Pre-Season

Earlier this week Aston (my ten-year-old son) and I headed off, along with some of his friends and some of my friends, to the first pre-season friendly of our football team, the mighty Harrogate Town. Enjoying an evening away at Guiseley AFC, I was struck by how powerful a social intervention sport can be, for such a broad group of people, and not just the people doing it.

Whilst we shouldn’t necessarily need a reason to spend quality time together, chat about the world, share our stories and, in the kids’ case, run around having a laugh annoying the referee’s assistants, in reality we do. Life has a habit of passing us by in a blur of business, tasks and commitments, and sport provides a great opportunity to put those on hold, put down our devices, and put real human interaction to the top of our todo list.

If I learnt anything from my time at parkrun, it was that it was never really about the run. Rather, it was about creating an opportunity for people to come together, to be outdoors, active, and social. Those three things are fundamental to human health and happiness, and community sport is one of the most powerful tools we have in making them happen.

Chris Lomax MBE and I also believe that here in the UK we do this kind of thing really well, a belief that was strengthened this morning as Chris spent time chatting with Jason Morgan MBE, CEO of the Charlton Athletic Community Trust. Not only do Jason and his team do incredible things through community sport in the UK, but they’ve also taken their work abroad, breaking down barriers, bringing communities together, and making the world a better place.

So, as we look toward our Community Sport for Development & Diplomacy Summit taking place in Leeds this September, we feel as inspired as ever to celebrate, support, and enable our country’s incredible community sport practitioners in changing the world.

📸: Me, Aston, and Ben (my friend-of-nearly-40-years)