How Power Through Sport is using roller sports to build inclusive communities

Sport has the unique ability to bring people together and help to positively impact the communities we live in. The social impact of all sports, including lesser known ones (like skating and roller hockey) can have a transformative effect on our communities. Extensive research has found that sport can create positive development in people’s health, educational aspirations and attainment, and social interactions. 

As part of SportFin’s core principles we help local sport clubs and sport organisations create their own ‘impact stories’, highlighting how sport impacts their members’ and communities’ everyday lives. In this case study, we will focus on Power Through Sport (PTS) and the impact the organisation has made on communities within the North East of England. 

We have analysed real-time data from PTS, used SportFin's impact analysis framework, and connected to data from UK government on health, crime, and deprivation to analyse how PTS is making a positive impact on the lives of children, young people, and their families in the North East Region. We have then applied the Social Return on Investment (SROI) in Sport Framework to quantify the monetary social value PTS is helping generate for their communities. 

The SROI for sport framework has proven to be an effective way to estimate and describe the potential social value of community sport organisations like PTS help generate. It also helps highlight the potential sport has to positively develop individuals and communities, and the need for us to support organisations like PTS.

Who are Power Through Sports?

PTS is a community interest company (CIC) that uses roller sports to provide equal participation opportunities for all in the specialised area of roller sports (roller sports activities, as defined by the British Roller Sports Federation, includes Roller Hockey, Skateboarding, Artistic Skating, Speed Skating, Inline Puck Hockey and Freestyle Roller Skating). PTS aims to use roller sports activities as a medium tackle health, education and societal issues in the North East region.  To find out more about PTS and their services you can visit their website: https://www.powerthroughsport.com/

They are helping reduce levels of isolation, loneliness and anti-social behaviour, by providing safe locations and places for people to connect and for young people to engage in constructive activities, with the long term goal to use sports and activities to improve health and well-being and and deter anti-social behaviour in North East of England region (an area where these issues are relatively higher).

The CIC also aims to set up its own specialised roller sports venue in North Shields, a local community that is largely in need of warm, safe venues for youth and families. With levels of isolation, health deprivation and crime in this area being relatively higher than other areas in the UK, the facility a presents a compelling solution to address pressing community needs and drive positive social change in the Northeast region. This initiative seeks to transform an underutilized site and hotspot for antisocial behaviour in North Shields into a vibrant community hub, strategically positioned to serve a population of over 209,000 residents in a high-deprivation area.

PTS's roller sports sessions are highly inclusive, with sessions including children, young people and families, and sessions running for both recreational and competitive participation. Through PTS, young people can also access alternative education including apprenticeship programs and volunteer pathways.

Building more inclusive communities in the North East.

By providing a safe space for individuals in the North East to have fun, relax and develop new skills, PTS have helped foster increased social interactions for people, building friendships and build and increased sense of community. Multiple studies have found a correlation between participation in sport and development of social relationships, collective community action and reduction in social tensions, however, the correlation is dependent on how the sport programmes are structured and the wider social issues that exist.

Through their specific focus on delivering sessions in Wallsend, Whitley Bay and North Shields, areas that have relatively higher rates of deprivation and at-risk individuals, activities delivered by PTS are helping maximise the social capital development impacts sport and physical activity generate. 

As shown in the graph above PTS have helped generate positive social capital impacts for 387 people (as of 12/09/2023; figures update in real-time), helping improve social interaction, integration and community connectedness - increasing overall life satisfaction amongst their participants. 

The communities in the North East region also see a higher than average level of antisocial behaviour, repeated crime and income/health deprivation. PTS works towards focusing their activities on those with the highest need and on identifying hotspots of anti-social behaviour and isolation to target their activities. The map below visualises the areas where PTS has engaged people with their activities (hover/click on the map to see deprivation metrics).

Improving health, well-being and life satisfaction

Sport activities delivered by PTS also has a big impact on their participant's physical health and mental well-being. Studies have shown that participating in sports and physical activities can have a positive impact on our physical health. It helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart problems, diabetes, cancer, and brittle bones. Additionally, there's increasing evidence that being part of organised sports and interacting with others in these settings is good for our mental health. It reduces stress, makes us feel more positive, and generally improves our well-being. 

When you put all these impacts together, they create a positive overall effect on how individuals feel about their lives. They become healthier, interact more with others in their community, and even increase their potential to earn and learn - generating tremendous social value to the public. 

This means that community sports organisations like PTS are crucial organisations for promoting and maintaining well-being among their members in various ways. Particularly, within the context of the areas of health deprivation PTS works in, their work creates tremendous savings for the NHS by reducing the risk of several chronic diseases and promoting general good health and wellbeing.

Deterring anti-social behaviour

Research has shown that being involved in sports can help reduce crime. Sporting activities encourage positive behaviour, decrease the likelihood of getting into trouble or breaking the law, and lower the chances of people who have been in trouble with the law before from repeating their mistakes. 

This connection between sports and crime prevention is particularly important for young people who face a higher risk of engaging in unlawful or anti-social behaviour and in areas that sees higher incidents of anti-social behaviour and crime. 

Studies into sport's 'therapeutic' functions concluded that sport appears to be most effective as part of broader developmental programs, often attracting young people and that effectiveness is greatly increased by integrating sports programs with community support services. 

However, there are also studies that have found a negative correlation between sport and reduction of crime. There are multiple other factors that affect delinquency and criminal behaviour in youth, and the structure of sport participation is an important factor in determining the effect of sport participation on crime.

Total Social Value Generated by PTS

By applying the SROI framework, we can estimate the potential cost savings to the NHS and gains to the public through enhancement of human and social capital generated by sports activities delivered by PTS. For health outcomes, this involves multiplying the annual healthcare cost per person for a specific condition with the number of people who might avoid developing the condition due to their involvement in PTS's sessions (from SportFin's impact analytics framework) and the extent of the risk reduction (from the SROI Framework). This helps us estimate the annual health value that PTS can generate if they continue to engage their current participants.

Other positive impacts generated by PTS includes educational and employability related impacts. These impacts tend to have a more pronounced effect on children and young people, however, these impacts gained at a young age are an important factor for effective human development, and have implications for adult life.

There is a significant body of evidence that shows improvement in cognitive ability, psychosocial development, educational attainment, and school engagement through regular participation in sport and physical activity. This in additional to PTS's programmes to provide alternative learning pathways through apprenticeships and volunteering have significant potential to boost human capital in their local communities.

PTS's focus on areas with high rates of crime as well as their cooperative work with local community institutions like libraries and museums and participation in targeted programmes such as the Holiday Activity Fund programme makes them highly effective at promoting prosocial behaviour and community safety and has contributed significantly to social capital generated in their local communities. 

Help Power Through Sport to continue to continue their work by donating below.

Or show your support by sharing this story to increase roller sport awareness, to help PTS to continue working towards providing equal opportunities for roller sports for all members of the local community in the North East.

SportFin is here to help organisations like PTS who conduct sports activities that make a positive impact in communities. SportFin allows sport organisations to automate their social impact reporting and tell powerful stories of impact. Partner with Sportfin today to help your sport organisation tell your unique story with real-time impact data.