BEST SPORTS COMMUNITY SCHEME – OTHER
Active Hub – Abu Dhabi Sport Council
Active Hub is a pioneering community sports initiative led by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, designed to make physical activity more accessible and inclusive across the Emirate. By transforming over 30 government school campuses into open-access fitness centers after school hours, the program offers free, instructor-led sessions in more than 20 sports and fitness disciplines — including football, cycling, running, yoga, aerobics, and martial arts.
Launched in partnership with the Department of Education and Knowledge, Active Hub is uniquely positioned to activate underused infrastructure and foster healthy lifestyles within local communities. The program serves all ages and abilities, with a strong emphasis on youth and female participation. Women-only sessions, led by female trainers, have contributed to a 40% female engagement rate — one of the highest in community sport programming in the UAE.
With over 180,000 recorded attendances and more than 20,000 sessions delivered to date, Active Hub has become a flagship model of grassroots sports development in the region. Feedback from participants consistently highlights the program’s accessibility, safety, and positive impact on health and wellbeing.
By making fitness part of everyday life, Active Hub is creating lasting social value and setting a new benchmark for inclusive, community-centered sport.
beIN SQUAD – beIN Media Group
beIN SQUAD – launched in 2024 – is an initiative with a mission to strengthen grassroots football and promote inclusivity through sponsorship of amateur football clubs across France and Türkiye.
By fostering local talent, raising awareness, and providing direct support to amateur teams, beIN SQUAD has become a vital bridge between community football and professional opportunities across these key territories.
In France, beIN SQUAD has sponsored 50 amateur teams across men’s, women’s, and disability categories, engaging 700 registered players in the 2024/2025 season, and will sponsor 50 new clubs in the 2025/2026 season.
Similarly, in Türkiye, the initiative supports 50 amateur teams selected from over 1,300 applications, representing every region in the country. Applications for the second season of the beIN SQUAD TÜRKİYE started in June.
Dons Local Action Group
Dons Local Action Group (DLAG) is a network of volunteers bought together by three long-term AFC Wimbledon fans at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. We work with local communities in the London boroughs of Merton, Wandsworth and Kingston to tackle the issues of food, digital and furniture poverty.
Dons Local Action Group is unique in that it is largely powered by volunteers. In 2024 more than 1,000 gave their time and commitment to address the persistent poverty issues in our community.
Across the year we collected and redistributed just under £939,000 worth of food, supporting more than 2,483 people directly. We also provided regular bulk deliveries to 37 partner agencies such as food banks, shelters for the homeless, refugees, victims of domestic violence and community kitchens. 322 laptops were distributed to students who were otherwise unable to study, and 1,201 items of furniture were supplied to families in need.
DLAG’s impact goes far beyond the numbers. We have become a vital part of the social support network, providing hope and dignity to those facing the harshest challenges and ensuring that nobody in our community feels forgotten.
Education: Make A Difference – The Russell Martin Foundation
Russell Martin Foundation (RMF) is a non-profit organisation based in Brighton & Hove, working across Sussex.
It was founded in 2017 by ex-professional footballer Russell Martin who wanted to give back to his city of his birth. Motivated by his footballing roots and the difficulties he faced growing up, Russell’s aim was to extend football’s spirit of teamwork to engage with individuals of all backgrounds and support them to overcome barriers.
RMF engages with over 20,000 individuals each year through inspirational Football/Sport, Education and Health initiatives.
It provides vital support to 40 schools and 640 pupils who struggle with education. It also delivers adult learning courses. RMF works in Prison & Probation settings to deliver training, and its team of ex- professional footballers visit football clubs to mentor young professionals.
RMF strives to improve wellbeing in marginalised groups: ‘Free Kicks’ football targets girls from low-income families; Over 30’s Football encourages women to take up sport; RMF’s girls’ football tournament is one of the UK’s largest; and its disability initiatives include free adult sessions, afterschool clubs and awareness projects.
