The Change Foundation

At The Change Foundation, our mission is to change young lives using the power of sport. We have worked with over 250,000 young people across 45 countries since 1981, and from the very start our “innovate and share” core philosophy has spread our impact across the UK and around the world.

We believe that all young people have talents they can use to lead happy and fulfilling lives, and it is our job to identify and unleash that potential – to benefit the individual, their families, and wider society. We have found that one of the best ways of delivering this objective is through the employment of coach mentors from similar backgrounds to those we are supporting. This approach means that diversity and inclusion have been at the heart of our work for more than four decades. Using that gained experience and knowledge we develop highly focused sport for social change initiatives that currently use 15 sports across 12 London boroughs, 5 UK cities, and 6 countries. We share our findings with the UK and the international sport for social change sector to maximise the impact and awareness of our work to the benefit of like-minded individuals and organisations.

Following on from the success of our 12-week pilot programme in 2021, we have been able to roll out the NFL Flag sessions to hundreds more young people around the UK. Collaborating with the NFL Foundation UK to establish an adapted programme, with the inclusion of mental health messaging has been monumental, and this is only the start. Inspiring the next generation of players, whilst incorporating the values of respect, integrity, and resilience within every session, has been incredible to be part of. We are excited for the continuous journey ahead.