You've told us that you would love to find out more about your fellow Sported members. We'll be using this page to share your stories and will be updating this page as we receive them so please keep checking back!
June member spotlight
We caught up with group leader Brenton from Schball School of Basketball based in the West Midlands who received support to help them measure their impact.
Tell us more about your group and the sessions you run
We deliver basketball sessions for young people aged 8 and over with an aim to create a safe space for them to play and learn the fundamentals of the game.
What led you to get support from Sported?
It was something I knew I needed, but I needed some help. Not only did I want it for funding applications, but to highlight the difference we make, that it's a safe space and not just a space to play basketball. We want everyone to feel comfortable, and we wanted to show that in the data.
How did the support help you?
I had support with designing and asking the right questions that would get the types of responses to help us, we needed the experience and expertise.
It's clear that I'm achieving my goal to create a safe space for young people. I can now see it in the data. It feels great to prove it.
Do you have any advice for other groups looking for support in this area?
Don't hesitate and reach out!
May Member Spotlight
We caught up with Tom, the founder of TK Born and Raised. Delivering football sessions to young people around London and the South East. Tom has been working with Sported and Sported volunteers on various elements of the journey.
Tell us more about your group, why it was set up, and the activities you run
TK Born and Raised was founded because I was deprived not to play football when I was younger. I was good, but my parents were farmers back in Africa so I was told not to play. I was able to pursue my football career when I came to the UK and progressed to play in Sweden, and I was able to play professionally at the age of 27. It gave me hope, and a light at the end of the tunnel.
I created TK Born and Raised to bring that hope to young kids, and it doesn’t mean you have to be professional, but whatever you desire to be in life, you can actually achieve it.
We use football and education as a vehicle and run sessions for those aged 5 upwards. We preach the values of family and unity - we are all like a family and have to look after each other.
What led you to get support from Sported?
I formed TK Born and Raised 3 years ago, and I had set it up as a limited company. I'd asked for help and was directed to Sported who were able to help me set up as a Community Interest Company (CIC), and that's when things started to go really well.
Once our governance was in place, we had support from a Sported volunteer to look at our policies and procedures, and our marketing. The volunteer was a professional in IT and helped us create a sponsorship package and a website.
How has your support helped you and your group?
The support has given us that image that is clear. Our vision was clear, but how that was presented to the public wasn’t clear. Sported gave us that clear information – this is who we are, what we do and how we do it.
What is your greatest achievement as a group leader so far?
The happiness of the kids on their faces every time we finish, and the satisfaction to look at our coaches to look at each other and say ‘we did a good thing today’. Even though we’re not making a lot of money, we feel like we’ve achieved something and we’ve put a smile on someone’s face. Also that parents can leave their kids with us for hours. That’s mind blowing for me.
Find out more about TK Born and Raised on their website.
April Member Spotlight
We know that you love hearing about other Sported members, their work and their journey and we recently shared the story of Parr Sports & Community Centre.
Based in the North West and Sported members since 2016, Parr Sports began as a boxing club operating from a single room. With help from one of our volunteers, they have developed a business plan, re-branded and become pros at funding applications, now offering services to 2000 people each week.
March Member Spotlight
As part of marketing International Women's Day, we interviewed three group leaders, Helen & Cass from The Jam Place (South East England) and Jenny from Splitz Gymnastics (Northern Ireland) who tell us about their classes and sessions for teen girls, and the impact they have on the girls in their local communities.
Read more on our website.
February Member Spotlight
This month, we asked Helen from Copley Cricket Club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire about their group and how support from a Sported volunteer helped them recruit some new volunteers.
Tell us more about your group and the activities you run
Copley Cricket Club is a volunteer run community sports club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, founded in 1880. We are member of the Halifax Cricket League and run 3 senior teams, junior teams at U9, U11, U13, U15 and U18 as well as All Stars (5-8 year olds), a girls side and a ladies' softball team.
What led you to look for support from a Sported volunteer?
As our club has grown, there are more and more jobs that need doing and many of our long standing volunteers are getting older and less able to help. We needed some help in attracting more volunteers from our junior parents to assist with jobs on match days.
How did the support help you?
It was useful to chat through the issues we face and to discuss possible solutions, and hear that we had actually been doing a lot of the right things to attract new volunteers. We have managed to engage with a few more parents since the Sported intervention.
Do you have any advice for other Sported members who may be looking for support with engaging or recruiting volunteers?
I would recommend any amateur sports club to seek support from Sported. It's great to get a viewpoint from someone outside the organisation as they can see things from another angle.
Find out more about Copley Cricket Club on their Twitter or Facebook account.
January Member Spotlight
This month, we asked Mark McGee from Thorn Athletic Sports Academy based in Scotland about the work they do in their community, and the recent support they received from a Sported volunteer.
Tell us more about your group and your activities:
We are a community football club based in Johnstone, Renfrewshire (Scotland) who offer organised activity for all sections of the community from toddlers through to older adults. We also operate our own facility as a social enterprise and registered charity which is home to many of our own activities but also widely used by a variety of other user groups to deliver their activities in an affordable and sustainable manner.
What led you to get support for your business plan?:
Our organisation has grown significantly after a change of direction brought about during the pandemic. We identified a need for professional support to help put in place better infrastructure around our future planning and development needs.
How has the support helped you so far?
So far we have been focusing on the financial structure of the organisation and meeting our requirements in that area. We have had support with accounting and reporting to OSCR, the charity regulator, putting in place structured bookkeeping procedures and then looking about our practices moving forward.
We have learned ways to save money and streamline what we do that will hopefully stand us in good stead as we progress to further developing a business plan.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to other Sported members who want to start planning for their future?
Don't be scared to ask for advice in the first place and move at your own pace. There is no correct answers in many cases and never lose sight of your core ambitions and the needs you are meeting during the process.
Read more about Thorn Athletics Sports Academy on their website, or follow them on Facebook.
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