Sir Keith Mills, the Deputy Chairman of LOCOG, today promised to deliver his ‘Inspire a Generation’ legacy across Scotland as he officially launched his sported. Foundation at The Crags sports centre in Edinburgh.
Supported by the Minister for Sport & Commonwealth Games, Shona Robison, Sir Keith outlined sported.’s role as part of the London 2012 legacy and expressed his hope that the Foundation could help inspire more young people through sport in Scotland, particularly as the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games draws ever closer.
sported. is a UK-wide charity which provides funding and business support to the ‘Sport for Development’ sector. Research suggests that there could be as many of 10,000 organisations within this area of sport, all of them delivering sporting programme as a means of bringing about social change in their communities.
“We have been working in partnership with a number of organisations in Scotland since we opened for membership earlier this year and we are delighted with the progress so far. sported. offers a unique service to a sector of sport which has tradtionally fallen under the radar of major funders, so we are pleased to be filling this gap and providing sporting opportunities to some of the most disadvantaged young people in our society.
“With the help of partners, like Sport Scotland, we hope to further develop this work and we would encourage any grassroots or community sports organisation across Scotland to contact us to ensure that we can continue to deliver this important legacy work,” said Sir Keith.
Welcoming the launch of sported., the Sports Minister Shona Robison said: “Organisations like sported. show what an important role sport can play in a young person’s life. We are working towards getting people more active, but as we saw this summer, sport has so much more to offer. Sport brings people and communities together and encourages young people to develop confidence and new skills. Our new £10 million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund will make more community facilities available, so as we race towards the Commonwealth Games in 2014 I hope as many people as possible will take the opportunity to get involved in sport.”
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. The charity provides Members with access to funding as well as a unique business Mentoring programme which ensures these groups remain sustainable and can continue to provide much-needed sports programmes in their communities.
Since opening for membership in Scotland in March, sported. has taken on over 60 Members and has 10 highly skilled volunteers working across Scotland offering business support to these Members.
sported. Scotland Manager, John Heraghty added: “Having seen first hand the impact that sporting programmes can have in some of the most deprived and rurally
For further information, please contact:
John Heraghty, sported. Scotland Manager
M: 07917764117 isolated communities in Scotland, I feel passionate about getting support to these groups and to the many thousands more who we haven’t yet been able to reach. I would urge any group or individual who feels that they might be able to benefit from our services, to please get in touch. We are also keen to hear from any indviduals who feel that their skills and knowledge might benefit our Members.”
Forfurther information, please contact:
E: j.heraghty@sported.org.uk
Or
Tracie Simpson, sported. PR Manager
T: 020 7389 1909
E: t.simpson@sported.org.uk
Notes to Editors
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