The ‘Into the Green and Blue: Watersports Festival’ gave more than 1,000 young people from some of Birmingham’s most underserved communities the chance to experience a range of watersports for free. Held at the Andrew Simpson Centre and across eight paddle sports hubs along Birmingham’s canal network, participants enjoyed activities such as Bell Boating, Kayaking, Sailing, Power Boating, and Rowing.

Organised by StreetGames in partnership with Paddle UK, British Rowing, and Andrew Simpson Sailing, the festival is part of the ongoing Birmingham Community Paddle Sports Project, which aims to increase access to watersports. As the official charity partner of Team GB, StreetGames welcomed athletes Emma Wiggs, Esme Booth, and Rob Oliver through the Team GB ChangeMaker campaign, which seeks to remove barriers in sport and inspire the next generation of athletes.

Since its inception in 2022, the Birmingham Community Paddle Sport Project, supported by StreetGames in partnership with Olympic canoeist Andy Train, Paddle UK and the Canal & River Trust, has aimed to engage Birmingham’s most underserved communities by increasing access and promoting participation in paddle sport across city’s canal network. 

This festival is an example of what can be achieved through partnership working in the city and will aim to create further opportunities for year-round sporting activity to be available to children and young people across the city in the future. 

Ray Vince, Area Lead, StreetGames said: “StreetGames exists to bridge the sporting inequality gap for young people from low-income, underserved communities. Working with our partners, we deliver Doorstep Sport to bridge the inequality gap and offer sport and physical activity in a way that meets the needs and motivations of the people we reach. I think we have started to show this weekend how we can be even more effective by working together in a multi-watersport approach.

“This event is a critical step in our mission to establish year-round, multisport opportunities in underserved communities, opening pathways for young people to grow into volunteers and community leaders. It’s a reminder to mainstream sports providers of the importance of adapting their offer to suit all young people.”

Triple Paralympic Gold Medallist, Emma Wiggs MBE reflected on her visit to the paddle sports hub in Castle Vale: “I wanted to congratulate all those involved on a fantastic weekend of paddling and water activity! I absolutely loved meeting everyone and seeing how the organisations’ passion and energy inspired the young people to get on the water…these efforts have developed new experiences and new fans of the outdoors and water, so thank you.”
 

Esme Booth, British Rowing Olympic Silver medallist said: “I feel truly inspired by all the work everyone is doing to get people out on the water and would love to see if we can make rowing part of this, making it available to the communities in Birmingham as a sustainable project that is open to a diverse group of people of all abilities and backgrounds.”

Retired Olympian Andy Train, who has been the driving force behind The Birmingham Community Paddle Sport Project, said: “It has been a great festival! Our partnership with StreetGames, who also support our hubs year-round, has meant we were able to attract a further 500 families this weekend. Our community paddle sport hubs are based on the doorstep of the most underserved communities. The canal network in Birmingham reaches into everyone. In this way have been able to give young people and families a real opportunity to get into water sport and if they want, stay with it.”

Further feedback from partners involved has been overwhelmingly positive:

“This event has been a great opportunity to showcase different organisations working in partnership to reach into the underserved communities giving young people from low-income families the chance to access water sports. We are especially grateful to the role that StreetGames has played in enabling engagement through their network of locally trusted organisations and in bringing us all together to make this happen very effectively. We are looking forward to continuing our collaboration with StreetGames and to expanding this way of working not just in Birmingham but also across England.” – Greg Van Heerden, Recreational Programmes Lead (Paddle UK). 

“Truly inspirational! I can’t really say more than that. Other than, I am very excited for the possibilities of what’s next.” – Rebecca Gibson, Love Rowing.  

“It was brilliant to hear The Andrew Simpson Centre were able to support 150 individuals getting out on the water. Given the large initial expressions of interest, we, of course, would be happy to work with all to offer further opportunities to access watersports.” – Richard Percy (CEO Andrew Simpson Foundation) 

 “I’m delighted to hear of the event’s success last weekend; a great testament to the creativity, vision and dedication of the partnerships that has been brought together.” – Caroline Slocock, ASF Fundraising Manager.  

The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit is once again hosting its #SafeInSport awareness raising week from 7-11 October 2024. The campaign reminds us that everyone has a role to play in keeping children and young people safe in sport. This year’s campaign is focusing on building safer sporting communities.

