Sports coaching companies have evolved from focusing solely on improving individual skills to playing a vital role in fostering community development. Through innovative programs and inclusive activities, these companies are leveraging the universal appeal of sports to bring people together, promote healthy lifestyles, and create lasting bonds.
Here’s how sports coaching companies can develop their communities using the power of sport.
1. Building inclusive programs
At the core of community development is inclusion. Successful sports coaching companies excel at creating programs that cater to all demographics. Whether for children, teenagers, or adults, these companies design training programs adaptable to different skill levels and physical abilities.
→ Nana Badu – How do we change the narrative?
Nana Badu, the founder of Badu Sports, didn’t set out to start a business. As the demand for their unique approach to Physical Education programmes grew, Badu Sports was born. His first step was inclusive PE programmes:
“We were setting up a high standard of PE lessons. School sport separated children into age groups, but I saw that they weren’t challenging a child’s physical ability. My approach was: I want to try and find a child’s talent because I believed they were talented.”
2. Enhancing social bonds
Sports naturally bring people together. Sports coaching companies create spaces where people from diverse backgrounds come together for a shared purpose. Whether through team sports or for activities classes, these companies help individuals forge social bonds that transcend their differences.
The camaraderie built on the field often extends off it, strengthening local networks. Badu Sports, for example, draws its team from the local area. For them, supporting their community meant using the resources, ideas and voices in the area to shape their programs. Based in East London, there were high levels of deprivation in their community, but creating social bonds did not mean they should pigeonhole their communities. Brand manager Olivia Eastwood-Gray added:
“We don’t want to fit into a narrative of assumption. We are a black-led organization that works in an area with high levels of deprivation. But we use sport for social integration, but we don’t need to meet the narrative of combatting crime or any other stereotypes. It’s not an overarching banner for our community or our work.”
3. Promoting health and well-being
The health benefits of participating in sports are well-documented, and sports coaching companies play a key role in promoting active lifestyles. By offering activities programs, they encourage participants to stay physically active, improving both mental and physical well-being. Healthier communities are stronger communities.
→ James Mapstone – Power of sport in the criminal justice sector
James Mapstone realized the transformative effect of sport on young offenders working in a prison. He realized that getting young offenders on the field or in the gym worked positively towards their behaviour. For the founder of the Alliance of Sport – Criminal Justice, it was whether it could be changed for good.
“How can we influence their behaviour in education? Or walking around the prison? We did so well in prisons that offenders were knocking on the door and telling me they were going to re-offend. Why? Because they wanted to come back to this prison. They had found something that they enjoyed so much that coming back to prison was their best option.”
4. Providing a safe space for youth
In many areas, sports coaching companies serve as a haven for young people. Instead of spending time sedentary or on the streets, kids and teenagers are given a positive outlet for their energy. Through structured sports programs, coaching companies provide mentorship, teaching valuable life lessons such as perseverance, teamwork, and leadership.
Companies like the Alliance of Sport – Criminal Justice align with schools, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to fund youth programs, especially in underprivileged areas. Like the Alliance, they can use existing evidence of the impact of sport. They understood the demographics – the same children and young people who were underrepresented in physical activity were overrepresented in the criminal justice system. James was looking to level the playing ground:
“These young people weren’t getting the same social capital, the same role models, the same support or opportunities. We thought if we can level the playing field and increase physical activity and role models, we can reduce the number of people involved in the criminal justice system. That’s why we started the Levelling the Playing Field research.”
5. Fostering local identity and pride
A vibrant sports scene can foster a strong sense of local identity and pride. Sports coaching companies contribute to this by helping to cultivate local talent, organize competitions, and support local teams. Whether it’s a community fun run or a soccer tournament, these events bring people together, celebrating their shared identity and collective achievements.
→ Nick Gates – Developing your remit through your core goals
Building a community-led programme through sport is about the participants and your coaches. At Coaches Across Continents, coaches travel across the world and build their knowledge of those communities, so their “theory of change” was developed through these voices. Nick Gates added:
“In 2021, we had 9000 coaches working with 2.7 million children across 132 countries. When those voices come together, it gives us the roadmap, a design to follow, for what our organization looks like, how we adapt our resources and then how we deliver our programmes from there.”
6. Encouraging volunteerism and leadership
Sports coaching companies often rely on volunteers to help run programs, organize events, and support training sessions. This encourages a spirit of volunteerism and leadership within the community. Individuals who take on these roles not only contribute to the development of others but also grow personally by learning valuable organizational and leadership skills.
7. Creating economic opportunities
Sports coaching companies contribute to local economies by creating jobs for coaches, trainers, and administrative staff. In addition to direct employment, they also stimulate the economy through sports-related events, such as tournaments or clinics, which can attract visitors and generate business for local vendors, restaurants, and hotels.
In many communities, particularly those with a passion for sports, the economic impact of a well-established coaching company can be significant. For example, the bottom-up approach for Coaches Across Continents works with global partners to empower local communities and create impact through sport in 132 countries.
Tune in to The Drive Phase
Want to know more about how organizations develop communities through sport? Check out The Drive Phase podcast, where James Moore, CEO of Coordinate Sport, interviews leading actors in the activities sector. Listen and compare notes with the best of the best!
