This is the introduction to the Sport for Social Good Report for 2019 which is published today.
You can download a copy of the report here.
“Sport means so many things to so many people. Whether it’s a bat or a ball, a club or a cleat, the things that make it different are the things that widen its appeal.
It is filled with universal truths about how to play, how to win, how to lose, how to bounce back.
At the end of a game, the final score is the most important thing in the world but there will always be another chance, another shot at redemption.
The important thing is to respect your opponent, without whom there would be no game even if with whom you have been locked in combat until a hand is outstretched in comfort or congratulation.
It is the universal language that expresses those truths that makes sport a wonderful way to reach fellow human beings.
Not all of us will get to compete at the highest level but all of us will understand the effort and the talent that it took to get there.
“Sport has the power to change the world,” said Nelson Mandela.
“It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.”
The simple idea behind Sport for Social Good was to shine a light on the work that sporting organisations and businesses were doing together to make a difference to the society in which we live.
The relationship between the two has evolved from early days of branding and awareness to being a crucial way of reaching groups who might otherwise be left on the margins.
Be it through gender, through youth, through looking beyond disability to see the incredible ability that exists in everyone and to building a platform where that ability can be fostered and brought to glorious life.
This second year of our report looks at projects in all of those areas.
From the power of giving a child a ball to the heft that bringing major sponsors together to support a tournament that could otherwise have been just a happy blitz but which reached way beyond the white lines to make a statement about who we are and the choices we make.
Sport for Business is all about collaboration. We enjoy working with over 250 organisations who see the value of sport and who use their own skills to make it a little better than it might otherwise be.
Working with Damien O’Neill of Allianz is always inspiring. The energy and assistance of Ulster University and the R&A as organisers of the Open Championship this year has been truly humbling when a few short years ago we were just an idea.
On any given day in sport, great things happen. It brings out the best in us.
Today we are privileged to have gathered a collection of stories and a group of people who do just that. Thank you for taking an interest and for what you do.”
Rob Hartnett
Founder
Sport for Business
Download a copy of the full report here
