Coca-Cola Great Britain (CCGB) yesterday announced a new three year partnership with StreetGames, a national charity set up to help young people in disadvantaged communities get active and participate in sports. It was launched by the Minister for Sport and Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, with help from StreetGames’ Ambassador and former Olympic athlete Diane Modahl. The start was celebrated with a keenly contested futsal match in which the Minister played alongside local StreetGames participants.

StreetGames, a national partner of Sport England, promotes ‘doorstep sport’ to teens in disadvantaged communities who don’t have access to sport in their everyday lives. Over the next three years, Coca-Cola Great Britain’s funding will allow the charity to deliver an improved sporting experience to over 110,000 young people throughout the country through:

—Helping StreetGames to grow its network of projects, creating more opportunities for young people

—A new programme of 300 Neighbourhood Festivals, directly touching around 46,000 people

—The first ever StreetGames Sport for Change Training Academy, equipping 100 tutors to deliver 11 specific new StreetGames training courses to around 6,000 coaches

Image Courtesy: VISIONHAUS

Jon Woods, Country Manager, Coca-Cola Great Britain & Ireland, said, “By working with communities through projects like StreetGames we hope we can help consumers live more active lifestyles. By drawing on the appeal of the Olympic Games and the popularity of our many brands, our ambition is to encourage positive behaviour change among a traditionally hard-to-reach audience.”

Coca-Cola Great Britain announced earlier this year that it will use its sponsorship of the Olympic Torch Relay to shine a light on the best of British youth, rewarding those who had made a positive contribution to their local communities. The company will be working with StreetGames over the next year to recognise some of the dedicated and passionate young people and coaches involved in the programme around the UK and give them the chance to carry the Olympic Flame. The company also encourages people to get active through other brand programmes including Powerade’s support of ‘Take To The Streets’ events and Schweppes Abbey Well water’s ‘Free Swim’ programme.