BEST SPORTS GOVERNING BODY INITIATIVE
#RaisedInTheEFL – England at the World Cup – English Football League (EFL)
The EFL is the world’s original league football competition. Its 72 Member Clubs embody the unique heritage, pride and passion of the communities they represent, providing the game with a platform to become a global, national and international success. With a long-standing tradition of developing some of the most talented English players in the country, countless youngsters have shone in the EFL over the years before going on to achieve success with club and country; Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and John Stones to name a few. Youth development is one of the League’s primary focuses, and the slogan #RaisedInTheEFL has been a regular feature in campaigns to showcase the commitment made by clubs to improve opportunities for young playing talent in the EFL. The EFL’s influence in developing homegrown players has become increasingly apparent via the makeup of the England National Team. For the 2022 World Cup, Gareth Southgate’s squad featured 23 out of 26 players who had cut their teeth in EFL competitions. Communicating this message was the task in hand and the team set about delivering a campaign to demonstrate the scale and impact the EFL has on production of future England stars.
Bringing the Games that are Closest to the Fans’ Heart – Pixellot and the Israel Basketball Association (IBBA)
The Israeli Basketball Association (IBBA) partnered with Pixellot to promote diversity, inclusion, and ethical practices in sports broadcasting. The IBBA aimed to provide equal coverage for men’s and women’s leagues and increase viewership for youth and lower leagues. Pixellot’s AI-powered cameras and automated video production systems captured and streamed 1200 games in real-time. This innovative solution enabled equal visibility for all games, regardless of gender, and increased engagement with women’s basketball.
The partnership successfully brought people together, raised awareness of gender inequality, and fostered a sense of community. Metrics such as viewership statistics, feedback, and surveys measured the impact of the initiative. Positive testimonials from fans and players highlighted the promotion of gender equality and improved accessibility.
Pixellot’s cutting-edge technology and Over-The-Top (OTT) platform allowed fans to conveniently access games on various devices. The partnership exemplified environmental sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint associated with traditional broadcasting.
The success of the initiative showcases the effectiveness of innovative technology in promoting diversity, inclusion, and ethical practices in sports broadcasting, setting an example for the industry.
England Swims – Swim England’s Drive to Tackle Inequalities
Swim England is the national governing body for swimming, diving, water polo and artistic swimming. Almost 2 million children learn to swim through Swim England’s Learn to Swim (LTS) framework each year.
Swim England is committed to tackling inequalities and improving the diversity within swimming.
The initiative we are nominating is the organisation’s work to remove barriers to participation and improve the diversity within aquatics.
Over the last twelve months Swim England has made real progress in its work in this area.
From placing inclusion right at the heart of its new long term strategy, to delivering an important and impactful insight gathering campaign whilst tripling the percentage of ethnically diverse swimming teachers qualifying through the innovative Recruitment Academy initiative and utilising the legacy of the Commonwealth Games to tackle inequalities, the organisation has demonstrated its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Over the last twelve months Swim England has made real progress in its work in this area.
We know that we are at the beginning of our journey around tackling the stubborn inequalities within aquatics but the work outlined in this submission demonstrates our commitment as well as tangible actions in this area.
FAI Volunteers – Football Association of Ireland
The FAI is the governing body of football in the Republic of Ireland.
There was a problem in attracting volunteers to their local football clubs, so a nationwide campaign was launched to drive more volunteers at a grassroots level of Irish football.
It was key to create a campaign that would cut through and resonate with both the football community and the wider public.
Volunteering is not just about giving, it’s also incredibly rewarding.
This brought the FAI to an overall campaign message of: GIVE A LITTLE. GET A LOT.
This campaign did not just stand alone for a 3 week period. It will live on as the platform to attract more volunteers into the grassroots game, which is the lifeblood of Irish football. This concept was designed to run as a campaign in January of this year but will now live on as the mantra for volunteers going forward. The boldness of the campaign and strength of the insight has enabled something far bigger than one campaign.
MySkate App – Empowering Skateboarding Communities and Enriching the Lives of Skateboarders – Skateboard GB
SBGB’S MySkate app continues to demonstrate it’s innovation and usefulness to the British skateboarding community, MySkate is now established as the UK’s Number 1 Skateboarding App. SBGB launched MySkate in recognition that there was an opportunity to further deliver on the core principle of SBGB; helping British skateboarders ‘Skate More, Skate Better’.
The innovative functionality and intuitive user experience has seen MySkate become the go-to resource for skateboarders who want to discover and map new places to skate, find local skateboard shops and events, and have fun skateboarding in diverse communities.
MySkate’s unique gamification promotes community through fun competition with friends; by creating an engaging interactive version of the classic game S.K.A.T.E. Additional developments has seen MySkate continue to evolve and offer innovative features for skateboarders, including the option for users to map their favourite street skateboarding spots in their personal accounts.
The biggest continual innovation of MySkate is the ability for users to easily find skateparks and skate spots they would like to visit, a resource which has historically been non-existent or inconsistent. This promotes travel and domestic tourism.
Premiership Rugby HITZ Programme – Premiership Rugby
HITZ is Premiership Rugby’s flagship education and employability programme, working with more than 2,000 14-24 year-olds across communities in England every year since it launched in 2008. The aim of HITZ is to help young people classified as NEET (not in education, employment or training) turn their lives around through gaining qualifications and developing their personal, employability and life skills.
The programme uses rugby’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship to support young people to make positive changes in their life; improving participation in sport, physical and mental health, educational attainment, employability and
community cohesion.
With a focus on engaging and inspiring people in communities from diverse backgrounds, and with varying support needs, HITZ is an alternative to mainstream education delivered via the network of 11 premiership clubs and club foundations nationwide. HITZ harnesses the power of rugby to change the path of a young person’s life and the community they live in for the better.
Premiership Rugby’s commitment to the HITZ programme is unquavering and 2023 marks 15 years since its inception. The positive outcomes achieved by the students and the lives changed is proof that this community programme works.
