Sports programme generates £69m savings, study finds

A study by research firm Substance found that based on likely reductions in substance misuse and antisocial behaviour, alongside improvements in educational performance, school attendance, and health and wellbeing, the Doorstep Sports Club programme makes "societal savings" of around £69m a year.

The initiative, launched in 2013 by national sports charity StreetGames in disadvantaged communities, delivers sport in new formats with the minimum amount of specialist equipment or facilities.

So far 900 Doorstep Sports Clubs have been established across the UK, with an additional 100 due to launch by the end of July 2015.

In total the initiative has worked with more than 47,000 young people in the last two years.

Jane Ashworth, chief executive of StreetGames, said: “We're starting to make a big impact as these figures show.

“There is much more to be done, but we're confident we've hit on a formula that works for young people, transforming lives and delivering significant benefits for the whole of society."

Phil Smith, director of sport at Sport England, said: "The Doorstep Sport Clubs are not only encouraging young people to lead more active, healthier lifestyles, but in doing so they are also diverting vulnerable youngsters away from antisocial behaviour, youth offending and substance misuse."

News of the calculated savings follows separate research last month that found that a chain of state-of the-art youth facilities is delivering £2 of social benefits for every £1 spent on operating costs.

A study commissioned by youth charity OnSide, which establishes large “youth zone” centres for 8- to 19-year-olds, found that the average annual cost of operating them was £1.31m but they deliver an average “social value” of £2.66m.