Sadiq Khan has announced a £1 million funding package for free holiday sports sessions across London, as part of a fresh push to steer young people away from violence. The initiative, unveiled ahead of the school break, will expand access to organised activities in some of the capital’s most vulnerable neighbourhoods.City Hall hopes that by investing in grassroots sport and structured play during peak risk periods, it can help reduce antisocial behavior, offer safe spaces for teenagers, and ease pressure on overstretched policing and youth services.
Mayor’s holiday sports fund aims to steer young Londoners away from violence
Backed by a fresh £1 million investment, City Hall is partnering with grassroots clubs, youth centres and local councils to turn school holidays into a lifeline for at-risk teenagers. The funding will support free or low-cost coaching in football, basketball, boxing and other high-energy activities, alongside mentoring schemes designed to build confidence and keep young people connected to positive role models. Organisations bidding for support will be expected to demonstrate clear safeguarding plans and strong links to communities where young people are most exposed to crime, with priority given to boroughs experiencing persistent knife-related incidents.
The initiative also embeds structured support beyond the pitch,with sessions that help participants access education,apprenticeships and mental health services. Coaches and youth workers will be trained to spot early warning signs of exploitation, while families are encouraged to be involved through open days and local tournaments. Key elements include:
- Targeted outreach to teenagers known to youth offending teams and pupil referral units.
- Extended holiday timetables offering safe spaces into the evening hours.
- Partnerships with schools to share data and identify those most at risk.
- Pathways into local clubs so engagement continues after the holidays end.
| Area | Focus Sport | Main Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Inner London estates | Football & futsal | Night-time safe spaces |
| High street hotspots | Basketball | Reduce group tensions |
| Transport hubs | Boxing & fitness | Divert from gangs |
Targeting high risk boroughs with community led coaching and safe spaces
City Hall officials say the new funding will be channelled first into the postcodes where young people are most exposed to gang activity, school exclusions and serious youth violence. Working with local councils, youth workers and grassroots clubs, the plan is to turn underused school halls and council pitches into staffed, supervised hubs where teenagers can train, talk and simply be visible to trusted adults. These hubs will be backed by community-led coaching, with mentors drawn from the same estates and streets as the participants, aiming to replace postcode rivalries with shared teams, shared goals and a sense of territory reclaimed for play rather than conflict.
Local partners will be invited to design sessions that reflect the needs of their own neighbourhoods, from late-evening football on estates where tensions flare after dark, to girls-only basketball where harassment has pushed many off the courts. Programmes will typically combine sport with:
- Conflict resolution workshops run by trained youth practitioners
- On-site safeguarding staff to intervene early when disputes surface
- Quiet rooms for one-to-one support with mentors and counsellors
- Drop-in advice on education,apprenticeships and employment
| Borough focus | Main activity | Key partner |
|---|---|---|
| South London estate cluster | Evening five-a-side leagues | Local youth trust |
| East London town centres | Multi-sport holiday camps | Community sports charity |
| North-west corridor | Girls’ basketball and fitness | Schools partnership |
How schools clubs and families can maximise access to the new £1m programme
To turn this funding into real opportunities,schools should start by mapping which pupils are most likely to miss out on safe,structured activities over the holidays,then partner with trusted local clubs that can deliver high‑quality coaching. Sports coordinators can use existing communication channels – from newsletters to parent apps – to publicise free or low‑cost places, while safeguarding leads ensure venues, transport and supervision meet robust standards. Community clubs, meanwhile, can strengthen bids by demonstrating inclusive practice: clear referral routes from schools, mixed‑ability sessions, and flexible timings that work for shift‑working parents. Simple steps like reserving a quota of places for pupils on free school meals or those known to youth workers can help ensure the money reaches young people at greatest risk of isolation or exploitation.
Families play a decisive role in whether young people actually turn up. Parents and carers can make the most of new schemes by registering early,sharing any medical or additional needs,and using the sessions as a routine part of the week rather than a one‑off treat. To help them navigate options, local authorities and clubs can publish easy‑to-skim data hubs, including what’s on, where, and for whom. The example below shows how a simple overview can definitely help households and schools plan participation:
| Area | Age group | Sports offered | How to access |
|---|---|---|---|
| North London | 11-14 | Football, basketball | School referral + online form |
| South London | 14-17 | Boxing, athletics | Youth worker sign‑up |
| East London | 9-13 | Multi‑sports | Parent self‑registration |
- Schools – identify priority pupils, share data responsibly with partners, and coordinate transport where possible.
- Clubs – design inclusive, low‑barrier sessions and train coaches in youth work and de‑escalation skills.
- Families – commit to regular attendance, provide feedback, and encourage friends and neighbours to join.
Measuring success through participation data local feedback and reduced crime rates
City Hall officials insist the £1 million investment will be judged on hard evidence rather than headlines. Participation data will be tracked across every funded site,from football pitches in outer boroughs to boxing gyms in inner-city estates,revealing which age groups,neighbourhoods and session types draw the strongest engagement. Coaches will log attendance via digital registers, while youth workers collect anonymous demographic snapshots, building a picture of who is turning up – and who is still missing. Alongside this, self-reliant evaluators are expected to analyze trends in youth-related incidents, checking whether peak times for the new sessions correlate with dips in anti-social behaviour and violence.
Equally critically important will be the voices of those on the ground. Local youth clubs, community leaders and parents are being asked to provide structured feedback on how the programmes are reshaping behaviour, confidence and relationships with the police. Organisers are planning regular surveys, focus groups and open feedback channels to capture the nuance that raw crime data can miss. Early indicators of impact are likely to include:
- Rising attendance at repeat sessions over the summer
- Positive feedback from families, schools and local councils
- Fewer complaints about disorder in known hotspot areas
- Improved perceptions of safety among teenagers themselves
| Metric | Baseline | Target by End of Scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Youth participants per week | – | 5,000+ |
| Local satisfaction rating | Not measured | 80% positive |
| Reported incidents near sites | Current levels | 10-15% reduction |
In Conclusion
As City Hall pins its hopes on this £1 million package, the coming school holidays will offer an early test of whether short, sharp interventions on local estates and in community hubs can make a discernible dent in youth violence.Supporters argue that providing safe spaces and structured activities is a modest but vital tool in prevention; critics question whether one-off funding can address the deeper drivers of crime.
What is clear is that London’s young people remain at the heart of a political battle over resources, duty and risk. Whether these holiday sports sessions ultimately move the dial will be watched closely by parents,campaigners and the police alike – and could shape the next phase of the capital’s fight against violence.
