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UK charity Sported and UK sportswear brand SUDU are partnering to make running more attainable for young people in Greater Manchester and beyond. Through their Project Fair Play initiative, grassroots running clubs will receive vital support with a first year goal to get 1,000 youth running for the first time.
Rexona Breaking Limits Program grantee Sported encompasses the UK’s largest network of community groups working to promote fairness and create opportunities for young people. It supports 2,900 grassroots organizations, providing free professional expertise and resources to groups using sport and physical activity to positively impact youth. Nearly half of its members operate in the country’s most deprived areas, largely through volunteers and also facing challenges in accessing traditional funding sources.
Out of the groups Sported currently supports, only 50 focus on running. Therefore, Project Fair Play wants to engage more young people in the sport. It will provide grants and actively onboard more running-based groups as official Sported members. The initiative not only intends to help build running communities, but also to champion mental health and wellbeing, as well as create safe spaces for youth.
The initiative is offering seven grants of £1000 each to running groups that can demonstrate that they’re actively addressing three out of five societal issues outlined by Sported. These include fostering community cohesion, addressing inequality in sports participation, endorsing health and wellbeing, reducing crime and antisocial behaviors and making running accessible to everyone.
The project will provide these groups with grants throughout the rest of 2024 and 2025, which they can use for expenses. Expenses can include venue hire, sports gear, coaching costs, volunteer expenses, equipment, participant/activity costs, marketing and communications, training and qualifications and insurance and affiliation. In addition to these grants, it will also fund one ‘Deep Impact Grant’ to support an existing Manchester-based Sported community group.
“Opening the doors to help more young people take up running is one way to address inequalities in participation, as well as improving physical and mental wellbeing,” said Mark Woods, Head of Marketing at Sported. “We share the same goals – they’re all about inclusivity, diversity and giving everyone a fair chance in life. Through this program, we can make a real difference and we’re excited about what we can achieve working together.”
SUDU will also commission and fund a research and insights project to explore the disparity between running and other sports. The study will inform the development of a comprehensive plan to address the identified gaps and enhance accessibility for all running groups.
Photos: Sported X SUDU
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