Everyone in the StreetGames community plays a vital role in ensuring children and young people are safe, supported, and empowered to thrive. Safeguarding is about adopting policies and practices that enable a caring environment where every child and young person feels listened to, valued and protected.

We know from our network survey that the mental and physical wellbeing of the young people you work with is of the highest importance. Underpinning effective Doorstep Sport is a person-centred approach which prioritises and responds to what young people need both within and beyond the activities being delivered.

This #SafeInSport week, we’re celebrating the power of our collective responsibility. Throughout the campaign, we will be recognising the valuable role of Doorstep Sport in providing a safe space for young people. You can read some positive examples from our network members below.

Football legend Gareth Bale hailed a best-ever event as he stepped up his commitment to promoting sporting opportunities for young people.

Hosted at at the Celtic Manor Resort, the third annual Gareth Bale Festival of Sport on September 14-15 saw more than 100 children from some of the most underserved communities in South Wales given the chance to sample a wide variety of sports.

Organised in partnership with Wales Golf, StreetGames and CAA Sports, the multi-sport event saw Bale try his hand at sports including cricket, badminton, table tennis and skateboarding, as he inspired youngsters from community groups to enjoy the many benefits of sporting participation.

Bale, the former Real Madrid superstar who is Wales’s record goalscorer, also took part in Q&A sessions with the young people attending before presenting the Gareth Bale Championship trophy to the winning golfer following two days of intense competition on Celtic Manor’s Montgomerie and Roman Road golf courses.

Bale said: “This is the third year that we have held the Gareth Bale Festival of Sport and this one has been the best yet. As a boy, I played every sport I could and I’m sure that helped my development as an athlete. That’s why it’s great to see young people in Wales getting the chance to try lots of different sports they might not otherwise get the chance to.”

Claire Lane, StreetGames National Director, Wales, said: “At StreetGames, we are committed to breaking down barriers and ensuring that all young people, regardless of background, have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of sport. The Gareth Bale Festival of Sport is a perfect example of how we can provide children with the chance to explore a range of sports, helping them find their passion and stay active.

“This event is also a critical step in our mission to establish year-round, multisport opportunities in underserved communities, opening pathways for young people to grow into volunteers and community leaders. It’s a reminder to mainstream sports providers of the importance of adapting to meet the needs of all young people, especially those from low-income areas.”

Theo Baker, Head of Participation at Wales Golf, said: “Both the Festival of Sport and the Gareth Bale Championship have gone from strength to strength over the last three years. We are working together to show the benefits that sport can bring to people and communities, and it’s fantastic to be able to do this at an iconic venue like Celtic Manor. These are exciting times for golf in Wales with Gareth’s involvement and next year the AIG Women’s Open Championship will be held in Wales for the first time at Royal Porthcawl.”

Working as part of an alliance with other community groups from the area and with the support of the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit, New Bury Boxing is once again providing a positive, accessible sporting offer for local young people.

New Bury and Farnworth ABC was a well-established and much-loved boxing club for many years, with a strong community focus. When the club closed around 2014, so too did the youth club which ran out of New Bury Community Learning Centre, leaving little to do for young people living in the local area.

In 2020, through their ‘community-led approach’ work, Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit invested funds into New Bury as a community in need. Local consultation identified key priorities for the area, which included more positive activities for young people. It was clear that boxing still meant a lot to the community, with a strong desire to re-establish the boxing club.

As part of an alliance with other local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, and with the support of StreetGames, Bolton-based community boxing gym Elite Community Hub received funding to run boxing sessions in New Bury, marking the start of a revived boxing offer for local young people.

The following year, New Bury Boxing was reopened with brand new coaches from the local community, including parents who were keen to support the provision of positive activities for children and young people in the local community. The club has been building up slowly since then, allowing it to become sustainable beyond the initial community-led programme. The community-led alliance continues to go from strength to strength, with collaborative funding applications and delivery and the development of sustainable local partnerships.

On Monday 12th August, New Bury Boxing held a celebration event to mark its third anniversary. More than 20 local young people came along to celebrate all that the club has achieved, with activities including fitness games and a free raffle, with boxing gloves, a 1-2-1 training session and chocolates handed out as prizes. The young people also enjoyed some pizza and cupcakes.

