We believe that Londoners’ lives are improved by being more physically active. From that belief comes our vision—a vision where London becomes the most physically active city in the world; our work, developing partnerships across systems, structures and networks, focuses on building a movement around physical activity and sport in London.
Londoners’ lives are improved by being more physically active
To make London the most physically active city in the world
Our focus is on building the partnerships that help physical activity and sport to thrive in London. From delivering projects on behalf of our funders, to forming alliances with agencies and businesses across the capital, we work to put physical activity and sport at the heart of efforts to reduce inequality, enhance integration and improve wellbeing across the city.
We work in close partnership with London’s 33 Local Authorities, helping to reflect physical activity and sport across a wide range of policies and strategies impacting people in every part of the capital. The influence and impact of Local Authorities remains a fundamental component of physical activity in London.
Through our plan of action for tech and the launch of Sport Tech Hub, our world- leading incubator programme for early stage SportTech start-ups, we work to help SportTech work more effectively to increase levels of physical activity in London, and beyond.
Grassroots clubs are the bedrock of community sport, with many groups working extremely effectively to meet the needs of communities, throughout the city. Through the ClubWorks programme and our support to Sportivate and Satellite Clubs, we continue to support the work of hundreds of grassroots clubs working across London.
Through our support to Primary Schools, we advise on the use of government’s PE and Sport Premium for Primary Schools, helping London’s education system to provide a strong foundation of physical activity to young Londoners.
The launch of London Sport’s strategic plan of action for disabled people, helped to set an ambition to support deaf and disabled people in London to be at least as active as non-disabled Londoners. Through our disability team’s work, we support a range of deaf and disabled people’s organisations to embed good practice around physical activity and sport, and support the removal of barriers to deaf and disabled people’s opportunities to lead active lives.
Our programme of commercial partnerships is designed to address some of the big challenges facing London today and in the future. By aligning our expertise in physical activity and sport with brands’ specialist knowledge, we work to champion innovation in areas as diverse as workplace health, technology and community activation. The launch of our flagship workplace health partnership with Westfield Health remains one of our key achievements in the past year.
National Governing Bodies continue to play a fundamental role in enabling sport to grow and develop across the capital. Our partnerships with National Governing Bodies play a critical role in drawing together the capital’s existing and emerging sporting infrastructure, ensuring that new and established sports have a foothold in communities throughout London.
Our work begins with partnerships, but it exists because of the positive impact physical activity has on people's lives.
Last year, we worked with the 1,000 Londoners initiative to explore the ways that being active helps to improve life for Londoners of all backgrounds, ages and abilities. Here, we present the stories of five Londoners, all part of clubs supported by the London Sport and Greater London Authority-backed ClubWorks programme.
ClubWorks was a Greater London Authority funded programme designed to support grassroots sport clubs and organisations to help them thrive throughout the capital. Launched in 2015, the programme was administered by London Sport and involved providing a framework of support, education and guidance to grassroots clubs and organisations to help them thrive in the capital.
Satellite Clubs is a Sport England funded initiative focused on local clubs designed around the needs of young people. London Sport’s focus has been on developing Satellite Clubs delivering physical activity in the top 50% of most-deprived wards across the capital, building links between school and community sport for young people across London.
Sportivate is the £56 million Lottery funded programme giving more young people the chance to discover the right physical activity opportunities. The programme targets inactive young people and works to increase participation in, and improve attitudes towards, physical activity and sport.
FEMALE
BAME
DEAF OR DISABLED
INVESTED INTO GRASSROOTS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORT PROGRAMMES
ALL 33 LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN LONDON ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN PROGRAMMES WITH LONDON SPORT
INVESTED INTO DIGITAL PRODUCTS TO SUPPORT THE UPTAKE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORT IN LONDON
Our vision where London is the most physically active city in the world—carries with it a deeper purpose that goes further than simply helping to support more active Londoners.
In May, we published research that used a Social Return on Investment methodology to look at the real-world impacts of increasing Londoners’ physical activity levels, and the quantifiable impacts on London as a city. The research presented measured, for the first time, the social value of sport and physical activity in Greater London.
Facilities, the provision of opportunities, and equipment that facilitates activity all cost money and/or time. Participation in physical activity and sport is enabled by investment made by Government (national, local and devolved), the third sector, the consumer sector (e.g. individuals spending money on equipment and gym memberships) and significantly, an army of volunteers who give their time in-kind.
The total value of inputs in 2015/16 were calculated at £5.92bn. A breakdown of this financial and non-financial inputs into sport and physical activity is provided below.
Public/Government sector: £713.2m Charities/third sector: £8.91m Consumer sector: £2.1bn Non-financial inputs (the value of sports volunteers): £3.042bn
Under the conservative estimates that underpin the Social Return on Investment (SROI) model, it is revealed that there is currently a total social value output of £8.75bn to Greater London through physical activity and sport.
