Power of Sport is a research project conceived by the team at Belong in 2020 and initially funded by
Spirit of 2012. First launched in August 2020 as a guidance document, the research evidences the
important and unifying role that sport plays in social cohesion and integration. The guidance
document was produced in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and strict lockdown measures,
which, alongside the death of George Floyd in the US at the hands of police, highlighted structural
inequalities in our own country, highlighting a need to create a more cohesive, fair and resilient
society as part of the effort to rebuild following the pandemic.
In 2021, Belong developed a user-friendly digital toolkit funded by Sport England that synthesises
the learning from the Power of Sport guidance into a learning resource for those designing,
delivering and evaluating sports programmes. The toolkit offered guidance on how to design
inclusive sports programmes that promote social cohesion, bring people together, bridge divides, and
foster a sense of belonging.
We are excited to launch the new, improved version of the Power of Sport, which, after taking user
feedback on board, has been redeveloped to be more interactive, accessible and easy to use, and only
takes one hour to complete. By the end of this toolkit users will have produced your very own
bespoke Theory of Change to apply to their sports programmes. We are delighted to announce that the toolkit is now live and can be accessed here https://sport.belongnetwork.co.uk/the-toolkit/.
The content has been produced with input and guidance from: StreetGames, Youth Sport Trust,
Sporting Equals, Spirit of 2012, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG),
the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Manchester City Council.
