Sir Keith Mills, the Deputy Chairman of LOCOG, has today officially launched his London 2012 legacy organisation, sported. across all six provinces of Northern Ireland.

Supported by Caral Ní Chuilín MLA, the Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure, Sir Keith outlined sported.’s role as part of the London 2012 legacy and expressed his delight at the progress which had already been made in Northern Ireland since sported. began operating there in March this year.

“We are extremely pleased to be operating in Northern Ireland and the success of our programmes to date obviously demonstrates just how strong the need is for these services. We are dedicated to changing the lives of young people through sport and I am looking forward to following our efforts in achieving this goal in Northern Ireland,” said Sir Keith.

Welcoming the launch of sported., the Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said: “We have all been inspired by sport recently – through the hugely successful Olympic and Parlaympic Games, the recent triumphs Ulster teams have enjoyed in Gaelic Games, the remarkable achievements of our local golfers and the current run of good form displayed by Ulster rugby. These successes show how much “Sport Matters” in our community. Through sported., community sport will continue to develop enabling more engagement with young people and therefore help to deliver truly world class sporting opportunities in the north .”

sported. is the UK’s leading sport for development charity. Established in 2009 as a direct result of the legacy promises made by Sir Keith and Lord Seb Coe, it aims to empower community groups to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people through sport.

As well as providing Members with access to funding, sported. operates a unique business Mentoring programme which ensures these groups remain sustainable and can continue to provide much-needed sports programmes in their communities.

sported. opened for Membership in Northern Ireland in March 2012 and already has over 100 Members, it has given out almost £10,000 in funding to date and many groups have benefited from the charity’s volunteer mentoring scheme.

sported. Northern Ireland Manager, Brenda Kelly added: “I am delighted to be part of supporting the amazing work of groups in Northern Ireland who are making a positive impact on the lives of young people using sport for development. We know there are many more groups that could benefit from sported. membership and I would urge them to contact us”.

She added: “ Our member groups are doing incredible work and we are looking for volunteer mentors to help to support them to develop and sustain their work. We would be delighted to hear from individuals who would be interested in using their skills and knowledge to support member groups here in Northern Ireland.”

sported. is the only UK-wide sport for development legacy charity with offices across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The charity has almost 2,000 Members and continues to grow rapidly operating across 65 different sporting codes. The charity specifically targets grassroots sports organisations who provide sport to disadvantaged young perople in an effort to create social change in their communities.

For further information, please contact:
Tracie Simpson
sported. PR Manager
M: 07775 601 956
E: t.simpson@sported.org.uk

OR

Brenda Kelly, sported. Northern Ireland Manager
M: 07917 086 209
E: B.Kelly@sported.org.uk

About sported.
sported. is a national charity established in 2008 by Sir Keith Mills (vice chair of LOCOG and creator of Nectar and Air Miles).
sported.’s mission is: “To provide business resources and financial support to community sport organisations, enabling them to reach and improve the lives of more young people than ever before”. sported. plays the role of business angels, dedicated to sport for development projects across the UK. The charity offers capacity building support and funding to voluntary and community sector projects which run activities for young people aged 11-25.

sported. is active across the UK – Services are delivered through a team of Regional Managers and a substantial network of skilled volunteers. In addition to helping individual organisations, sported. also aims to provide a voice for the sector as a whole. The charity is committed to proving the social benefits of sport for development and therefore increasing investment into the sector.

The charity has been awarded the Inspire Mark by LOCOG

www.sported.org.uk – Registered charity number: 1123313