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Sported member volunteer poll – take part here!

Dear Sported Member,

 

We have recently been participating in Sport England’s strategy consultation, and are very excited at the possibilities it presents for those who are using the power of sport to work with young people.

 

One of the big challenges / opportunities for community sport is to get people involved as volunteers who are representative of the communities they’re living in. For example, if you look at coaching (which is just one part of volunteering), only 30% of entry level coaches are women, 6% are disabled and 8% are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

 

At Sported, we believe our member groups already operate with a more representative pool of volunteers, but we have not previously done any research to see if this is actually the case. We want to do this now, because – as with some other important challenges for sport – we think that the rest of the system has a lot to learn from the kinds of clubs and groups run by Sported members.

 

We would be very grateful if you could take just a minute or two to complete this survey about the diversity of volunteers at your club. We’ll use the results to support the case for all community clubs and groups to receive more support, and we won’t quote anything which is specific to your response without asking your permission first.

 

Click here to take part in the survey

 

With many thanks,

Chris Grant, CEO

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Sported teams up with Sainsbury’s Active Kids to bring new equipment and experiences to disadvantaged young people

Sported is delighted to announce that it is the first UK-wide community sports organisation to partner with Sainsbury’s Active Kids programme.

 

Sported’s premium members* of over 3,000 community groups in the UK will now be able to collect Sainsbury’s Active Kids vouchers and exchange them for brand new sports equipment and experiences.

 

Chris Grant, Chief Executive of Sported, said: “Sported was founded to support the local heroes and heroines of community sport, who play a transformative role in the lives of thousands of disadvantaged young people across the UK. Funding is always a struggle for our members, and it can be hard for them to access new kit, training and experiences. Now, thanks to Sainsbury’s Active Kids, they will have the opportunity to take advantage of a wide range of offers and give the young people they’re working with an even better experience.”

 

As a charity, Sported supports the growth of local community groups that use sport as a tool to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people. Collectively, its members reach an estimated 450,000 young people across the UK.

 

Suzy Edwards, Active Kids Manager at Sainsbury’s said: “It’s great to welcome Sported to our Active Kids programme. They have an extensive membership network and a huge reach across the UK. We are proud that we can support their members in getting even more young people healthy and active.”

 

Since the launch of Active Kids in 2005, Sainsbury’s has donated £160million worth of Active Kids equipment and experiences to schools and clubs across the UK. This year customers can collect Active Kids vouchers in Sainsbury’s stores until 3rd May 2016. Customers will receive one voucher for every £10 spent at any Sainsbury’s supermarket or £5 spent in Sainsbury’s convenience stores. They will also receive vouchers for groceries online and at petrol stations. For more information visit https://activekids.sainsburys.co.uk/

 

– END –

 

For more information or to request an interview, please contact Matt Shaw, Media & External Affairs Manager at Sported, on 0207 389 1923 or m.shaw@sported.org.uk.

 

* Sported premium members meet the selection/validation criteria as per the below:

  • Constituted club
  • Constituted community group
  • Individual running a community organisation
  • Local or regional charity/organisation
  • Social enterprise company
  • Un-constituted club or group
  • Small national charity/organisation
  • Community Interest Company limited by guarantee with 3 or more directors
  • Semi-professional/part time sports club community scheme
  • Industrial and provident community benefit society

 

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Sported responds to Government’s new sport strategy – a ‘game-changer’ for community sport?

Chris Grant, Chief Executive of Sported, responds to the launch of the government’s new sport strategy: 

 

“This strategy could be a game-changer for community sport, and for the UK at large. Many of us have experienced the unique power of sport to bring out the best in individuals, and to unite communities. Sported was founded to support thousands of clubs and groups across the UK – mainly volunteer led – who work tirelessly to deliver these benefits. Until now, they’ve often felt that they were swimming against the tide, but to see what we call Sport for Development front and centre of Tracey Crouch’s plans is hugely encouraging.

Over the last few years, we’ve made great strides as a nation at the top end of the Olympic and Paralympic medal tables. Behind the scenes, sports which had previously fought each other for resources and hidden the secrets of their success started sharing what they knew. Now it’s time to do the same for the grassroots. This strategy can help us forge new partnerships, and build a world-class community sport system. It can help us to break outdated stereotypes about who will or won’t be interested in particular sports or activities.

Of course, whether it works or not will ultimately be determined by actions, rather than words in a document. However, the way to build an Active Nation is to be joined-up and work from the bottom up. Previous approaches were the exact opposite. They encouraged division, and tried to push solutions out into communities. Tracey Crouch has been brave enough to reverse the flow. If everyone who loves sport and believes in its potential to drive positive change gets behind this strategy, the whole nation will benefit.”

The full strategy, ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’, is available to read here.

