Our partnership with Sport England
Boosting grassroots clubs and active spaces to become more inclusive, sustainable and better connected
Through our partnership with Sport England, we’re renovating almost 200 clubs and active community spaces over four years, with three primary aims to help them:
- become more inclusive and welcome more people to improve their mental wellbeing and become physically active
- boost their sustainability – financially, environmentally and through increased volunteering
- strengthen and create more connected communities, with the support of VIY’s cross-sector partnerships to help those who need it most
That could be through creating inclusive changing rooms/facilities where they don’t currently exist for men/women, or making clubs/spaces accessible for those with disabilities or hidden disabilities, greening outdoor spaces or transforming kitchen and event spaces to enable clubs/spaces to sustain themselves financially.
It’s so much more than people, places and spaces. Scroll for the headlines on how we’ve played our part in Sport England’s national vision, Uniting The Movement, to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity, thanks to Sport England’s match-funding.
“Local sports clubs and venues have never been more important. They provide places to play and ways to stay fit, while bringing communities together through tough times. This partnership between Sport England and VIY plays a significant role in helping make our sports facilities better, while giving the many brilliant young people involved the chance to develop new vocational skills and boost their employment prospects.”
Phil Smith, Director of Sport, Sport England
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*All data featured here relates to VIY projects match-funded by Sport England from Years 1-3 of our partnership, October 2020-September 2023.
Improving health and wellbeing through inclusive active spaces
- 90% young volunteers reported increased mental wellbeing after taking part in VIY
- 68% then increased their own participation in sports or physical activity
- 64% had an appetite to volunteer again in the future
- 65% venues seeing increased users from underrepresented groups
- 79% clubs/spaces are now thinking differently about how to encourage different groups of people to use their venue
49% of girls say better sports facilities would encourage them to get involved in and excel in sport
Women in Sport Report, Reframing sport for teenage girls, 2019
Changing lives and connecting communities
- 69% clubs/spaces say their VIY project has helped them tackle social isolation and loneliness
- 77% clubs/spaces feel their VIY works have helped them positively contribute to social integration
- 71% young people have achieved at least one Entry Level 3 City & Guilds trade skills accreditation
- 90% young people told us their aspirations had increased
- Nearly 50% of young people feel more connected to the community
“Revitalising the hall has guaranteed a financially secure future with a regular income stream enabling the hall to serve as an active village centre for decades ahead.”
Temple Grafton Village Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon, May 2023
Boosting the sustainability of clubs and active spaces
- 82% of spaces renovated by VIY with Sport England reported increased confidence for the future sustainability of their venue
- 45% venues renovated in Year 3 were non-traditional sports clubs or community spaces hosting or wishing to host physical activity sessions
- 53% saw an increase in volunteering following their VIY project – creating an active workforce to keep these places moving
- 90% of these clubs/venues are in or serve communities in areas of high deprivation (IMD 1 or 2) – although the social issues we’re tackling and barriers to movement exist everywhere
“Kids can come from anywhere in the local area. We’re keeping them off the streets, we’re getting them used to teamwork and helping them make new friends. We needed a downstairs kitchen for wheelchair access and some of the players are in their 60s and can’t get up the stairs. We’re also getting a lot more female referees and touch judges, and once the girls reach 12, they have to play in separate teams from boys, so we wanted a separate changing room for females.”
Pat Benatmane, Volunteer Club Secretary, Hunslet Warriors Rugby League Club, Leeds, August-November 2021
Investing in the sector and place-based partnerships
Cross-sector partnerships are what we do, and Sport England’s match-funding has been the catalyst for VIY to unlock and grow over £2million in additional investment in sports and physical activity, in places that need it most, ultimately helping VIY deliver deeper impact and at greater scale.
“VIY’s proactive approach to developing and delivering projects that make a demonstrable difference to young people, cricket clubs and the communities in which they are situated is invaluable in helping to highlight the success of the Inspiring Generations cricket strategy as a whole.”
Sandy Mitchell, Head of Heritage and Community Wellbeing, Lancashire Cricket Foundation
