Commonwealth Games Heads To Uk’s Young
A nationwide programme that helps bring the values of the Commonwealth Games to 14-25 year olds from disadvantaged areas was launched on Wednesday, in a new partnership between StreetGames and Spirit of 2012.
As part of the initiative, national sports charity StreetGames will create 200 Pop Up Clubs during the summer that will enable disadvantaged young people to take part in their very own Commonwealth Games.
The legacy programme, which is also supported by former Commonwealth Games stars Kelly Sotherton and Charlotte Hartley, is funded by Spirit of 2012 (Spirit), a new charity set up to support programmes that sustain the spirit of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
The sessions will take place in communities across the country, from Glasgow to Hastings, Swansea to Southend, and will help give young people the chance to emulate Commonwealth stars by taking part in athletics, table tennis, and badminton sessions.
It will also help young people get fit by showing them the likes of dodgeball and rugby.
The programme is supported by Spirit, a charity set up by the Big Lottery Fund with an endowment of £46m from the sale of the Olympic and Paralympic village. It tackles isolation and disadvantage by supporting organisations that provide arts, volunteering and sport opportunities.
There are 1.6 million young people who live in disadvantaged areas of the UK; recent research shows lowest-income households are most likely to have least active children, with the poorest households spending less than £2 a week on sport.
StreetGames and Spirit are also setting up a camp in Glasgow, from 24th July to 2nd August. This will give 1,000 young people from over 80 StreetGames projects the opportunity to experience the incredible atmosphere and spirit of the Games.
Jane Ashworth OBE, CEO of StreetGames, said: ‘We know that large sporting events inspire young people to get active, we saw it with the Olympics and Paralympics we are sure to see it with the Commonwealth Games as well. At StreetGames we aim to take that inspiration and help it grow into a sporting habit for life, by giving the most disadvantaged young people the opportunity to try different types of sport, get active and even go and see the Games.’
Debbie Lye, chief executive of Spirit, added: ‘At the Spirit of 2012 Trust we want to ensure that neighbourhoods across the country get to feel the excitement of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. StreetGames has the network to reach all corners of the UK and the experience to make sport fun and accessible to all. I am proud that this partnership is part of Spirit’s first major investment. The Spirit of Glasgow is a £5m programme designed to ensure that Glasgow’s Games inspire involvement in sports, arts and community action right across the UK for years to come.’