As part of the celebration, the club shared its brand new banner which was put up outside to promote their new timetable. Having initially started with only one weekly session in their first year, the club expanded to four sessions per week in their second year and are now looking forward to offering six sessions per week for young people aged 8-18, with an additional three sessions for over 18-year-olds.

Along with the exciting news of their expanded offer, the club showcased their new boxing equipment which has been funded by Sport England, and were also able to put up the boxing ring which had been purchased through participating in the Hits Radio Cash for Kids Sports Challenge.

The club has also been successful in securing funding from The National Lottery and Bolton’s Fund, enabling them to offer 1-2-1 mentoring and small group sessions called Talk and Train to help young people with social, emotional and mental health issues.

New Bury Boxing club currently has five coaches, all from the area, along with five amateur boxers. The team is actively looking to expand, including encouraging more local parents to get involved by offering training and support into coaching or admin roles.

Comments from young people and parents on the ‘Feedback Wall’ at the celebration event highlight the importance of New Bury Boxing for the local community:

“New Bury Boxing is a place I feel safe and I can talk to the coaches”

“It’s been great for [x], it has given him extra confidence”

“Confidence and fitness level has improved”

“I like New Bury Boxing for the people (coaches) and friends”

Developed and established in Brighton by the team at Across Rainbows, the Back Off. Back Up. (BOBU) initiative exists to signpost LGBTQ+ people to their nearest safe place in their local town.

Funded by the JD Foundation, StreetGames’ Pride Activity Network has now enabled this vital and life-saving project to be trialled in Kendal in Cumbria. The project empowers LGBTQ+ people and anyone who has ever felt unsafe on their walk home, to ask for help should they need it. Using the BOBU app, users can see where the LGBTQ+ friendly spaces are and can be assured that all registered BOBU venues have undergone LGBTQ+ inclusion training, delivered in-person by the ‘Across Rainbows’ team.

Luciana from Across Rainbows said: “Our vision is to create a network of BOBU safe spaces across the UK. Adding the 10 Kendal venues was a very exciting milestone in the BOBU journey. Kendal is the first BOBU city in the North, and it was a great experience to meet the diverse venues in person and conduct the BOBU training with them.

It’s immensely satisfying and reassuring to know that LGBTQ+ people have safe spaces to go to in Kendal when they are out and about. Kendal is our shining BOBU flagship in the North”.

In June, Beth Warriner (PAN Coordinator and StreetGames Doorstep Sport Advisor) visited the BOBU venues in Kendal, during Kendal Pride weekend. ‘Proud in Kendal’, who plan and deliver Kendal Pride each year, have been intrinsic in enabling the BOBU project to start up in Kendal.

Jamie Hooper, Chair of Kendal Pride and coordinator of BOBU Kendal said: “We were absolutely thrilled to partner with the BOBU team in Brighton to bring their expert knowledge and experiences to Kendal and the South Lakes area. Through the support of StreetGames in making this happen, we have been able to support 10 local businesses in the town to further their awareness of LGBT+ people, and to help create a network of safe spaces for LGBT+ people in the area”.

Young people from local LGBTQ+ Youth Club ‘Out in Kendal’ (OinK), run by the Brathay Trust, said: “No one should ever have to feel unsafe living in their hometown. From a task as simple as a coffee date with a friend or walking your dog, there is the possibly of someone lurking behind the corner, so I think BOBU is a great thing and gives me reassurance for a safer future […] I think it is ‘crystal queer’ that this needs to happen in Kendal and other towns and cities”.

Written by Sally Carr MBE, North West Area Director

In the midst of global sporting excitement surrounding the Olympic Games in Paris, on the other side of the channel in Lancaster we were delighted to be involved in another event championing the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship: the Pride Youth Games. This annual event is a unique residential weekend for 16-25 year old lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, non-binary, queer and other diversely identifying young people. Organised by Pride Sports and Leap Sports, and generously supported by StreetGames with funding from the JD Foundation, this year’s event continued the Games’ tradition of providing a safe, inclusive, and vibrant space for young people from across the UK.

