Final Phase 2 Barclays

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Interim Report April 2007
Developing people
and places through
sport
An independent research
report compiled by
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Contents
Manchester Metropolitan University 3

Executive summary 5
1. Contributing to community regeneration 7
2. The delivery partners 8
3. Listening, learning and improving 9
4. The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme 10
4.1. The capital fund 10
4.2. The development fund 16
4.3. Coaching packs and Local Hero awards 17
4.3.1. Coaching packs 17
4.3.2. Local Hero award 17
5. Interim findings 18
5.1. Partnerships 18
5.1.1. Main partners 19
5.1.2. Lessons from year one 19
5.1.3. Public-private partnership 22
5.2. Client and community empowerment 23
5.3. Youth and behaviour 26
5.3.1. Types of sport 29
5.4. Volunteering 31
5.4.1. Barclays volunteering 34
6. Community infrastructure 36
7. Reflections so far and moving forward 38
Interim Report April 2007: Developing people and places through sport
Barclays Spaces for Sport and

Manchester Metropolitan University
An independent interim report by Manchester The findings are drawn from interviews, observations, field notes
Metropolitan University and the analysis of documentation produced during the life of the
programme to date. It focuses directly on the realities of the
The purpose of this interim report is to experiences, processes, structures developed and resources
provide initial findings on the progress available to the people involved in, and affected by, the
programme. As such it has a level of credibility and insight not
of the programme. These and further achievable by statistical means alone.
research will be combined into a final In the final legacy research report, we will comment further on the
impact on communities where the programme is seeking to make
legacy report to be finalised in a difference. MMU will also provide the necessary analysis to show
September 2007. how changes were accomplished. Rather than fragmenting data
into discrete categories, the complex factors that lead to
The research has drawn upon the experiences of all those involved
effectiveness will be brought together in ways that enable people
in the programme, including the Barclays Spaces for Sports
to make connections and view situations in different ways. In other
management teams, their partners (Groundwork, Football
words, we explore how different kinds of experience fit into
Foundation, BCTV and NACRO), project teams for the sites, local
different kinds of change and impact. The credibility of the data is
residents, community workers, sports development officers as well
both integral to the programme and to the research as it moves
as those who will make use of the new facilities.
towards completion and the final legacy report in September 2007.
The final report is intended to provide a repository of experience
and analysis for policy makers, project teams and professionals
involved in implementing programmes of this kind, helping to
maximise their success based on experience.
This interim research provides feedback on initial issues and
practical considerations to all those concerned with decision
making, monitoring and evaluation, during the course of the
programme. Research findings have been the subject of
presentations and regular updates to the Barclays Spaces for
Sports core team, as well as their partner agencies and others.
3
“What impressed us about Barclays Spaces for

Sports was the emphasis on sustainability and
the diversity of groups benefiting. With more
than 1000 Barclays staff volunteering to
participate and 19% of customers aware of
the scheme, it's an excellent use of resources”.
Hollis Sponsorship Award judges’ comment
Barclays Spaces for Sports

