Active Partnerships will mark the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) on April 6th by supporting the launch of the ‘Open Goal’ campaign.
Open Goal has been created by Active Partnerships and fellow members of the Sport for Development Coalition to showcase how sport and physical activity can contribute to building a fairer, more equitable and sustainable future.
In particular, it will focus on how the 200-plus members of the Coalition specifically support a series of positive health and societal outcomes such as reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, and building stronger communities and social cohesion in the wake of Covid-19.
IDSDP takes place each year on April 6th and, according to the United Nations, presents “an opportunity to recognise the positive role sport and physical activity play in communities and in people’s lives across the globe”. It is certain to resonate strongly in 2022 because of current conflict around the globe and global recovery from the pandemic.
First and foremost, Open Goal will see the Coalition call on UK Government to ringfence funding committed for jobs, health and tackling crime towards targeted sport-based interventions that can save public money and generate multiple returns on investment, from improving the physical and mental health of individuals facing disadvantage and discrimination, to increasing educational attainment and the ability to secure employment.
This will support the Government’s recently-launched ‘Levelling Up’ agenda which outlined 12 ‘Missions’ to be achieved by 2030, eight of which Coalition members are directly contributing to.
Nigel Harrison Interim Chief Executive of Active Partnerships and CEO of Yorkshire Sport Foundation says
We are seeing the power of sport and physical activity, and how it can transform lives by improving the education and skills development of our communities that have too often been left behind. For too long, people with the most to gain from being physically active have been the least able to take part.
We are pleased to be supporting the #OpenGoal campaign and working with our fellow Sport for Development Coalition members to identify the opportunities for how sport and physical activity can help level up and give people the opportunities they need now and in the future to live healthy active lifestyles “
Open Goal will also see the Coalition work with its partners across multiple sectors, for example by supporting the charity Made by Sport’s aim to secure more private sector and corporate investment into targeted programmes tackling the social issues faced by young people in communities across the UK. Made by Sport is an official partner of the Coalition.
Finally, Open Goal will also seek to champion sport’s role in tackling inequalities and building a fairer society through national and local media, helping to amplify the business case for scaled investment in targeted sport and physical activity-based interventions.
To find out more, follow @SFDCoalition #OpenGoal on Twitter or visit sportfordevelopment.org.