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Sported responds to Government’s sports strategy consultation

New Strategy for SportEarlier this summer the government launched its ‘A New Strategy for Sport: Consultation Paper’ and invited the public to share their views on what more can be done to improve access and increase participation in sport.

 

Drawing on our members and volunteers’ collective feedback and the experience of the team here at Sported, we wanted to share with you some of the key recommendations from our response.

 

 

So what do we want to see in the government’s new sports strategy when it’s launched later this year?

 

Sported wants…

 

…Sport for Development to be formally recognised in the new strategy. Funding should be ring-fenced by Sport England specifically for community groups, charities and organisations delivering ‘Sport for Development’ activities/initiatives. Investment decisions should be based on outcomes, benefits and cost savings to society, as opposed to simply participation numbers.

 

…a cross-departmental government working group (led by the DCMS and including Education, Health, Communities, Treasury, Home Office and Justice departments) to deliver a coordinated strategy on how sport can be better utilised and funded to achieve clearly defined social outcomes.

 

…funding to be invested in strengthening and advancing the Sport for Development sector to: enable the sharing of learning and best practice; build the evidence base around “what works”; and further its contribution to wider social and economic agendas.

 

…increased funding and support from Department of Health (and related health bodies) into sporting initiatives designed specifically to tackle the problem of mental health.

 

…government, Sport England and delivery bodies need to adopt a ‘bottom-up’ approach by increasing investment in and empowering locally-led community sport groups to drive participation.

 

…government and the sporting bodies responsible for distributing funding need to adopt longer-term investment models.

 

…government and the relevant sporting bodies to look beyond the traditional sport networks to increase participation (for example, by tapping into non-sporting community groups such as youth clubs, resident associations and women’s groups).

 

…to open up school sporting facilities to local community groups.

 

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Sported celebrates completion of Inspiring Impact pilot

Inspiring Impact 2On Wednesday 9th September we hosted a special event in Northern Ireland to celebrate the successful completion of our pilot project with Inspiring Impact.

 

Inspiring Impact is a UK wide initiative that aims to change the way the voluntary and community sector thinks about impact, and to make high quality impact practice the norm for charities and social enterprises.

 

As a programme partner, we have been supporting 20 of our members in Northern Ireland through the pilot, with all the groups pledging their support for the Code of Impact Practice and 18 implementing their own Impact Practice Action Plans, having completed the ‘Measuring Up!’ self-assessment tool.

 

Through the use of Inspiring Impact’s tools and resources, we have been helping our members to better understand the cycle of impact practice and how they can reliably measure their own impact in order to articulate the difference they are making to their communities.

 

At the ‘Inspired by Your Impact’ celebrations, our pilot groups were joined by our Chief Executive, Chris Grant, along with a number of our volunteer mentors and CENI staff members. The event provided opportunity to reflect on the key learning and challenges for groups involved in the pilot through a combination of group discussions and individual case studies.

 

Those involved in the pilot commented on Wednesday evening:

“We knew what we were offering but didn’t appreciate the impact it had……we knew we had a difference but were not measuring this in any way. Involvement in Inspiring Impact has changed this.”

 

“Measuring Up! was simple and to the point, and taught us how to structure the process of impact measurement in order to imbed it into the organisation.”

 

“Measuring Up! allows for collective sharing of ideas and reflections at different points of the process”.

 

“It has been a helpful experience particularly for younger committee members and subcommittee groups. We have a few ideas on how we can adapt the tool to assist us with training volunteers.”

 

The groups’ commitment to Impact Practice was acknowledged at the close of the event with a ‘Certificate of Completion’, presented by Chris, who highlighted the importance of the pilot programme for Sported’s own learning and development.

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Deutsche Bank wins Corporate Volunteering Award in Team London Awards 2015

Team London AwardOn Monday 14th September, Deutsche Bank won the Team London Award for Corporate Volunteering for its flagship sporteducate programme. The award was presented at City Hall by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Wayne Hemingway MBE, Ambassador for Team London and pioneer of social, affordable and sustainable design.

 

The Team London Awards are in recognition of the valuable contribution made by volunteers in London and the impact they have in their local communities. Online fashion business, ASOS, won the Corporate Volunteering Highly Commended Award, with other awards recognising individuals and groups of volunteers, including Long Service Awards, Mentoring and Coaching Awards and Volunteer Centre Award.

 

Sporteducate, part of Born to Be, Deutsche Bank’s youth engagement programme and created  in partnership with sports for development charity Sported, is  a pioneering education programme designed to help disadvantaged young people. The programme supports 33 community sports clubs in London by enabling them to run educational and employability activates alongside sports activities.