Kindly hosted by the University of Cumbria, this year’s Pride Youth Games saw young people enjoying a varied programme with a mix of sports and social activities across the weekend. Activities delivered by StreetGames included dance, Spikeball, and boxercise, as well as a fantastic ‘Mindful OrienQUEERing’ activity, combining a mindful walk, with an LGBTQ+ quiz and an orienteering course on the Campus. The event also welcomed StreetGames and Pride Activity Network members, Morecambe FC, who delivered football, as well as two Paralympians leading inclusive sessions in wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball.

Alongside the activities, the Games also provided a platform for conversations with young people about what would enable them to participate more fully in sports. The attitude of coaches was a common theme, with attendees emphasising the importance of lively, accommodating coaches who are genuinely interested in fostering an inclusive environment. This feedback is at the heart of StreetGames’ Doorstep Sport approach, which – much like Pride Sports’ philosophy – prioritises adapting activities to meet the needs and interests of the audience.

Attendees’ feedback

“I really enjoyed trying out the gym and will give it a go when I get back!”

“I was never allowed to try dance at school as a boy, and so I loved this at Pride Youth Games and want to do more”

“Slow sewing was really calming, and I really felt like I achieved something”

“It’s great knowing you’re in a safe, queer space and can try new things”

“It was amazing to see my whole group of young people trying hard and challenging themselves across the sports they picked”

“I’m going to get back into playing football”

“I am actually better than I thought at some sports”.

Peer Research – LGBTQ+

As part of our Pride Activity Network work, StreetGames gave a number of young people the opportunity to take part in Peer Research Training ahead of the Pride Youth Games. The training demonstrated how to conduct research with peers, gathering information on a certain topic and extrapolating it into digestible data. An LGBTQ+ Youth Club group from Bolton took part in this training and focused their research on ‘barriers to LGBTQ+ young people engaging in sport’.

This group then attended Pride Youth Games and used this an opportunity to conduct this research with their LGBTQ+ peers. They gathered a huge amount of information, and are now in the process of collating this data. This research will then be used to present back to decision-makers in community sport across the country, in the hope of changing the future of community sport for LGBTQ+ people.

Looking forward

The Pride Youth Games 2025 will be held in Scotland, with plans already in place for StreetGames to mobilise a group of young people from across the north of England to attend.

At StreetGames, we are passionate about the power of major sporting events to encourage ambition and aspiration in young people.

Our Inspiration campaign is designed to break down barriers and open up opportunities for those living in underserved communities to connect to these events through spectating, volunteering, and participation in their own communities.

This summer, we were delighted to offer young people from Brent-based network members Track Academy the opportunity to attend the Wanda Diamond League London Athletics Meet at London Stadium, an iconic Olympic venue that provided the backdrop to London 2012’s Super Saturday. Featuring stars of the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and European and World Championships, the Meet was the final Diamond League event in the run up the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In spectacular success for Team GB, the event saw new European records set in the women’s 800m by Keely Hodgkinson, and the men’s 400m by Matthew Hudson-Smith.

Track Academy are huge proponents for using sport as a tool for social change, using athletics alongside education and mentoring to help young people from all walks of life to find direction and reach their goals. For the young people they support, attending the London Athletics Meet was an opportunity to experience a world-class sporting venue and to see some of their sporting heroes in action, encouraging them to take up space in the sporting world and emphasising the power and potential of the sports that they take part in.

#SportInspires 

The Opening School Facilities (OSF) initiative was launched in early 2023 to provide funding for schools to open up their facilities outside of the school day, giving pupils and people from the local community more opportunities to move and helping them to access a wider range of physical activities. 

As part of the second year of the project, StreetGames undertook a series of Youth Voice consultation sessions with students in OSF schools. The sessions were carefully designed to enable them to be delivered in a fun and active way, ensuring that young people not only enjoyed the sessions, but were fully engaged throughout.  

The sessions were aimed at students identified by the school as inactive or not engaged in sport and physical activity. The aim of the sessions was to find out more about how these young people wanted their community sports provision to look, including activities, style, time and place.  

Read more about the Youth Voice research

Throughout the next phase of StreetGames’ OSF work, we will work closely with consortium partners Active Partnerships, Youth Sport Trust and UK Active to help schools to use the findings of the Youth Voice sessions to enhance their community sports provision and ensure their offer is accessible to all students.  

