StreetGames

StreetGames harnesses the power of sport to make positive change happen in lives and communities across the UK. The work that they do helps young people and their communities to become healthier, safer and more successful.

Working alongside the nation’s unsung community heroes, StreetGames works to provide local projects and leaders with the funding, expertise and training they need to help young people develop a sporting habit that lasts a lifetime.

At StreetGames, they know that regular participation in sport and physical activity can have a major positive impact on many aspects of life, from improved physical and mental health to greater personal resilience and community cohesion. They also know that if you grow up in a deprived area then your opportunities to develop a sporting habit are limited. That’s why they specialise in working within disadvantaged communities: to ensure that all young people, whatever their background, can and do gain access to the many benefits of sport. 

The skills and experiences gained by their participants also have many wide-reaching and positive effects, inspiring young people to become involved in social action: i.e. taking on leadership positions, becoming role models and creating a positive impact within their communities.

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Sport has had an incredible impact on my life, in all sorts of ways. It’s brought me new opportunities, enabled me to meet lifelong friends, and also served as a consistent source of strength when times got tough. StreetGames helps to ensure that all young people have this same opportunity: to benefit from the power of sport. 

By standing together with over 1,400 unsung community heroes, people like George and Pauline, StreetGames is helping young people to make positive choices about their lives and futures, to maintain good physical and mental health, and to give back to the communities in which they live.

By harnessing the power of sport, StreetGames is introducing real and lasting change into the lives of disadvantaged young people, helping them and their communities to be healthier, safer and more successful.

Co-founder of the Battersea-based sports project Carney’s Community, CEO George Turner, has dedicated much of his career to empowering the region’s disadvantaged youth, steering hundreds of young people away from a life of crime and despair, and towards a brighter future – one marked by new skills, greater discipline, and newfound self-respect. Inspired by boxing legend Mick Carney, George works to bring the benefits of sport to the borough’s young people through regular sporting sessions, creating a safer, more unified community in the process.

17-year old apprentice coach Tyler is a local success story in the making; a young man who overcame early setbacks to transform his life through sport. Now in the process of earning his coaching qualifications, Tyler describes the atmosphere at Carney’s like that of a big happy family - one in which Tyler himself plays the role of a supportive big brother: always happy to engage young participants on their level.

Jess and Grace are a mother and daughter living in the Anfield area of Liverpool. Despite their mutual love of sport, both had previously found it difficult to locate suitable opportunities in their area, particularly where the younger Grace was concerned. Faced by a lack of quality parks and playing spaces, the family then discovered the Anfield Sports & Community Centre (ASCC): a nearby sports organisation offering low-cost and high-quality facilities. 

The benefit to the family’s health has been substantial, with Grace gaining in confidence, meeting new friends and taking part in the StreetGames Fit and Fed programme, which provides nutritious daily meals alongside fun-focused sports, games and activities. Jess too has benefitted; meeting and socialising with other parents in the community.

Paddleboarding and canoeing aren’t the only skills that Shannon, 12 from Ashton has had the chance to develop during her time with the Sunday Fundays project – a low-cost activity group provided by the local Water Adventure Centre (WAC). Following in the footsteps of her older brothers, Shannon has taken to centre’s activities like a duck to water, thanks in no small part to the organisation’s brilliant coaches.

Aside from having a great time with her new friends, Shannon has also had the opportunity to earn several watersports-based qualifications, in areas such as swimming and canoeing. As a result, she is now planning to begin volunteering with the group once she turns 16, thereby improving her prospects, and inspiring other young people to do the same.