Made by Sport and Allwyn announce new campaign

National charity Made by Sport have partnered with Allwyn, a leading lottery operator applying to run the National Lottery under the 4th National Lottery Licence, to launch a new campaign #PoweringGoodTogether, to raise awareness and funding for grassroots sports clubs and organisations across the UK.

The two organisations have joined forces as the nation enjoys a summer of sport, to reflect on the fact that what sport does for society – from helping address mental health issues, to developing life skills or bridging divides – is as important as what sport is, in terms of the athletic excellence and spectacular endeavour on the field of play.

Having happy, healthy people supports local communities, which in turn enables society to thrive. Sport is a vital tool to help overcome the mental health challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated, increasing life and employment skills as well as bringing communities together and reducing anti-social behaviour. More than a third of young people aged 15-18 suffer from mental health disorders, with 83% saying that the pandemic had affected their mental health, reporting issues with sleep, panic attacks and urges to self-harm during the periods of lockdown.

Insights commissioned for Made by Sport by YouGov Sport show that nearly nine out of ten people who have participated in a sporting activity in the last 12 months think that sport can improve their mental health, while 84% of the UK population believe that participation in local sports activities or clubs can teach valuable life lessons. 77% of people also admitted that they are open to trying a new activity to improve their mental health.

The #PoweringGoodTogether campaign will raise awareness about what sport actually does for individuals and communities, to persuade people to think about sport differently. Sport is far more than what you see on the field of play and the partnership aims to show how valuable community sport really is.

Commenting on the partnership, Allwyn’s Bid Chair and former Deputy Chairman of the Organising Committee for London 2012, Sir Keith Mills, said: “Sport can help us to achieve so many things in life and at a time when we are all trying to work out our ‘new normal,’ sport can present us with a solution to help steer us all through, individually and as a society. We need to look at sport in a different way – it’s not just about activity and keeping fit – and that’s why we are supporting Made by Sport.”

Speaking about the partnership, Sophie Mason, CEO of Made by Sport added: “Sport has so many positive outcomes for young people and can have an extraordinary impact on society, when channelled in the right way. We are delighted to be partnering with Allwyn to deliver the #PoweringGoodTogether campaign, which will shine a light on the invaluable contribution community clubs play in society through the use of sport, and show how young people can achieve better futures through involvement in grassroots sport by learning important life skills, improving their physical and mental health, as well as reducing anti-social activity." 

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About Made by Sport

Made by Sport is a charity which raises awareness and funding for grassroots sports clubs and organisations that work with young people across the UK.

The charity was launched in 2019 with the aim of championing the power of sport to tackle social issues and unlock new sources of funding for grassroots organisations, using sport to try to change people’s lives and help communities thrive. This includes focusing on building stronger communities, youth employment, crime and anti-social behaviour reduction, mental health awareness and developing life skills.

We support clubs or organisations which intentionally use sport to deliver wider social outcomes. The organisations we are looking for operate mostly in disadvantaged communities, often working collaboratively with other partners to meet local need, and may offer cross-sector activities.

About Allwyn

Allwyn is the UK arm of one of Europe’s largest growing lottery companies, SAZKA Group. It believes that lotteries should serve as a unifying force for society. Good causes and sport have always been at the heart of SAZKA Group’s business and culture and it is committed to having a positive impact where it operates.