The UK government has announced a new £5 million fund to tackle youth crime with sports.
The money will be invested in “innovative sporting schemes” across the country and forms part of the £300 million investment to catch and prevent youth offending earlier than ever.
Charities in England and Wales will be able to bid for money to run programmes designed to steer young people away from crime and encourage them into positive activities aimed at teaching teamwork, resilience, and discipline.
The bidding competition, run jointly by the Ministry of Justice and StreetGames, will open on Monday November 7 and will close on Monday December 5.
Government aims to tackle youth crime with sporting fund
Statistics published by GOV.UK show that while the number of young people in custody remains at a record low, 80% of prolific adult offenders begin committing crimes as children.
The funds deliver on the commitment made in the Prisons Strategy White Paper, which was published last December, to introduce further measures for early intervention to cut youth crime.
Dominic Raab, Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, said: “I have seen first-hand how local sports projects can transform the lives of young people from tough backgrounds, getting them off the streets and teaching them life skills including teamwork, discipline, and resilience.”
What is StreetGames?
StreetGames is a leading sport-for-development charity that believes “in the power of sport to transform lives and to broaden ambitions.”
The charity’s main programme, Doorstep Sport, offers fun and informal sports clubs for disadvantaged young people. The clubs operate according to the “Five Rights of StreetGames” which mean they are: carried out at the right time, in the right place, with the right people, for the right price, and in the right style to suit the needs of the young people they are aimed at.
Speaking about the new government funding, Stuart Felce, StreetGames Director of Sport and Community Safety, said: “We’re really excited to be partnering with the Sport for Development Coalition and the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice to deliver this ambitious new programme from the Ministry of Justice.”
Felce explained that the funds are “a vote of confidence” in the power of sport to provide young people with “a positive pathway and to help prevent them from falling into the criminal justice system.”
