter, with recruitment and outreach activity helping to connect the programme to local young people, families and communities.
