LONDON 2012 LEADERS CALL FOR HELP TO KEEP THE GAMES PROMISE Today, London 2012 Games' leaders reunited to call for widespread support for the Sported Foundation - the major UK charity set up after the Bid. Sir Keith Mills, Lord Sebastian Coe and Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and Tourism urged 2012 partners and stakeholders and the public to get behind Sported to help it continue its work changing the lives of disadvantaged young people through sport. Sported, established as a direct result of the legacy promises of the Games, supports over 2,500 grassroots sports clubs and projects throughout the UK. With its network of 250 volunteer mentors, it has been able to give over 200,000 young people an opportunity to access and transform their lives through sport. The Foundation has made grants of more than £2.4 million and has helped its members to find a further £4 million from other sources. The Foundation's focus is on 'sport with a purpose' - getting young people into an environment and activities from which they can develop, including providing them with further skills for the workplace and life. Sported was founded and financed by Sir Keith Mills, Chief Executive of the London Olympic Bid Committee and Deputy Chairman of LOCOG. Sir Keith's commitment to support and foster grassroots sports in disadvantaged communities was a cornerstone of the promises made by the bid team in Singapore. "The promises we made in Singapore were fundamental to our success in bringing the Games to London. The Games themselves were all the more inspiring because of the way they engaged the nation. But for many young people across the United Kingdom, access to sport is not easy and they are, therefore, missing out on the wonderful and positive things that sport brings to us. In disadvantaged communities, sport creates opportunities for people to develop self-respect, confidence and social skills that will help them to do make the most of their potential. "The Sported Foundation started life as my personal commitment to achieving the rightful legacy for the Games. We have developed a tremendous and proven structure for engaging young people in sport. Now we are asking for the public - and especially anyone who was struck by the power of London 2012- to help us carry on and expand our work across the UK." An independent three-year study commissioned by Sported assessed 4,000 sport for development projects across the UK. The research showed that sport for development work had a beneficial impact on all seven social outcomes that were studied, with an overall social dividend of over £4,000 for each young person participating in a programme for a year. The greatest impacts were seen on alcohol and drug misuse, with risk being reduced by 19 per cent; the likelihood of a young person taking part in crime and anti-social behaviour, where risk was reduced by 15 per cent; and there was a 14 per cent improvement in health and wellbeing. The campaign was launched today at the BT Tower, hosted by Sir Michael Rake, Chairman of BT Group PLC, a Tier One Partner of the Games. As part of the campaign, employees of large organisations and businesses are being asked to donate £20.12 or £2.12 through company payrolls. In addition to payroll giving, members of the public can donate to Sported by texting KEEP12 £3 to
70070 or by visiting www.sported.org. The Sported Foundation is aiming to raise ÂŁ1 million to secure the future of sport for development in the UK. The Chairman of London 2012 and Sported patron, Lord Sebastian Coe, says the work of the Sported Foundation is vital in many of the UK's most disadvantaged communities. "Sported is a charity that has fundamentally understood the importance of not only creating opportunities for young people to play sport but also creating the infrastructures around them with people who are experienced mentors." Lord Coe added that the impact of sport for development was obvious even when he was training at Athletics clubs in Industrial South Yorkshire and North East London. "Those clubs were far more than just organisations that identify talent. This was more about creating an anchor point in the lives of young people. Maybe those coaches were the only male role models in their weekly existence. Sport is the most extraordinary bridge head to young people and their ambitions but we should recognise the most potent social worker in our communities is normally the community based sports club". The Rt Hon Hugh Robertson, MP, Minister of State for Sport and Tourism said: "Sport has an incredible power to reach young people and help change their lives for the better. This is exactly what Sported is all about and I applaud the tireless dedication and commitment of Sir Keith Mills in his contribution to the Olympic legacy. I urge as many people as possible to back Sported and help our young people be the best that they can be." For more information, please contact Tracie Simpson on: 020 7389 1909 / 077 7560 1956 T.Simpson@sported.org.uk
About Sported Sported is the foundation established as a direct result of the legacy promises of London 2012 which vowed to use sport to change the lives of young people. It is now the largest organisation supporting thousands of community and grassroots organisations across the UK who deliver sport for development. Sported is a membership organisation which offers financial support and business mentoring to community and voluntary groups who are focused on securing social development through young people’s access to sport. Sported is successfully driving its mission nationally through a network of country and regional managers and skilled volunteers. Sported is also working to champion and support the Sport for Development sector by providing a voice for its work and proving, through robust impact measurements, that sport does work to change young lives and to have a positive impact on society. www.sported.org.uk - Registered charity number: 1123313