Over half of the social value output can be attributed to subjective wellbeing and life satisfaction outcomes.
The second largest contribution is from social and community development which contributes about a third, primarily through enhanced social capital generated by volunteers.
This is followed by physical wellbeing at 5.7% and finally individual development outcomes which contribute the smallest amount of social value at less than 2%.
CASE STUDY
Double Jab Boxing Club has been teaching discipline, respect and commitment to members of the New Cross community through boxing. The club’s “Jab, Don’t Stab” motto has been pushed relentlessly throughout Lewisham in an effort to draw young people in Lewisham away from gang and knife crime.
The club provides junior sessions, police referral sessions, young offenders’ sessions and alternative education programmes to provide a broader range of support to young Londoners and help to alleviate risks associated with crime and antisocial behaviour in London.
Double Jab Boxing Club was recognised for its work in support of communities across London at the London Sport Awards 2017, where it was named Club of the Year.
CASE STUDY
BIGKID Foundation is a Lambeth-based charity that exists to help young people in South London at risk of social exclusion and youth violence. The Foundation’s Community Engagement Programme uses sport as a tool to engage hard-to-reach young people in positive activities.
As well as promoting physical and mental wellbeing, BIGKID Foundation promotes social and community development by encouraging participants to become key stakeholders in their community. A 2017 project evaluation assessing the impact on 821 young people involved in the Community Engagement Programme found that 85% of young people reported an improvement in mental wellbeing, and 80% suggested they had made friends with individuals from areas that they wouldn’t usually go.
BIGKID Foundation was supported in its growth and development through the ClubWorks programme, with London Sport Relationship Officers working closely alongside the club’s management to identify opportunities for growth and development over a period of years.
CASE STUDY
Palace for Life Foundation’s ‘Move It, Lose It’ programme engaged over 70 women aged 40+ who were all clinically overweight in a programme around social engagement and weight loss. Move It, Lose It sessions contained informal weigh-ins, health workshops on topics including sugar intake, diabetes awareness, food labelling and benefits of exercise and mindfulness, with physical activity components including classes such as Clubbercise, resistance circuits, yoga and pilates.
Feedback from project participants stated results included changes in relationship with food and exercise, and beginning to engage in exercise with family members. Of the 75% of participants that self-identified as inactive at the beginning of the project, 57% self-identified as active at the end of Move It, Lose It.
London Sport has worked to support Palace for Life Foundation to expand its network among local partners and extend its reach into Local Authorities across South East London, creating new opportunities to enhance the Foundation’s successful community work.
CASE STUDY
Surrey FA have worked extensively to instil a culture of putting deaf and disabled people as central to the development of the regions’ football policies, programmes and delivery. As one of five County FA’s servicing London, the Association’s commitment to embedding disability inclusion in the organisation’s culture represents a positive step towards the future for enhancing deaf and disabled people’s participation in sport across London.
Surrey FA and London Sport have worked in partnership to empower Surrey FA’s Inclusion and Advisory Group to represent and meet the needs of all stakeholders, and support enhanced disability inclusion.
House of Sport is a co-working space and the home of collaboration for physical activity and sport in the capital. Managed by London Sport, House of Sport opened in August 2017 to provide a home for physical activity and sport organisations working throughout London, the UK and across the world. Comprising permanent office space, collaborative hot desking, an event and meeting space, and the Sport Tech Hub technology incubator, House of Sport is at the heart of innovation, creativity and collaboration for physical activity and sport in London.
Our work to improve Londoners’ lives through physical activity and sport is principally funded by Sport England and the Mayor of London. Through specialist knowledge, expertise and networks built by London Sport, we work in close partnership with our funders to deliver an impact for London that delivers the strongest possible impact at local and national levels.
Our work with Sport England forms the basis of our partnerships and programmes across the capital. At the heart of our work with Sport England is a focus on delivering Sport England’s Towards an Active Nation strategy across London. The strategy, which focuses on supporting more people from every background to regularly and meaningfully engage in sport and physical activity, and developing a more products, sustainable and responsible sport sector, provides a framework within which we work to tackle inactivity in London. In line with Sport England guidance, we work to continually enhance our understanding of the challenges and opportunities present for physical activity and sport in London, and the ways in which Londoners engage with physical activity, and to build new relationships that enhance the impact of physical activity on Londoners of every background.
Over the past year, London Sport has had a real impact supporting Sport England to deliver on the Government’s outcomes through our strategic priorities, in London. The capital is a complex, and sometimes challenging, landscape—but one which offers real opportunities to help support society’s most inactive people to benefit from increased engagement in sport and physical activity. London Sport’s focus on supporting and enabling a network of organisations that can collectively help Londoners of all backgrounds to engage, plays a valuable role in this vital national agenda.
