ConnectSport CIC has partnered with Reach Plc the UK’s largest commercial, national and regional news publisher to publish a series of features about impactful local sport for development charities and organisations.
We support and train students at numerous Universities across the UK to compile these features, which helps them to meet their academic objectives and build their portfolios or CVs, while simultaneously helping local organisations raise awareness of their vital work in local communities. For more information contact hello@connectsport.co.uk
Watch out for more features coming soon from towns and communities near you!
When Mushtaq Dawod and Safwan Ahmed were growing up in Coventry, their local youth clubs were a lifeline. After-school sessions, football tournaments and boxing classes at Positive Youth Foundation (PYF) gave them a safe space, a sense of belonging, and - without them realising at the time - the blueprint for something much bigger. Read exclusive feature on Creed Community by Beth McCowen.
It was 2016 when Joe Lockley began providing regular boxing sessions for local young people in Cosford, Shropshire. Two years later, with the support of his fellow director Kat Stanworth, Joe moved the coaching sessions into an industrial warehouse in nearby Shifnal – and a safe haven was born. Read about the amazing story of Brightstar Boxing Academy. Exclusive by Juliet Nottingham.
After injury cut his footballing career short, one Birmingham coach turned heartbreak into hope. Anwar Khattak established the Birmingham Youth Sports Academy (BYSA) Foundation that has changed thousands of lives across some of the city's overlooked areas. “BYSA changes lives, it saves lives. It’s there trying to make Birmingham better,” says Anwar. Read exclusive feature by Beth McCowen.
The football season maybe over but the ‘beautiful game’ is still having a huge impact on the lives of young people, particularly for Stefan Bishop. The 25-year-old from Walsall, affectionately known as ‘Stef’ by his team-mates, put on his goalkeeping gloves for the final time in a national tournament for young people who are care-experienced at Wolves FC’s Molineux Stadium. Read this exclusive feature by Thomas Gibson on the annual ‘National Championship Cup’, hosted by the City of Wolverhampton Council and the Wolves Foundation, which brought together more than 200 young people aged 16 to 25, and 20 teams representing councils from across England.
If you would like your community sport organisation or sport for development charity to be considered for an article in this series, please contact hello@connectsport.co.uk
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