 

Deutsche Bank volunteers are an integral part of the sporteducate programme by lending their expertise in a number of ways; becoming trustees and giving professional advice and support on finance, marketing, communications, business planning, IT skills and HR advice to the clubs’ employees and volunteering with young people by supporting education and employability workshops and through one-to-one mentoring.

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New satellite sport clubs set to boost participation in Rushmoor and Basingstoke

Sport Hampshire & Isle of Wight (SHIOW) has awarded leading Sport for Development charity, Sported, a £5,000 grant to increase the number of disadvantaged young people playing sport in the Rushmoor and Basingstoke areas by developing five new satellite sport clubs.

 

Satellite clubs are extensions, or outposts of existing community sports clubs which are established in a new venue, usually a secondary school or college. The aim of satellite clubs are to grow the number of 11-25 year olds taking part in sport and provide a stepping stone into community clubs through the creation of relevant, appealing and convenient sporting opportunities.

 

Sported, a free membership organisation that specialises in supporting community sport clubs from deprived areas, will be working with SHIOW to identify five of its member clubs to become satellite clubs in Rushmoor and Basingstoke.

 

Each of the chosen clubs will benefit from being paired with one of Sported’s volunteer mentors, who will provide free expert support on developing the club’s sustainability and satellite club programme. The clubs will also be eligible to apply for funding from SHIOW to get their respective satellite programmes off the ground.

 

Priya Samuel, Satellite Clubs Manager at Sport Hampshire & IOW, said: “SHIOW continues to be innovative in delivery and welcomes partnerships with organisations who sit outside the traditional sports development sector. It is vital that the satellite clubs initiative reaches young people from varied backgrounds. Forging new links with Sported and its member clubs will create new opportunities for disadvantaged young people to take part in sport, in a safe and welcoming environment”.

 

Jo Irving, Manager at Sported said: “Sported’s membership network provides an effective channel to reach some of the most marginalised young people in the South East. Thanks to funding and support from SHIOW, our members will be given the advice, skills and resources they need to safeguard their clubs’ futures and expand their reach within the local community.”

 

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Sported calls on its members to have their voices heard

New Strategy for SportOn Tuesday 4th August 2015 Sports Minister Tracey Crouch launched a wide-ranging public consultation on sport in the UK to ensure public funding goes to organisations that can get more people participating.

 

As part of this, the government wants to hear from people and groups who are involved in sport at the grassroots level, on what more can be done to increase participation and improve access to sport across the country.

 

The findings from this consultation will be used to develop the government’s new sports strategy and could dramatically change the way sport is funded.

 

This is the Sport for Development sector’s chance to get its voice heard. We are therefore encouraging all Sported’s members to read through the consultation paper and, most importantly, respond with your thoughts.

 

Click here to download – ‘A New Strategy for Sport: Consultation Paper’

 

By the very nature of your work with some of the UK’s most disadvantaged young people, you are perfectly placed to answer some of the consultation’s key questions, namely:

 

-How can we increase participation, particularly in deprived areas and amongst under-represented groups?

-How can sport be used to deliver positive social outcomes? Should Government funding be directed to achieve particular social outcomes?

-How can community sport encourage children and young people to take part and develop a love for sport?

-How can we ensure funding goes to organisations which can best deliver an increase in participation? (please support the Sport for Development sector by referencing in your submissions, Sported and any other organisations that have supported or funded your activities).

-How can we best support participation in new sports and activities

-How can we ensure coaching is as effective as possible?

-How can sport be used as a hook to get more NEETs into employment?

-How can volunteers be more effectively supported?

-How can we enable a greater proportion of disabled people to take part in sport?

-How can we ensure our sporting culture allows everyone to take part and succeed?

 

Respond online here

 

On a final note, since Sported was founded in 2008 we have been dedicated to championing the Sport for Development sector and promoting its development in the UK. It was therefore heartening to see – both in Tracey Crouch’s foreword and explicitly under the section ‘Sport for social good’ [p12 of the consultation] – the recognition of sport’s power to change lives and its wider role in society.

 

We will of course be submitting our own recommendations to government and encourage you to do the same – together we can finally cement Sport for Development’s rightful place in the UK’s sports landscape.

 

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Winners of the Vanessa Brown Volunteer Award announced!

It gives us great pleasure to announce the first two winners of the Vanessa Brown Volunteer Award as Sue Martin and Derek May.

 

The award was launched this year to celebrate the life of Vanessa Brown – a much loved Sported staff member and friend – who sadly passed away last year.

 

The winners of the inaugural award were announced on Tuesday night by Sir Keith Mills and Baroness Sue Campbell at a special celebratory dinner for the nominated Sported volunteer mentors at the House of Lords.

 

All of Sported’s 250 volunteer mentors deserve a huge amount of credit for their passion and dedication, but special congratulations and thanks to Derek and Sue for their outstanding contribution to Sported’s work.

