Youth Charter Statement in Response to UK Government and Youth Sport Trust Announcement

From Missed Legacies to Meaningful Lives: Delivering on the Promise of Sport for All…

The Youth Charter welcomes the UK Government’s commitment announced alongside the Youth Sport Trust to a renewed vision for Physical Education, School Sport, and Enrichment through the establishment of School Sport Partnerships and a new national framework. This is a vital step in addressing decades of inequality and underinvestment in the physical, mental, and emotional development of children and young people, particularly in communities that have historically been deprived or disadvantaged.

For over three decades, the Youth Charter has campaigned for a joined-up approach to education, sport, and community engagement. Our Community Campus Model has demonstrated that the delivery of holistic development, linking schools, clubs, families, and local organisations is the most effective way to achieve real, sustainable outcomes. We are encouraged that this latest announcement echoes what we have long known and done in practice and represents sustainable impact for the community, with the community and to the benefit of our young people and their communities.

The promises and pledges made around legacy sport and physical activity participation have failed to materialise with social, cultural and economic impact following major Games. For example, Manchester 2002, London 2012, Glasgow 2014, Birmingham 2022 have too often fallen short. Despite headlines of inspiration, too many young people remain excluded, disaffected, and unsupported. Generations have been failed, with devastating consequences including rising youth violence, deteriorating mental health, and declining physical activity, especially in our most underserved neighbourhoods.

In football, with premier league club representation at the FIFA World Club tournament, the European U 21’s and the UEFA Women’s Euros, as well as a full summer of sport with athletics, British Lions Rugby Tour, Wimbledon and many other sporting events there is a golden opportunity with this announcement, and we must ensure that this time it is different.

The London Youth Games will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2027, and the upcoming Commonwealth Youth Games offer platforms for collective celebration, visibility, and engagement. These events must not only showcase young talent but be fully integrated into a sustainable Sport for Development agenda that links school sport, community provision, and life opportunities, especially in areas of historic deprivation.

The Youth Charter Community Campus provides the blueprint for how sport for development can be systemically embedded into local communities. It supports:

• The integration of school and community services, particularly in areas of high need

• The use of sport, arts, culture and digital inclusion to re-engage those furthest from opportunity

• A legacy model that turns temporary inspiration into long-term impact, guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The visibility of the Lionesses’ campaign for equal access, the Prime Minister’s announcement, and the involvement of organisations like the Youth Sport Trust and Sport England present a rare moment of national alignment. However, legacy is not measured in applause, it is measured in the lives changed, the communities strengthened, and the futures restored.

We therefore call on the Government, the Youth Sport Trust, Sport England, and all major event stakeholders to:

• Ensure tangible investment in Sport for Development frameworks like the Youth Charter Community Campus

• Embed this model into the proposed Enrichment Framework and School Sport Partnerships

• Provide resources to deliver sustained youth engagement, particularly in “levelling up” areas

• Require measurable legacy outcomes for all future Games bids, ensuring they serve all citizens

Now is the time to align our collective ambition with practical delivery mechanisms that work in the playground, the classroom, and beyond the school gate. Only then will we honour the promise of sport and ensure no generation is left behind in the future.