Lottery money will be used to cover the cost of childcare to allow more women to take up or go back into sport.

The £10 million government fund is aimed at working women who struggle to find time to play organised sport and those excluded because they cannot afford the cost of coaching, transport and babysitters.

The campaign aims to make sport a more practical part of the day for women averse to the gym. Schemes that could be funded include training sessions in schools for mothers who have just dropped off their children and sports coaches visiting coffee mornings and playgroups.

Sue Tibballs, chief executive of the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, said: “Sport has been man-centric since Victorian times so this is long overdue. There is not a one size fits all. Women have different needs.”

Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, the Lottery distributor to community sport, said that the grants of more than £10,000 each would be directed at projects that specifically increased participation among women. It will be open to community groups such as the Women’s Institute and Mumsnet.

Ms Price said: “Seventy per cent of women say they want to play more sport but just 13 per cent do it regularly and 16 per cent do nothing at all. By the time you’ve got back from work, looked after the kids and cooked dinner it’s 10 o’clock at night. It’s about sport at the right hour at the right price.”

The proportion of women taking regular exercise in poorer communities is even lower, at lower than one in ten.

Ministers are trying to address the growing gender gap in sports participation, which has been tailored to men and their traditional working hours, as well as the disparity between affluent and disadvantaged areas.

Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, said that many women did not see sport as being for them and that a cultural change was needed. “There is a sport out there for everyone and this investment will help clubs reach out to women who haven’t found theirs yet.”

It is hoped that the campaign will generate ideas, like Mums on the Ball, a programme in Birmingham for women over 30 that provides weekly training with Football Association coaches for £3 a session.

Denise Lewis, who won an Olympic gold medal in the heptathlon in 2000, said: “I never realised how difficult it would be after having three children to find any ‘me’ time. But it’s important because sport can rejuvenate your mind and give you a sense of purpose.”

The grants are one-off payment and the amounts depend on the proposal but childcare must be integral to the project. Groups can use money to extend crèche hours at a gym or pay for nannies but they cannot use the money to build new crèches.

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