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July 5, 2024
Mobile network provider and Official Connectivity Partner to the Wimbledon Championships, Vodafone, has launched the ‘Connect Better’ challenge to help people and sports clubs cross the digital divide. The challenge will monitor the fastest serves across the current Championships’ (June 24 – July 14) men’s, women’s and wheelchair singles competitions daily and match the total miles per hour (mph) in an equivalent amount of donated SIMs, tech and resources.
Vodafone has pledged to donate up to 75,000 connections as part of its “everyone.connected” program to help four million people and businesses cross the digital divide by 2025. The digital divide references the gap between people with internet access and people without. This results in unequal access to connectivity, digital skills and technologies in society.
“I’m calling on all tennis players at this year’s Championships to hit their fastest serves, not just for the glory of the game, but to support Vodafone’s Connect Better challenge. Each powerful serve will directly contribute to the donation of essential digital resources for those who need them most,” said Tim Henman, British tennis legend and Vodafone ambassador.
Studies show that one in five people – over 10.2 million – lack the digital skills to do the basics such as connect to a Wi-Fi network or open a web browser. This extends to grassroots sports and sports clubs. Research by Vodafone shows that 43% of Brits find it difficult to identify opportunities to get involved in sports without digital connectivity, while a third would struggle to do so for their children. 31% say they use digital connectivity to find out information about local sports clubs, 27% use it to book classes and 18% use it to get essential kits or equipment.
Additionally, research conducted by Vodafone’s charity partner, Sported, revealed that 66% of Sported’s member clubs do not consider themselves well-connected and 23% say they’re poorly connected or not connected at all. It also found that more than two-thirds of adults admit that having access to the internet plays a huge role in keeping them fit and healthy, and ensuring they take part in sport and exercise.
“Poor connectivity and a lack of resources severely limit the potential of sports clubs in deprived communities,” said Sarah Kaye, Chief Executive of Sported. “Access to the internet, modern devices and essential digital skills are crucial for these clubs and organizations to thrive. Unfortunately, many are left behind due to a lack of these resources, restricting their opportunities for growth, collaboration and exposure…71% said a free six-month SIM plan would be valuable to how they operate.”
Vodafone’s donated connections will be provided to people, businesses and communities lacking access. Based on the fastest serves recorded by IBM during last year’s Wimbledon, this could mean 71,148 donations. It will also multiply the final mph number by 14 – the number of days the event runs across – in order to maximize the players’ power and impact.
Sported is a Rexona Breaking Limits Program partner. The Rexona (also known as Sure, Degree or Shield) Breaking Limits Program in partnership with Beyond Sport is on a mission to empower millions of young people with the right to move. Access the program’s free digital training series here – available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
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