The Standard today announces a £500,000 commitment to sports coaching and mentoring for disadvantaged young people across London, as part of Sporting Chance, a major new campaign backed by seven of Britain’s best-known sporting figures.
The Standard’s Dispossessed Fund will provide £250,000 to fund Greenhouse Sports programmes in five London secondary schools. This will reach up to 500 young people in some of the capital’s most deprived communities and champion the role coach-mentors can play in improving their attendance, attainment, confidence and sense of belonging.
A further £250,000 will be shared between four London charities using football, boxing, martial arts and kayaking to reach young people who face barriers to accessing sport, safe community spaces and sustained adult support.
Greenhouse Sports works with more than 8,000 young people each year, placing full-time specialist coach-mentors in schools and community settings and keeping them in the same school for years rather than weeks. The charity reports that participants can attend more than two additional weeks of school each year, achieve half a GCSE grade higher in English and Maths than their peers, and are 50 percent more likely to report having strong support networks.
The campaign comes after a prolonged contraction in youth provision. Spending on youth services has fallen by 73 percent over 15 years, alongside the closure of more than 1,000 youth centres and the loss of over 4,500 youth workers. In London, 40 percent of teenagers live in poverty, placing private sports facilities beyond the reach of many families.
Lord Coe said: “I know first-hand what long-term investment in young people does and how years of consistent coaching and mentoring changes how a young person sees themself and what they think is possible. London has extraordinary young talent in every borough, and I am delighted to back the Sporting Chance campaign.”
Greg Rusedski added: "As a child, sport gave me structure, ambition, and a sense of identity. Behind every athlete is someone who helped them believe they could achieve more. Greenhouse brings that same power of support to young Londoners who may not have had the same opportunities. It gives them the chance to discover what they’re capable of, both on and off the court.”
David Cohen, Investigations Editor and Campaigns Editor, The Standard said: “Too many young Londoners are growing up without access to the opportunities, trusted relationships and safe spaces that can shape their future. Sporting Chance is about addressing that gap with practical support. We want businesses, philanthropists, and our readers to join us so that many more young Londoners can experience the confidence, purpose, and sense of belonging that sport, combined with sustained mentoring, can provide.”
Don Barrell, chief executive of Greenhouse Sports, a former Saracens professional who went on to lead performance programmes and pathways at England Rugby, said: “For some children who live in difficult circumstances and struggle to engage in class, sport is the key that opens them up and makes them excited to come to school. Through our coach-mentors, we help these children become the best versions of themselves, which is not only good for the individual but the economy as well.”
Over the coming weeks, The Standard will tell the stories of remarkable young Londoners whose lives have been transformed through sports mentors, announce the four additional charities receiving funding and call on businesses, foundations, philanthropists and readers to help extend the campaign’s reach.
Readers and organisations can donate at greenhousesports.org/sporting-chance. £15 could enable a young person to access the Greenhouse programme for one week; £65 could provide four weeks of sports coaching and mentoring; £165 could provide coaching and mentoring during school holidays; and £800 could provide a full year of coaching and mentoring.