 

Derek has been a Sported mentor since 2012 and has mentored clubs including Bridgewater Salford ABC, United Estates of Wythenshawe and Wildcard ABC. His ability to articulate and communicate strategic goals and successfully coach those who he works with has delivered huge dividends, as the following testimonial demonstrates.

 

“The contribution of our mentor Derek has been invaluable – he has a wealth of knowledge and experience and is a fantastic motivator. Derek has helped to clarify our plans, open doors that were previously closed to us and made invaluable introductions. Derek has been a God send in more ways than one. He has been our missing piece of the jigsaw, providing clarity to our vision, boosting our morale and strengthening our motivation levels.  Derek has certainly lent us new found energy and direction”

 

Sue has mentored numerous Sported members in the North East. Her experience working in the community sector has made her acutely aware of the sustainability and funding challenges faced by our members and is expertly placed to guide them through them.

 

“I genuinely feel Asian Business Connexions is in a better place all because of Sue. I do not think that paid expertise could have made a better or bigger impact, and the fact that Sue unreservedly took the time to help ABC must be worthy of recognition.  If anyone deserves an award for giving away their valuable time voluntarily, then there is no one more suited than Sue Martin.”             

 

Once again, many congratulations to Derek and Sue for their success at this year’s award, and a special thanks to those who were nominated – Amanda McDonald, Anas Hassan, Clive Barnard, Frank McGlone, John Horton, Maggie Pankhurst, Martin Briggs, Martin Corck, Neil Rutherford and Peter Lodge. Finally, thanks to all of Sported’s mentors who, because of your fantastic work, made the judging and shortlisting process such a difficult, but rewarding process!

 

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Will Greenwood celebrates Volunteers’ Week with sporteducate

Former England rugby international and World Cup winner, Will Greenwood, got into the spirit of Volunteers’ Week yesterday, when he paid a special visit to Hackney to volunteer with young people benefitting from Deutsche Bank and Sported’s joint sporteducate programme.

 

sporteducate is a unique programme developed by the charity Sported in partnership with Deutsche Bank’s Born to Be programme, which is helping young people from some of London’s poorest boroughs to achieve their potential in life through a combined programme of sport and education or employability sessions.

 

Thanks to funding and support from the programme, 33 youth club and sports clubs in London have been able to introduce education and employability sessions alongside their traditional sporting activities, thereby creating fun and accessible educational opportunities in the heart of local communities.

 

As a Sported ambassador, Greenwood took time out of his busy schedule to give 30 young people from sporteducate clubs a rugby masterclass. For many, it was the first time they have picked up a rugby ball. Delivering coaching alongside coaches from Hackney RFC, the World Cup winner gave an insight into the qualities it takes to succeed on the pitch and in the classroom.

 

Will Greenwood, Sported ambassador, said: “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the passion and commitment of the volunteer coaches at my local rugby club. Volunteers play a key role at grassroots, not just coaching young people to play sports, but offering life guidance and support.”

 

He added: “sporteducate offers young people a real leg-up and some fantastic opportunities to get ahead with their educations and future careers. It’s been a real privilege getting stuck in with the training and meeting such an energetic and talented bunch. Hopefully I’ve whetted their appetites of what’s to come with the World Cup!”

 

In keeping with Volunteers’ Week, an annual event which celebrates the contribution made by millions of volunteers across the UK, Greenwood was joined by employee volunteers from Deutsche Bank. Volunteering plays a key role in sporteducate, with Deutsche Bank employees lending their expertise to community clubs across London, from offering one-to-one mentoring and running CV workshops to lending club leaders free business support and advice.

 

Ellie from sporteducate member group, SkyWay, said: “I’m really pleased I came today, I nearly didn’t. I don’t follow rugby and this was my first time playing so I’m really happy to be given the MVP award. I can’t wait to show my mum my medal. I’m looking forward to watching the World Cup in a few months – I might even start playing myself.”

 

Tom Williams, sporteducate volunteer at Deutsche Bank, said: “It’s not every day you get the chance to volunteer with a World Cup winner! I have to say it was very rewarding to see so many of them enjoying it. There were a few reluctant and shy faces when they first turned up but within minutes Will had them bonding, laughing, energised and generally having a great time. That has to go down as the most fun 46 people can have on a five a side pitch.”

 

Justin Haywood, sporteducate volunteer at Deutsche Bank, said: “Being outdoors and seeing the smiles on the children’s faces made my day. The sense of inclusion, competitiveness and utter joy was very clearly evident.”

 

For more information about Hackney RFU and playing opportunities in Hackney, please visit:

www.hackneybulls.co.uk

www.hackneyrfc.co.uk