Our role within OSF over the coming year will focus on three key areas of work: 

1. Youth Voice: Supporting schools to interpret Youth Voice research and develop their community sports provision for young people in their community.
2. Community Connectivity: Supporting our network of locally trusted organisations to connect to OSF schools.
3. Training & Workforce Development: Through our Training Academy, we will provide opportunities for Active Partnerships and schools to upskill their workforce, with the aim of enhancing the community sports provision available for young people in underserved communities. We will also support schools to access leadership and training courses for their students.

StreetGames and Wales Netball are proud to announce the launch of Blitz Netball®, an exciting new netball format codesigned in collaboration with young people from low-income communities across Wales.

Blitz Netball® is designed to be played anywhere and requires limited equipment, offering an informal and accessible version of the sport delivered on young people’s terms, right on their doorstep. The product is supported by an Activator Workshop and resources which provide volunteers, youth and community workers, sports coaches and young leaders with game ideas, basic rules and fun ways to introduce netball to young people in their own communities.

StreetGames and Wales Netball were keen to better understand and address key barriers to participation in netball for young people living in low-income, underserved communities in order to develop an attractive offer in a safe, friendly and engaging environment with activities tailored to their interests.

To ensure that the end product was meaningfully co-produced with young people at its heart, StreetGames worked with three community organisations in North Wales – Aura Leisure & Libraries, Active Wrexham, and Coleg Cambria – to recruit a group of Young Advisors who were tasked with exploring the fundamentals of netball and the varied challenges experienced by their peers with accessing the sport.

Initial planning sessions were held in the community organisations’ own premises, with the Young Advisors working with StreetGames and Wales Netball staff, including Welsh Feather and Cardiff Dragons’ player Phillipa Yarranton, to share their lived experiences and perceptions of the sport. The Young Advisors then came together at a ‘concept day’ to test and evaluate their co-designed activity and games, actively listening to feedback to refine their plans whilst working as a team to ensure that the activities and games were fun and accessible across a spectrum of needs, environments and motivations.

Claire Lane, StreetGames National Director for Wales, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Wales Netball on this project and are thrilled with the outcome. By actively involving young people in the design process, we have developed an offer that truly reflects their needs and interests. This initiative is a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of listening to and valuing youth perspectives.”

Keira Edwards, Wales Netball’s Head of Participation, said: “Working with StreetGames and learning from their expertise to create a version of our sport for young people, designed by young people has been brilliant. We’re so excited to see Blitz Netball® come to life over the coming months and years, and can’t wait to welcome the new faces Blitz Netball® brings to the Wales Netball family.”

Organisations can register their interest in the Blitz Netball® Activator at https://www.streetgames.org/the-training-academy/training-menu/blitz-netball-activator/

This summer looks set to be another fantastic celebration of sport, with the Olympics and Paralympics, men’s Euros, Wimbledon, men’s T20 World Cup and many more truly offering something for everyone to enjoy. For young people living in underserved communities, however, opportunities to connect to these events – and experience the ‘inspiration effect’ of increased participation in sport and physical activity – is all too often limited.

Our Inspiration campaign, now in its third year, aims to change that. As well as creating opportunities for young people to attend major sporting events to spectate or volunteer, the campaign also aims to harness the power of these occasions to support more young people to be active right on their doorstep.

We are delighted to be working with the British Olympic Association as one of their charity partners, leveraging the power of the Team GB brand and athletes to engage young people with the Olympics and Paralympics and inspire positive participation in sport and physical activity. Having worked together to develop an Olympic- and Paralympic-themed training offer, we have delivered this to community organisations in a series of workshops across the country, equipping coaches and volunteers with new skills and ideas to engage the young people they work with through Olympic and Paralympic sports.

We have also partnered with London Youth Games to support their Finals Festival, which this Sunday saw thousands of young Londoners come together for a community sports festival to try out a range of different sports in iconic London 2012 venues. Among those offering activities was Matchroom Boxing, who we are thrilled to have supporting our Inspiration campaign through ticket offers for young people as well as direct engagement in communities. A number of community organisations from our London & South East network also delivered sessions, providing an even broader range of sports for attendees to get involved in – a big thank you to Fight for Peace, Project Zero, London Sportif, Wise Youth Trust, Steel Warriors, XLP, Trapped in Zone One and Future Kidz.