sportanddev partner with Vardot to upgrade website and maximise impact

While sportanddev remains the leading global online platform for actors in sport and development, there is an urgent need to upgrade the current website. This will ensure greater coordination, collaboration and ultimately impact of the platform and our diverse range of stakeholders.

Website upgrade a clear priority

sportanddev is a community-driven platform and the website upgrade responds to the needs of our community. In a 2020 survey, 96% of respondents felt the website should be rebuilt or upgraded. The remaining 4% suggested there needs to be improvements to the look and layout of the website. Respondents also provided some clear suggestions for the new website, which we have taken into account.

The sportanddev Steering Board, partners of our campaign on Reshaping Sport and Development, and many others have indicated that an upgraded website is a priority in order to increase our effectiveness, and ensure greater equity, access and inclusion in sport and development.

Given this, sportanddev has signed a partnership with Vardot, a leading technology company that provides global brands with enterprise-level Drupal expertise, web development, strategy, web design, and growth solutions. Vardot will work with sportanddev during 2022 to design, build, test and finally launch an upgraded sportanddev website. This project is supported by the Swedish Postcode Foundation and by partners of our global campaign on Reshaping Sport and Development.

Vardot CEO Mohammed Razem welcomed the partnership:

“Vardot is really excited to collaborate with sportanddev, who continue to make an impact worldwide through sport and development. We believe the new platform that will be launched on Drupal 10 will open new horizons for collaboration and knowledge sharing while maximising the digital experience for the sportanddev community. With the new sportanddev website, we will truly observe the full impact of our work.”

sportanddev senior consultant Dr Ben Sanders stressed the importance of this partnership and its contribution to improving the impact of the sportanddev platform and more broadly the sector:

“After a rigorous selection process, we are delighted to work with Vardot to build a greatly improved sportanddev website that better serves the needs of our diverse users and stakeholders. The upgraded website will also contribute to building a more robust and representative platform, and sport and development sector, by increasing access and strengthening equity. For example, the ability to feature content in all six official languages of the United Nations (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese) will greatly improve the reach and effectiveness of our work, while providing an opportunity for actors from these regions to share their work and influence policy. There are also many other features that we hope will greatly support actors in sport and development.”

Initial work has already begun, and sportanddev hopes to launch the upgraded website in the second half of 2022. This may be done in a phased approach and further information will be communicated in due course. We will incorporate community feedback into this process – including insights from the community survey and from community consultations during this year.

Rationale for an upgraded sportanddev

We would also like to outline the rationale behind a new or upgraded website. The creation of a new or upgraded website serves a number of objectives, including:

1. More comprehensive coverage of the role of sport in enabling development and peace, including contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other priorities. This will illustrate the value and viability of investments in sport, making the case if needed.
2. Content in all six United Nations languages – to ensure that there is greater voice from under-represented actors and regions – and to bridge the gaps between policy and practice.
3. Improved functionality and enhanced user experience, including the ability for interactive/two-way communication and ability to host communities of practice or forums (these could be as diverse as sport and refugees OR sport for gender equity for example).
4. Increased value for investors, sponsors, registered organisations and individuals.
5. A more comprehensive online mapping of the relevant networks, organisations and individuals in sport and development (filtered by outcome area/geography/sport type etc.) so that we have a clearer picture of who is doing what where, and where the gaps are.
6. Research and Learning Corner: A comprehensive synthesis of research (applied and academic) in sport and development (filtered by outcome area/type of research/strength of evidence etc.) and appropriate learning resources, including online learning tools. This will again allow us to determine where research is strong and where gaps/opportunities exist.
7. Improved alignment of content and features to global and other policy frameworks – to ensure that actors are working in unison and to improve coherence and coordination.

These objectives are not exhaustive, and they may change after community consultations and other feedback. We also recognise that different sectors of our community will use the website in different ways and have different needs and interests.

Further, we are continuing to raise funds to support an upgraded website and our campaign on Reshaping Sport and Development. While we have raised resources for the core build of the website, there are many other costs (e.g., management of the various language versions of the website; support with collating research and learning) that still require resourcing and partnerships.

To support or for any further information, please contact:

Dr Ben Sanders, Senior Consultant, sportanddev: [email protected]