Mike Diaper – Executive Director - Children, Young People and Tackling Inactivity
The Mayor of London’s Draft Sport Strategy, Sport for All of Us, outlines his belief in the power of sport to bring people together and improve lives. At its heart is a desire to make London the most socially integrated and active city in the world.
We work closely with the Mayor of London’s Sport Team and other departments of the Greater London Authority to support efforts to integrate physical activity and sport in all areas under the control or influence of the Mayor’s Office. From sharing research and informing strategy to supporting on community participation for Major Events and collaborating on SportTech innovation, our work with the Mayor of London is embedded across the whole of London Sport’s operations.
The ambitious aims set out by London Sport present an important vision for London, and the role of sport in supporting our great city. I am encouraged by the links built between London Sport and City Hall. The Mayor’s new draft Sport Strategy presents a real opportunity for sport to bring Londoners together and I believe that the work delivered between us and London Sport will play a major role in London’s future.
Matthew Ryder — Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement
London is a world-leading city, and our vision of making London the most physically active city in the world relies explicitly on us understanding where we are successful, and what we have to learn, from counterparts around the world.
In February, London was announced as one of three Founding Cities in the Active Citizens Worldwide (ACW) initiative; a global response to the challenges faced by cities across the world, providing policymakers with better knowledge and insight to harness the potential of physical activity and sport.
ACROSS THE THREE ACW FOUNDING CITIES, PEOPLE FROM LOWER SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS’ ARE AS MUCH AS 30% LESS ACTIVE THAN PEOPLE FROM HIGHER CLASSES
VARIATION IN ACTIVITY LEVELS DUE TO GENDER ARE SMALLER THAN ANY OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC FACTOR
FOR THE THREE CITIES COMBINED, SPORT CONTRIBUTES US$16.4BN INCLUDING A US$622M BOOST IN PRODUCTIVITY AND OVER 2000 DEATHS PREVENTED
Our Annual report and financial Accounts
I am delighted to be authoring my first Chief Executive’s Report since taking the helm of London Sport midway through the 2017/18 financial year.
The organisation’s vision of making London the most physically active city in the world is a totemic aim, and one that will deliver substantial benefit to Londoners across every part of the nation’s capital.
As a business, we have made substantial progress in the past twelve months, and great credit must be paid to the organisation’s staff and senior leadership team, our Trustees, and to my predecessor, Peter Fitzboydon, for the strong foundations that we build from today.
The past year has seen the beginnings of many initiatives which will shape the future of physical activity and sport in London. The opening of House of Sport, which provides daily support and collaboration opportunities to non-profit sport organisations and the launch of our SportTech start-up incubator, Sport Tech Hub are already having a clear impact. Meanwhile, the publication of three strategic plans of action focused on deaf and disabled people, the role of technology in enhancing participation, and London’s sporting workforce are influencing sport strategy across the capital. New projects, including the launch of a commercial programme and our first ever paid commercial partnership—a 3-year agreement with Westfield Health; a progressive digital communications pilot to drive behaviour change in inactive Londoners, and the announcement of London as a Founding City in the Active Citizens Worldwide initiative alongside counterparts in Auckland and Singapore all offer exciting glimpses of an enhanced impact for physical activity throughout the city.
With the Mayor of London’s Sport Strategy due to be finalised and published in the coming financial year, this is an exciting time for the future of physical activity and sport in London. The work that London Sport has delivered to date will be enhanced by new and much-needed commitments to promoting social integration through sport, and I look forward to seeing London Sport working closely with the Mayor’s Office and Sport England to deliver both local and national priorities across London.
As we strive towards making London the most physically active city in the world, I look forward to London Sport continuing to play a central role in shaping the future health of the capital.
Tove Okunniwa
Chief Executive
The past year has seen London Sport make good progress in its strategic aims and ambitions, and under Tove’s stewardship, we are better placed than ever to coordinate efforts to make London the most physically active city in the world. Our commitment to innovation and creativity continues to shine through, and the organisation is well placed for the future.
Our commitment to innovation and creativity continues to shine through
Looking back over the past twelve months, I have been particularly encouraged by the positive reputation that London Sport continues to build, most notably among our key partners and stakeholders who continue to report that London Sport’s advice and guidance is supporting them in achieving their own objectives. Much credit for this must go to the team at London Sport, who have seen the organisation through a period of leadership change with great professionalism and continued dedication to our core values.
The results outlined in this report show clearly that the support offered by London Sport to the city remains as important as ever.
Our work continues to be reliant on the support of Sport England and the Mayor of London as principle funders, and the Board remain deeply grateful for their continued investment in the work of London Sport. We are also delighted to acknowledge the on-going commitment of all of our partners, our supporters, and the whole physical activity and sport sector in London for their continued dedication to helping people across the capital to live more active lives.
I, and the whole Board of Trustees, look forward to the year ahead with great confidence and a sense that real momentum is building behind our vision for London.
Richard Barker
Vice Chair
London Sport is a registered charity (1165100)