A social investment report on RMF’s education work found the return was £17.65 for every £1 invested, giving a value of £6,361,290.69.
England Golf – Community Golf Instructor programme
Our Community Golf Instructor training programme is creating a new, diverse workforce focused on introducing golf to beginners in schools, communities, and clubs.
Over 500 Community Golf Instructors have now been trained across GB&I. Led by The R&A, the programme is being rolled out in other countries, particularly where golf is an emerging sport, including Romania, Latvia and the Philippines.
Designed to be inclusive and affordable, the programme uses blended learning: eLearning modules, online tutor sessions, in-person training, and practical resources. The emphasis is on games-based, group activities that complement the work of PGA coaches.
We are proud of the 29% female participation in our CGI courses — a notable shift in a sport where only 5% of PGA coaches are women.
We’ve collaborated with groups supporting disability golf, ethnic minority communities, and urban centres.
Together, we’re making golf more inclusive, welcoming, and reflective of society.
Everyone In Community pitches – KP Snacks
KP Snacks, through their partnership with The Hundred, is on a mission to make cricket more accessible to all, by encouraging and inspiring families and communities to get active through the sport.
At the heart of this is KP Snacks ‘Everyone In’ campaign and their commitment to investing an additional £1 million, to build 100 new community cricket pitches across the UK by 2025. The project aims to get “Everyone In” to cricket, targeting urban areas with high deprivation, high ethnic diversity, high population and a cricket pitch facility deficit making it more relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable for everyone from any background to get into cricket
The initiative has had a significant impact on local communities, offering greater access to sport for more people. It reflects KP Snacks’ commitment to investing in local communities to promote healthier lifestyles by facilitating access to sports and encouraging families to become more physically active. This is a fundamental aspect of KP Snacks’ People & Planet responsible business programme and forms part of England & Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB’s) commitment to drive the participation and growth of the game.
Prostate United – Prostate Cancer UK
Prostate United sees football staff and fans run, walk or cycle a set distance every day in October. Managed by Prostate Cancer UK, the largest men’s health charity in the UK, it has become one of the UKs biggest football fundraising challenges, raising over £1million for the charity.
Founded in 2018 by Ross Burbeary and Stephen Gilpin, both performance staff members at Rotherham United, who were running in memory of Gilpin’s grandad, who died from prostate cancer. In years that followed, staff from other professional clubs joined them.
Since then, sensing the opportunity to unite the football community around men’s health, Prostate Cancer UK has led the challenge and engaged fans to take part alongside club staff. We’ve achieved year on year sustainable growth in terms of fundraising, club engagement, PR and participation. While developing engagement and supportive relationships with professional clubs across the UK.
Prostate United is more than a fundraising challenge. It highlights the power of the football community to be a force for good. One is revolutionising prostate cancer awareness across the football landscape, creating a movement that looks after one another and ensures that all men are educated on prostate cancer awareness.
Rexona Breaking Limits Programme – Rexona (Unilever)
Rexona’s Breaking Limits Programme is built on the belief that movement and sport are vital to the strength and wellbeing of communities. Whether it’s building confidence, fostering connection, or supporting mental and physical health, movement plays a powerful role in helping young people thrive.
Launched in 2021, Rexona’s Breaking Limits Programme is grounded in the belief that movement and sport are vital to the strength and wellbeing of communities. From building confidence to supporting mental and physical health, sport plays a powerful role in helping young people thrive – particularly those who face exclusion or marginalisation. The programme reduces both practical and psychological barriers to participation by empowering grassroots organisations to deliver movement experiences tailored to their communities. This locally-led approach reflects findings in The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Society, where Sherry and Raw (2022) note that inclusive, community-based sport programmes can foster belonging, bridge social divides, and challenge systemic inequalities when designed with local agency at their core.
Through its Global NGO Programme, Rexona has supported 71 NGOs across nine countries, training thousands of community coaches to create safe, inclusive environments for movement. In the UK, its Schools Programme offers free, curriculum-linked resources to help teachers integrate movement
