We are delighted to announce our first-ever Event Social Impact Partners for the LA cycle – four organisations who share our vision to use the platform of major events to power positive change.
In Making Live Sport Matter, a new major event strategic framework, UK Sport committed to continuing to embed social impact into events as a priority.
First introduced at our annual Event Partners Day 2025, we can now reveal the four new partnerships with specialists who will be able to support the organisers of funded events.
They are Access Sport, Coach Core Foundation, StreetGames and Loughborough University.
UK Sport Head of Events Esther Britten said: "Our ambition is to use the platform of major events hosted in the UK to deliver meaningful, societal change into host communities.
"By establishing these partnerships and making them available to the sector, we believe that they will supercharge work already being carried out by event hosting partners or help deliver on their ambitions that they don’t have capacity to achieve.
"These four organisations have the expertise, networks and influence to make a real difference in this area."
What are Event Social Impact Partners?
Every event that UK Sport invests National Lottery funding into must have social impact at its heart and deliver positive, lasting change across areas including health and wellbeing, employment skills and EDI, alongside embedding environmental sustainability into event operations.
To support major events in their ambitions and relieve pressure on event managers, Event Social Impact Partners will deliver scalable, evidence-based initiatives across UK Sport’s events programme.
Providing support from bidding to delivery and beyond, the four partners will improve the capacity and capability of major event organisers to positively impact lives.
Access Sport
A national inclusion charity formed in 2004, Access Sport trains, equips and supports community sports clubs to provide inclusive programmes, unleashing their potential to transform the lives of disabled and disadvantaged young people.
The charity will work with us to develop new and improved programmes, with a focus on embedding inclusive offers in host communities.
CEO Helen Rowbotham said: “We jumped at the opportunity to work with UK Sport. Major events have the potential to be a powerful catalyst for change within the communities we want to work in. Young people want positive experiences and event organisers also want to do more. Working together we can both improve the inclusivity of events and create new opportunities for children and young people to enjoy the wide-ranging benefits that community sport can offer. We are excited to get started!”
Coach Core Foundation
Targeting 16–24-year-olds who may experience barriers, Coach Core Foundation uses apprenticeships to provide young people with essential skills and pathways to meaningful education and employment. We will work with Coach Core Foundation on a range of event-specific apprenticeships.
CEO Gary Laybourne said: “We are incredibly proud to be a UK Sport Social Impact Partner, using major sporting events to create real change for young people.
“Too many face barriers, discrimination, and a lack of opportunities that limit their potential. By embedding apprenticeships into these events, we will turn them into pathways for long-term success—providing young people with the skills, experience, and opportunities they need to thrive in sport and beyond.
“These apprenticeships will provide hands-on experience, qualifications, and direct pathways into long-term employment, ensuring that world-class events don’t just inspire—they create lasting impact."
StreetGames
Since 2007, StreetGames has worked with community partners to improve access to sport for children and young people facing socio-economic disadvantage. The focus of our work with StreetGames will be to connect young people with opportunities to spectate, volunteer and participate at events.
CEO Mark Lawrie said: “Since 2007, StreetGames has harnessed the power of sport to create positive change in the lives of young people living in underserved communities right across the UK. What’s really exciting about being a UK Sport Social Impact Partner and working with the major events is the breadth of opportunity we’ll be able to bring to people in multiple parts of the UK.
“We want to connect young people who live in some of our poorest communities into these events so that they can spectate and experience that major event atmosphere. They may get opportunities to volunteer around the events which will develop their skills and teamwork experience and also get the opportunity to participate in some of the sports that they watch.”
Loughborough University
Loughborough University will work with us on social impact at a strategic level. Together we will work to build a centralised social impact strategy and structure for the sector, as well as an overarching monitoring and evaluation framework.
Professor Jo Maher, Loughborough University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport, said: “We’re extremely proud to have been named as a social impact partner for UK Sport. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our university’s strategy of ‘creating better futures, together’ and we’re committed to delivering meaningful change.
“Our enviable sports ecosystem, including our stand-out academic staff, Loughborough Sport’s world-class athletes, coaches, practitioners and volunteers, will all play a key role in tangibly evidencing the value that major events bring to places across the UK in relation to social impacts. We look forward to continuing our efforts and driving impact where it matters most.”