Technology, data and digital are some of the hottest topics in physical activity and sport.
Despite this, large parts of grassroots sport are yet to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the digital revolution.
London Sport is committed to helping the sport sector to develop its digital expertise and ensure that sport isn’t left behind as the leisure sector becomes increasingly digitally led.
Promoting Open Data
Our work with open data start-up, imin, began in 2015 and helped to make early in-roads in bringing together grassroots physical activity and sport and open data. Commitments that have subsequently been adopted in government sport strategy, and through Sport England and the Open Data Institute’s OpenActive movement.
Now, through continued advocacy, partnerships and developments like Open Sessions, we are continuing to make open data a central part of strategies for grassroots sport, bringing live opportunities for people to find physical activity to platforms like Get Active London.
Digital marketing to less active Londoners
London Sport has been working on a number of projects with 15 London boroughs and two other Active Partnerships (Surrey and Hampshire) to test the use of Facebook advertising to reach and engage less active adults.
We’ve run campaigns to recruit new participants for a range of local activities (including walking groups, netball, cycling and fitness sessions). The campaigns provided support to over 10,000 people and helped around 10% of them to try a local session.
Along the way we discovered what type of images and messaging works best, which channel to use to communicate with people and which audience is the best to reach on Facebook.
Our findings are summarised in two project reports:
- Using Facebook to recruit new participants for walking groups
- Promoting local This Girl Can sessions with Facebook advertising
As a result of these projects we’ve also created some simple guides that can be used to run your own local physical activity campaigns on Facebook.
- How to budget for a Facebook campaign
- How to evaluate a Facebook campaign (coming soon)
For more information on these projects, email Chris.
Supporting digital leadership
Through our major events, partnerships and advocacy work, London Sport plays a key role in advising the sector on its approach to digital and technology and the effective brokering of partnerships between the technology industry and sport.
Funding opportunities
London Sport and the Mayor of London have previously collaborated on providing funding specifically targeted at boosting technology and sport through the Sport Technology Innovation Fund.
Visit our Funding Search Tool to search for future funding opportunities
Thought leadership
We speak at many events, conferences and industry round tables on the future of physical activity for children and young people in London throughout the year, as well as producing thought leadership articles to provide advice and challenges to the sector.
