📣 ConnectSport Weekly Digest 🌍🏀
📣 ConnectSport Weekly Digest 🌍🏀
Sport 4 Life responds to 'dire situation', nominations open for SJA Sport for Change Award, Reds lead the way on climate action + Sported reveals fundraising milestone.
👋🏾 Welcome to ConnectSport’s first Substack! Each week you can read news, features and innovation from the UK's sport for development sector. This edition covers the week ending 18th October 2024.
📝 EMPLOYABILITY: West Midlands-based Sport 4 Life has recorded its biggest year so far of supporting young people. The charity says the soaring demand for its services is being driven by a “dire situation” in the region, where the number of children living in poverty is 30% higher than the national average. Read more. #SDG8
📺 AWARDS: Nominations are being invited for the ‘Sport for Change’ category in the 2024 SJA British Sports Awards, sponsored by Altair Ltd. The award, which was created in partnership with ConnectSport in 2018, seeks to highlight the work of charities and grassroots organisations using sport to generate positive 'ESG' (environmental, social, governance) outcomes across the UK. Nominate now. #SDG17
⮑ The award is part of the Sports Journalists’ Association’s British Sports Awards with winners announced live on Sky Sports on November 20.
⚽ CLIMATE ACTION: Liverpool FC's pioneering initiative The Red Way has earned three major awards for its ongoing work in sustainability. After being recognised by the European Club Association, the Sport Positive Awards and the National Sustainability Awards, the club’s director of impact Rishi Jain said: "Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do as a club and by embedding it into our operations, we are actively shaping a better future for our communities, the planet, and the sport of football." Read more. #SDG13
🌍 RESEARCH: Could you or your organisation contribute to research on how sport can engage communities in climate awareness by highlighting practical, social, cultural and theoretical considerations? Respond to the call for papers. #SDG13
📈 FUNDING: Leading sport for development charity Sported has reached a milestone by taking its total in funds awarded since its inception to £10million. Founded 16 years ago, it has grown to support almost one million young people annually by providing resources and grants to nearly 5000 grassroots and community groups. Read more and watch Sported’s ‘Theory of Change’ animation below. #SDG11
⮑ In related news, this week Athletics Weekly reported on Sported’s partnership with UK sportswear brand SUDU. ‘Project Fair Play’ seeks to drive accessibility for young people. #SDG17
❤️ EMPLOYABILITY: “People can see bullshit or if it’s just a PR stunt” - in this article with The Guardian, former England and Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand talks about the growth of his charity, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation. Working with disadvantaged communities and aiming to provide opportunities and pathways to employment in a number of fields, the Foundation is estimated to have provided support to more than 10,000 young people from the UK, Ireland and beyond. #SDG8
🏆 SAFER COMMUNITIES: London Youth Games has released its 2024 Impact Report. The charity’s Chair, Prof. Geoff Thompson, says the charity is “contributing to the Mayor of London’s vision of ‘using sport to promote safer, more connected communities and prevent violence amongst at-risk youth’.” Read more. #SDG16
🗼 Blackpool is one of five locations across England that will continue to run life-changing activity sessions as part of Get Out Get Active (GOGA) thanks to funding from Sport England and London Marathon Foundation. Read more. #SDG10
🏃🏿♀️ GENDER EQUALITY: This Girl Can will be hosting its flagship Let’s Lift The Curfew run in partnership with GM Moving in Manchester on the evening of Monday 28 October. #SDG5
🏊🏽 A range of new educational resources focusing on female health are being developed by Swim England. Initial topics that will be covered include the menstrual cycle, contraception and menopause. Read more. #SDG3 #SDG5
🎲 EDUCATION: The charity Street League has created a board game to upskill the young people it is supporting on environmental and economic sustainability. #SDG4
🥊 SAFER COMMUNITIES: Nottingham-based Support Through Sport is expanding across the Midlands. The award-winning programme delivers football and boxing sessions and provides intensive mentoring delivered by former offenders to young people living in disadvantaged communities. Read more. #SDG16
⚒️ West Ham United Football Club has unveiled ambitious redevelopment plans for its award-winning Foundation headquarters, with the transformation set to generate £75million in social revenue. #SDG11
💰 FUNDING: Remedy Sport has launched a survey on ‘Fundraising Practice in Sport for Good’. Complete the questionnaire here.
The last word….
🫡 That’s all for this week folks! Thanks for reading our first weekly Substack round-up of news from across the UK’s sport for development sector. As former national journalists and media executives, at ConnectSport we are passionate about the potential of sport and physical activity to generate targeted environmental, social and economic outcomes. Supported by the brilliant people at Altair Ltd (check them out here) we recently relaunched as a CIC (Community Interest Company) with all profits being reinvested in our work with UK Universities to help showcase the work of underfunded and overlooked charities and organisations, so please follow and share…
Read more at connectsport.co.uk and contact us at hello@connectsport.co.uk