The Sport and Recreation Alliance has launched its latest report under the Fit for the Future banner - Uncovering the Social Value of Sport.
The report features essays that discuss the power of sport and recreation to achieve social good, how to run sporting initiatives that aim to achieve social good and how best to promote them. Industry leaders, who have either organised, been involved in or promoted sporting social value programmes across the UK, were asked to share their expertise.
The contributors to the report were:
• Mike de Giorgio, CEO, Greenhouse Sports
• Ken Cowen, CEO School of Hard Knocks
• Chris Grant, CEO Sported
• Ron Tulley, Head of Development, England Boxing
• Liz McMahon, Managing Director, Madison Muir
• Rebecca Birkbeck, CEO, Join In
The report was launched at a breakfast briefing hosted by the Alliance’s corporate partner Gateley PLC. During the briefing, attendees heard from:
• Chris Grant, CEO, Sported
• Sammy Green, who has benefited from taking part in a School of Hard Knock programme and now coaches for the charity
• Ruth Gahan, Head of Participation, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
This was followed by a Q&A session which saw a lively debate between attendees on how best to implement social value programmes and what the challenges are for organisations who run these types of projects. Some of the key topics covered in the discussion included:
• The challenge for deliverers to align with the outcomes framework set out in the Government’s sport strategy
• Measuring and evaluating sport for social good projects
• Working in partnership with other sectors - in particular, those who are experts in social change or have experience of working in the community
Emma Boggis, CEO of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, said:
“Uncovering the Social Value of Sport demonstrates not only some of the great work the sport and recreation sector does in this area but it also explains why sport can be such an effective tool as an agent of social change.
We are delighted the sector is taking such a strong interest in the role sport can play in fulfilling social value and we look forward to working closely with Government, Sport England, our members and others to help achieve the full potential sport has to solve social and community issues”.
Download the Uncovering the Social Value of Sport report here.
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