Morocco

It’s never too early to plan for legacy which is why Tom Williams and I are really pleased to travel to Morocco next week to discuss their plans for the 2030 World Cup – including how they can leave a lasting legacy.

It won’t come as any surprise, that we reckon working with communities and community sport leaders well in advance offers the best chance for impactful, sustainable and scalable social legacies. Especially if legacy programmes are pre-seeded and ready to go well in advance of the final whistle.

I hope we can find ways to support Morocco’s aims and scope potential for partnerships between our communities, including football clubs and their foundations.  

Let me know if you happen to be in Rabat and Casablanca next week and have time for a coffee.

This week I had the real pleasure of talking to Jessica Robson FRSA who founded Run Talk Run, a non-competitive walk / run initiative with a focus on creating community and supporting mental health. https://www.runtalkrun.com/

Over the last few weeks,  I have written about how community sport and how people like Jess, when taken together, create a practical, preventative network that improves health; rebuilds confidence; reduces loneliness; connects people into health, employment and other services; and strengthens safer, more resilient neighbourhoods. Often at lower cost, and earlier, than formal systems can respond.

Community sport is not a ‘nice to have’, but must be recognised as essential social infrastructure.

Part of Run Talk Run’s mission is to reach people experiencing mental ill-health, particularly people waiting for or not engaged with treatment. What better example of this essential social infrastructure in action.