Blog
Written by Kate Roberts, StreetGames Place Partnership Manager – North East, Yorkshire & Humber
The idea for Kit Out was sparked by something that the StreetGames team see all too often: young people with so much to gain from sport and physical activity, but who are held back by not having the right kit.
Lack of suitable sports kit – something that many of us take for granted – is a real and persistent barrier to participation. 74% of surveyed community sports leaders told us that young people are less likely to take part without the right kit. For young people growing up in low income, underserved communities, where opportunities to play sport and be active are already limited, this can make all the difference.
From a conversation between Sarah Tague (Active Humber) and I about the need for more to be done to address these challenges, Kit Out was born.
The project was developed with three key goals in mind:
- Tackling inequalities, by breaking down a key barrier to participation and enabling young people living in underserved communities to engage in Doorstep Sport
- Improving environmental sustainability, by reducing waste and diverting used clothes from landfills
- Strengthening place-based partnership working, by bringing together partners in place to pool capacity, assets and resources – creating a sustainable and shared local project
The project has its roots in Hull, where it launched in summer 2024. From collection and sorting, to stigma-free distribution, the system was built with community and partnership at its heart. In this first chapter alone, we were able to kit out over 300 young people – empowering them to be active, while also keeping more than 200kg of clothing from ending up in landfill.
With this successful pilot under our belts, the project has gone from strength to strength. Kit Out is now running biannually in Hull – and this summer, has taken its first steps into more locations across the North East.
This June, Kit Out was launched in Hartlepool for the first time. With 39% of children in the town living in poverty, the need for the initiative was clear. Teaming up with Hartlepool Sport, Reloved Clothing, and the Youth Sport Trust, we were able to open up donation points across Hartlepool.
The response from the local community was fantastic, including a huge donation of shoes, shirts and tops from Hartlepool United Community Sports Foundation. With summer holiday activities getting underway in the next couple of weeks, these donations come at a crucial time to ensure that local young people feel comfortable and confident to get involved and enjoy a happy, healthy holiday period.
This year has also seen the launch of Kit Out in Sunderland. With 12 donation points across the city, the project has been buoyed by the scale of partnerships involved – with Active Sunderland, RISE, Sported, Youth Sport Trust and the North East Combined Authority all working together to make it a huge success. With 224kg of kit donated, stakeholders and volunteers have worked swiftly to sort the donations and get them straight back out to and the young people they support.
We are thrilled that what started as a conversation between colleagues in Hull has gathered momentum at the pace that it has. We’ve created a replicable model that combines social impact with environmental action, and partnership working with wider community engagement.
With more Kit Out initiatives in the pipeline, both regionally and further afield, we can’t wait to expand the impact and continue supporting both young people and the environment – one t-shirt, tracksuit or trainer at a time.
What our partners are saying about Kit Out
“This is a fantastic way of giving a new lease of life to unwanted sports kit. It helps both those who want to get active but don’t have the kit and those who have it but no longer need it. We’re delighted it’s happening in Sunderland and our thanks go all the partners who are hosting donation boxes.” – Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council
“Sport and physical activity has so much to offer from a mental, physical and social health perspective, so to see organisations in the region working together to reduce barriers to participation is something we are delighted to support and fund as part of our mission to reduce child poverty.” – Charlotte Carpenter, Director of Skills, Inclusion & Public Service Reform at North East Combined Authority
“The HAF programme provides a valuable opportunity for many children and young people who face the challenges of deprivation and inequality to experience sport and physical activity, making it part of their regular holiday periods. The opportunity to continue their involvement beyond the school holiday is limited by numerous barriers, the cost of sports kit and equipment being one. Kit Out Hull provides a valuable resource to support young people to continue to play, train and enjoy sport and experience the ongoing social, health and wellbeing benefits which come with a healthy lifestyle.” – Kirsty Leake, Locality Programme Co-ordinator at Healthy Holidays Hull
Get involved
Do you want to get involved in an existing Kit Out project or discuss setting one up in your area? Please reach out to a member of your regional team or contact support@streetgames.org
You can also download our Kit Out How To Guide for more information on the approach and tips and resources for making it work in your area.
