OF SPORT

Level The Playing Field Awards hail efforts of young people to help communities through sport.

By Rodney Hinds

INDIVIDUALS AND organisa- tions committed to using sport to prevent young people from entering the Criminal Justice System were celebrated at the 2023 Levelling the Playing Field egional wards in Sheffield recently.

The Levelling The Playing Field Awards are designed to recognise the dedication and efforts from young people, role models and leaders in positively impacting their communities through sport across the project’s four delivery areas: South Yorkshire, West Midlands, Gwent and London.

Levelling the Playing Field (LtPF) is this year hosting regional award ceremonies across these four delivery areas. The winners progress in July.

LtPF is a project run by the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice, in partnership with the Youth Justice Board. It uses the power of sport and physical activity to engage and improve health and life outcomes for ethnically diverse children who are more likely to enter, or already involved with the Criminal Justice System.

Organised with LtPF’s strategic partners Yorkshire Sport, the event at Concord Sports Centre brought together young people

By Rodney Hinds

and leaders from the community organisations in the Levelling the Playing Field network across South Yorkshire, all of whom use sport and physical activity to engage ethnically diverse children and achieve positive change.

Young people, role models, coaches and guests – including representatives from the Youth Justice Service and the Secure Estate – enjoyed activities including wheelchair rugby, dance and basketball.

POSITIVE CHANGE: Winners at the Levelling The Playing Field Awards; below left, young people enjoy activities including wheelchair rugby

Burngreave since

Among the winners of the 2023 South Yorkshire Levelling the Playing Field Awards were: Young Person of the Year: Mu fasser Aslam, Saalik Youth Project Mufasser, 21, has been going to sport sessions in the community of Burngreave since the age of six. He now works with his idol Imran Ali as a coach and role model at Saalkin Youth Project with young people starting on the same journey as his own.

Mufasser said: “Speaking honestly, if it wasn’t for Saalik, I might be doing criminal things because ours is not the best of areas to grow up in and there’s a lot of negative things going on that are easily accessible.

“For us, Saalik plays an important role of being held accountable by your coach and peers for what you say or do. You get questioned on it. That’s very important.

“You learn responsibility and you learn that all actions have consequences, whether that’s for yourself or other people.”

Young Cohort of the Year: United 4 Community, Rotherham United Community Sports Trust

The United 4 Communities (U4C) group is formed from refugees and asylum seekers housed around Rotherham. The group gets together to play football, improve mental and physical wellbeing and to help integrate into the local community.