The Ministry of Justice has identified funding to invest in sports programmes across England and Wales that effectively deliver against criminal justice outcomes in the financial year to the end of March 2023.

The £5m programme will use sport to enhance positive outcomes for vulnerable young people in the context of youth crime. The funds will support voluntary and community sports organisations to carry out targeted work supporting children and young people who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system.
The two key goals for the funding are to:
- Support vulnerable young people, aged 10-17, at-risk of involvement in crime, anti-social behaviour and serious violence—understood as those in the secondary tier of need—through involvement in local sporting activities
- Through capacity building, increase the capability of sport sector delivery organisations to work effectively with their local criminal justice partners, including Youth Justice Services, Police and Police Crime Commissioners (PCC)/Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) structures. This work focuses on building sustainable relationships for the medium to longer term to facilitate potential future access to the new ‘Turnaround’ programme and other funding.
Applications for funding are now closed.
What is the funding for?
The funding will support voluntary and community sports organisations to carry out targeted work supporting children and young people who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system.
Sport is increasingly recognised as having a role in prevention and early intervention work with children at risk of, or already involved in, offending behaviour. Although sport is unlikely to stop offending by itself, it has the potential to make a positive contribution.
Sport can offer:
- Supervised, positive, fun activities
- Pro-social friendships
- Positive adult role models
- The chance for young people to achieve
- Support for protective factors.
Useful Links
Please note that applications for funding are now closed.
Watch the online briefing session
Contact
If you have any questions about the fund please email: youthjusticesportfund@streetgames.org
Alternatively, if you have received funding and wish to speak to somebody in your region about the programme, please find the relevant contact details below:
North West
Contact: Chris Tomlinson
Email: Chris.Tomlinson@streetgames.org
North East & Yorkshire and Humber
Contact: Ian Hepplewhite
Email: Ian.Hepplewhite@streetgames.org
Midlands, East, South West and South Central
Contact: Sarah Clarke
Email: Sarah.Clarke@streetgames.org
London and South East
Contact: Emma Tugby
Email: Emma.Tugby@streetgames.org
Wales
Contact: Kevin Roberts
Email: Kevin.Roberts@streetgames.org
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