A national programme to encourage disadvantaged young people to join sports clubs is generating savings of £69m a year to society.
New figures show that the Doorstep Sport Club programme, launched by StreetGames in 2013, has helped more than 47,000 young people become more active and avoiding more negative social outcomes.
Since its launch, the programme has seen 900 clubs set up in disadvantaged communities, delivering sport with the minimum amount of specialist equipment or facilities needed, and often provided free to young people.
‘Our goal was to close the gap in participation in sport between affluent areas and disadvantaged areas,’ said Jane Ashworth, CEO of StreetGames. ‘We're working hard to achieve that goal and through the work of thousands of coaches and volunteers, we're starting to make a big impact as these figures show.
‘There is much more to be done, but we're confident we've hit on a formula that works for young people, transforming lives and delivering significant benefits for the whole of society.’
Of those participating in the programme, around a third of participants are female, 32% are from Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) backgrounds and 5% have a disability.
Read our previous comment piece from Jane Ashworth about how councils can make a real difference to the' inactivity time bomb'.
