Youth groups receive Home Office funding to tackle extremism

The groups, covering sports including boxing, cricket, football, table tennis and netball, will receive the money to create year-long sports-based schemes to help those who may be vulnerable to extremism.

The money is being handed out through the Home Office's Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) campaign to help protect communities from extremism.

"Whether it is cricket, football, netball or boxing, sport is a uniquely powerful way to break down barriers and provide a common platform to unite us all," said Home Office minister Baroness Williams.

"The Building a Stronger Britain Together programme is all about strengthening communities so that they can stand against those who seek to divide us with extremist views. We want to create more opportunities to bring people from a wide range of backgrounds together."

Since 2015 more than 130 organisations have been supported through the BSBT campaign.

A previous recipient is Wicketz, a community cricket programme for eight- to 16-year-olds run by Lord Taverners.

"Sport absolutely saved me. Sport kept me off the street and if I was not introduced to Wicketz I don't like to think what road I would be on," said 18-year-old Abdus Salaam, who participated in the scheme in 2016 and is now an assistant coach for Wicketz.

He added: "This kind of funding is amazing. It is so important that these vulnerable kids have role models and have a chance to become a good role models themselves. This is what it is all about - spreading these positive messages by word of mouth one person at a time and letting people know there is a different route."

Those to receive funding are Brighton Table Tennis Club, Small Heath Boxing Club in Birmingham, Newcastle-based community group Centre West, England Netball, Club Cricket Conference and community projects run by football clubs Middlesbrough, Dagenham & Redbridge, Colchester United, Sunderland and Southend United.