Youth deprivation drives 53 per cent rise in demand for youth sports charity services

Sport 4 Life has recorded its biggest year of supporting young people, with nearly 3,500 beneficiaries aged between 11 and 29 turning to it for personal development assistance.

The Birmingham-based charity says the soaring demand for its services is being driven by a “dire situation” in the region, where the number of children living in poverty is 30 percent higher than the national average. 

More than half of Birmingham’s children under 16 live in the city’s most deprived areas. 

The figures are outlined in Sport 4 Life’s Impact Report 2024, which launched last week. A total of 3,453 young people relied on the charity for mentoring, qualifications, employability skills, sport, social action and National Citizen Service during the year to July 2024. 

This represents a 53 percent increase compared to 2023, when the organisation helped 2,256 beneficiaries.

Tom Clarke-Forrest said: “This year’s Impact Report highlights a step change in our growth and the demand for our services. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in terms of the number of people we’re now supporting. 

“But it’s a bittersweet moment. Because while we’re delivering great results, we’re also conscious that the situation in the West Midlands is dire - far too many youngsters are living in poverty.

“Our response to that is to grow and expand our services through more partnerships with organisations and Job Centres that share our values. Alongside this, we’ll be reaching into new areas of the West Midlands and beyond.” 

Of the young people supported by Sport 4 Life in 2024, 66 percent were male and 70 percent were from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Additionally, four percent of beneficiaries identified as having a disability.

During the course of the year, the charity delivered more than 5,000 hours of sport, training and mentoring - significantly higher than the 3,510 hours in the previous 12 months. 

In terms of outcomes, 1,552 young people who engaged Sport 4 Life enrolled in its employability projects and a further 1,206 experienced an improvement in their life skills.

A total of 476 young people went on to successfully complete a qualification. 

Sport 4 Life is based in Digbeth but works with people aged 11 to 29 across the West Midlands.

Tapping into the power of sport, the charity helps improve the life chances of thousands of under-resourced youngsters each year.

To read Sport 4 Life’s Impact Report 2024, please visit the website here.

Pictured: From left - Sport 4 Life director of People & Strategy Rob Wells, OCF founder and CEO Basharat Dad, Sport 4 Life sports coach Mia Griffin, G4S Events and Total Security Services Recruitment Business partner Gillian Kershaw, Sport 4 Life founder and CEO Tom Clarke-Forrest, Sport 4 Life chair of trustees Mike Gahir