Learning from the Sport for Good Cities

This is the final report from the Global Evaluation and Learning Partnership for Sport for Good Cities developments in Paris, New Delhi and London, hosted by NDTi since 2019. It provides a synthesis of impacts, learning and insights gathered from Sport for Good locations in these three cities, all of whom have followed a similar pilot process and initial period of funding and support from Laureus: London from 2018-2021/22, Paris and New Delhi from 2019-2022/23.

This report has been written to share impacts achieved through the Sport for Good approach adopted and lessons learned about Sport for Good Cities from a global perspective. Taking a global perspective allows us to stand back from the important national and local contexts to consider common and important different characteristics and experiences alongside the evidence of impacts. Our key aim is to share what the global evaluation and learning partnership has learned about what works and what doesn’t work in relation to the Sport for Good Cities approach to sport for good developments and community driven change programmes.

Across the three cities (London, Paris and New Delhi) and locations, selected for their focus on multiple disadvantage and desire for change, the following impressive indicators and signs of change have also been observed:

• A total of 9,209 people have participated in and benefited from numerous new, diverse opportunities for sport, and through these accessed learning, training, capacity building and local platforms for influencing decisions that affect their everyday lives.
• Over 40 project grants have been distributed to deliver these opportunities, based on local people’s priorities for change (captured in locally derived vision and outcome statements). Many more micro grants and initiatives have also been funded and created as a spin-off from these major funding channels.
• Five new Community Coordinators posts have supported, coached, mentored and enabled these Coalitions, grant making decisions and delivery arrangements to take root and flourish in ways that make sense and fit with the local environment, culture and legal frameworks. These roles are continuing in different ways in different cities, for example, in the form of Community Leads appointed by host organisations in each London Coalition, to sustain what works and support ongoing developments led by Coalition members.
• Young people are starting to increase their voice and influence in these arrangements, for example as youth panels in London and youth members in Seemapuri (New Delhi) who have also created their own local social enterprise inspired to be proactive change agents as a result of their Coalition’s actions and achievements.

We are delighted to share the highlights, stories, examples of impact in this final evaluation report as well as the summary report.

For more information, please contact Helen Bown at Helen.Bown@ndti.org.uk