As one of four Event Social Impact partners of UK Sport, we were pleased to attend our second UK Sport Event Partners Day at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground last month. The event brought together more than 100 partners from across the sport and events sector, representing a wide range of expertise united by a shared strategic aim: to ensure the effective, high quality delivery of major events, from logistics and procurement through to measurable social impact and long term legacy — and everything else in between.
Pride, belonging, and the role of sport in society
A central theme throughout the day was the need to strengthen how the sector defines and communicates the value of major events. While economic impact remains important, there was clear consensus that future success depends on demonstrating broader social outcomes, including how events can strengthen community cohesion, build a sense of belonging and shared identity, and inspire sustained participation across diverse communities.
Reflecting on the need to positively redefine national and local pride in some communities, there was a shared recognition of sport as a powerful mechanism for rebuilding social connection and shared purpose. There was strong alignment around the need to embed pride and belonging more deliberately within event narratives, as well as strengthening the links between elite events and grassroots participation opportunities.
Questioned on the value of events and whether they are “worth the investment”, Simon Morton — UK Sport’s Director of Events, Sporting System & External Affairs — reaffirmed that “it has never been more important to bring people together — and events do that”.
StreetGames’ role: opening doors to major sporting events
At StreetGames, we’re proud to play our part in ensuring that the power of major sporting events reaches those communities that stand to benefit the most. Our partnership with UK Sport is a key part of our Inspiration campaign, which supports young people living in under-served communities to experience major events through opportunities to spectate, volunteer and participate.
We are also passionate about amplifying young people’s voices in this space — maximising impact by ensuring that their views are central to driving change around how major sporting events are planned and delivered.
We took a moment to speak with Jess Padley, Major Events Impact Manager at UK Sport, about our partnership to date. Jess is an integral part of our social impact partnership and supports us to maximise and raise the profile of StreetGames across the MSEs landscape.
Why did UK Sport choose to partner with StreetGames?
At UK Sport, we set out to identify social impact partners who genuinely share our ambition to use the platform of major sporting events hosted in the UK to drive positive social change.
We were particularly keen to work with organisations that are already deeply embedded in communities across the country, and to connect major events with existing programmes — programmes that would continue well beyond the lifespan of a single event. Alongside this, we wanted partners who could bring real specialist expertise into the major events ecosystem and support our network of event managers with their knowledge and experience.
Through this process, we were delighted to appoint four outstanding social impact partners: StreetGames, Access Sport, Coach Core Foundation, and Loughborough University.
Why are UK Sport excited to have StreetGames on board?
StreetGames are a really strong fit with our ambition to use major events to create meaningful societal impact, particularly through their Inspiration Campaign. They have a deep understanding of how powerful events can be for young people — not just as spectators, but as volunteers and active participants in sport.
That ability to connect the excitement of live sport to real opportunities for engagement, confidence building, and participation is exactly what we are looking for in a partner.
What have been the highlights of the partnership so far from UK Sport’s perspective?
The partnership with StreetGames has got off to a brilliant start. Alongside being embedded within our secured major events and supporting delivery on the ground — such as activity linked to the European Athletics Championships — the team have been incredibly open and collaborative when it comes to developing new ideas together.
A great example of this is the UK Sport Content Creator School, where we’ve been able to bring fresh thinking into how we engage young people around events.
What are you looking forward to from the partnership going forward?
As we move into year two of the partnership, we’re really excited about the opportunities ahead — particularly enabling more young people across the country to connect with live sport through volunteering. These experiences can build confidence, open up new networks, and importantly, showcase the wide range of career opportunities that exist within the sport and events industry.