What is the #OpenGoal framework?

a swimming pool with competitors swimming in lanes. Crowds watching from the stands

In April 2022 the Coalition launched its #OpenGoal campaign and framework to showcase the contribution of sport to building a fairer, more equitable and sustainable future.

#OpenGoal is a shared advocacy framework which members of the Coalition have co-designed in order to showcase their collective impact against a series of specific health and societal outcomes. These include:

  • Improved health and wellbeing – in two leading sport for development organisations, participants on StreetGames’ Doorstep Sport programme with greatest increase in wellbeing saw 11% of participants with high wellbeing at the start of the project increase to 74% at follow-up. The impact of Dame Kelly Holmes Trust sport-based mentoring programme saw an overall increase of 7.5% in mental wellbeing across all programmes.
  • Closing the gap in education and development – Youth Sport Trust’s National PE, School Sport and Physical Activity Survey found 87% of schools considered that sport makes a positive contribution to achievement, and 65% to attainment.
  • Increased employability and skills – 59% of 8,500 participants across seven sport for development initiatives   progressed into education, training or employment opportunities over a 12-month period.
  • Reduced crime and anti-social behaviour – numerous sport-based early intervention initiatives consistently report more than 70% of participants have reduced offending and anti-social behaviour. The average re-offending rate in the five initiatives for 18 to 21-year-olds focused on in the Sporting Chance Review of Sport in Youth and Adult Prisons was 11.6% which is significantly lower than the national average of 26%.
  • Stronger communities and social cohesion – 62.3% of participants either ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they feel like they belong to their neighbourhood. This is 3.4% higher than the national average of 58.9% (based on 555 responses from the Coalition’s Collective Survey Tool).

#OpenGoal will also focus on cross-sector themes including levelling up communities, tackling inequalities and the contribution of sport for development to climate action.

Find out more from the Sport for Development Coalition.

More resources on this topic

Discover more learning resources