Doorstep Sport Clubs save society £69m every year

It's been two years since the Doorstep Sport Programme was launched,  thanks to funding from Sport England.  Over these two years more than 47,000 youngsters from disadvantaged communities all across the country have engaged in sport.

To mark the occasion, StreetGames have launched a new report revealing that this innovative approach to delivering sport has generated £69 million in savings to society every year. The study, conducted by research firm Substance, calculated the figure based on likely reductions in substance misuse and antisocial behaviour, alongside improvements in educational performance, school attendance, and health and wellbeing.

900 Doorstep Sport Clubs (DSCs) have been established across the UK, with an additional 100 due to launch by the end of July 2015.

The clubs are delivered by over 300 organisations – a mixture of local authorities, leisure trusts, voluntary organisations, community organisations, professional clubs and educational institutions. 

The figures show:

  • 47,349 participants aged 14-25 have been engaged in the programme since launch
  • Around a third of participants are female
  • 32% participants are from Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) backgrounds and 5% of participants have a disability
  • Top 10 sports delivered in DSCs are: multisport, football, fitness, basketball, dance, table tennis, cricket, badminton, boxing, handball
  • The 'CLUB1' format, which caters for solo sports such as fitness/gym, running, and swimming have been particularly successful in attracting female participants – currently 49% of CLUB1 participants are female

Jane Ashworth, CEO of StreetGames, said, "When we began the Doorstep Sport programme, young people told us they wanted to be more active but the opportunities to get involved in sport were simply not there for them. Our goal was to close the gap in participation in sport between affluent areas and disadvantaged areas. We're working hard to achieve that goal and through the work of thousands of coaches and volunteers, we're starting to make a big impact as these figures show. There is much more to be done, but we're confident we've hit on a formula that works for young people, transforming lives and delivering significant benefits for the whole of society."

Phil Smith, Director of Sport at Sport England, said, "The Doorstep Sport Clubs are not only encouraging young people to lead more active, healthier lifestyles, but in doing so they are also diverting vulnerable youngsters away from anti-social behaviour, youth offending and substance misuse."

For more about StreetGames, visit their website:  http://www.streetgames.org/www/content/about-us