Executive summary
Barclays Corporate Responsibility • 16 of 28 planned flagship sites are now open, delivered through
Football Foundation, Barclays Premiership and Championship
Barclays takes corporate responsibility seriously and its
football clubs, local Councils and a variety of local partners.
programme – 'responsible banking' – is central to the way it does
business around the world. It is one foundation of the company’s • 125 of 172 planned local sites now open, delivered through
overall strategy, which is to make Barclays one of the world's Groundwork and supported by the Football Foundation, local
leading banks. Councils and a variety of local partners.
• Each Barclays Spaces for Sports site is community-needs led
Responsible banking involves a commitment to ethical and
and consultation is integral to the programme.
sustainable decisions. It also involves investment and currently
1% of pre-tax profit per year is spent on corporate responsibility • The differentiator for Barclays Spaces for Sports is sustainability,
programmes, equivalent to £46.5m globally in 2006. made possible through the Development Fund. Flagship sites
have access to £45,000 each and local sites £18,000 each.
Barclays makes a serious commitment to the communities in
which Barclays works, helping to strengthen these communities Key Achievements
through three main initiatives:
• 141 new multi-sports sites are already open to communities
• Banking on Brighter Futures: providing people with the across the UK. These sites offer over 25 different types of sports
resources and knowledge they need to move out of debt, from football, hockey, cricket, through to BMX biking,
poverty or disadvantage. skateboarding and dancing.
• Charity Begins at Work: providing Barclays staff with the • More than 3,400 coaching packs have been awarded to
tools, support and opportunities to get more involved in deserving teams. These packs provide coaching equipment
their community. and clothing, which can be used to support a variety of sports.
• Looking After Local Communities: investing in the • Over 400,000 people in the UK have already had the
communities in which Barclays staff live and work – Barclays opportunity to benefit. 35,000 people use the sites each week.
Spaces for Sports is one component of this initiative.
• Over 33 deserving recipients have received a Local Hero Award
In 2006, Barclays supported 33,000 colleagues around the world recognising their efforts in supporting grass roots sport
to give their time and money to over 8,000 charities and within communities.
community groups.
• Independent research conducted by Manchester Metropolitan
University will provide knowledge and a legacy document to
Barclays Spaces for Sports
inform future corporate responsibility programmes.
• Barclays Spaces for Sports is investing £30m to create 200
• The programme is endorsed by key political figures,
sustainable sports sites and provide 3600 coaching packs over
including Prime Minister Tony Blair and many other local
three years with an aim to give over 500,000 people in the UK
and national politicians.
the opportunity to benefit.
• The programme was recently recognised by two different
• There are two different levels of sports sites planned, with 28
awards panels, winning 2 awards in one week: Grassroots
large flagship sites and 172 smaller local sites.
Sports Sponsorship of the Year at the Hollis Sponsorship Awards
• The Public:Private partnership has been key to the success of followed by the Sport England Community Programme of the
the programme in terms of: Year at the prestigious Sports Industry Awards.
– Developing networks of partnerships at all levels to drive • The programme has also been awarded a ‘Big Tick’ by Business
delivery of the sites. in the Community and is short-listed for the BUPA Healthy
– Leveraging additional funding: £6.3m of matched funding Communities Award at the Business in the Community Awards
and £6.5m of leverage funding by Football Foundation and a of Excellence in July.
further £10m of leverage funding through Groundwork. This
brings the total amount invested to over £50m.
5
These logos were supplied low res.
Can we get a better versions?
1. Contributing to
community regeneration
Barclays Spaces for Sports is the largest

ever grassroots community sports “Barclays have created this £30m scheme
because it believes community-based sports
project to be undertaken by a private play a fundamental role in developing healthier
company in the UK. Unique in its scale and revitalised local communities where
and aspirations, it aims to make a people engage with each other, learn positive
positive and sustainable impact on values and generally improve their sense of
communities by creating local spaces well-being. The programme will be an
investment in people and places. Barclays will
for sports based on identified needs also invest in learning from the programme by
within those areas. producing a legacy report that will offer a
The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme emerged from a foundation for others to build on.”
corporate decision in 2004 to deliver fewer, but larger, community
Barclays original press release
investment schemes, to create bigger impacts and more significant
for Barclays Spaces for Sports
benefits for the recipients. The programme blended two distinct
areas that the bank had previously supported via its corporate
social responsibility (CSR) agenda, namely the environment
(through a programme called SiteSavers1) and community sport
(through Free Kicks2).
Barclays Spaces for Sports is a “blueprint for
Barclays is working with partners to help deliver its investment
directly to those communities most in need. This has required Public-Private Partnerships working for the
support from partners who have the relevant experience not only benefit of our communities”
to deliver an ambitious programme of capital build that revitalises
Gordon Brown MP,
spaces, but also to support and develop sustainable sport
When Chancellor of the Exchequer
programmes within those spaces.
Even at this interim stage the programme is recognised as
ground breaking in its approach, with the then Chancellor of
the Exchequer, Gordon Brown stating that this is a “blueprint
for Public-Private Partnerships working for the benefit of our
communities”. The partnerships have helped to generate additional
funds, bringing the total investment to date to over £50 million.
The bank firmly believes that this £20 million in additional funding
stems from its decision and by working with the right partners
to deliver it.
1. Barclays SiteSavers was a programme aimed at helping communities take more control of their
surroundings by reclaiming underused and derelict land to create much needed recreational
areas in their neighbourhoods. 2. Barclaycard Free Kicks was a scheme that provided over 1,000
sports teams in disadvantaged areas with equipment, kit and coaching help.
7
2. The delivery partners
If the programme was to work at

grassroots community levels, then an
investment had to be made linking The Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity. It is
people and places. Fundamental to funded by the Premier League, the Football Association, Sport
England and the government. Its mission is to improve facilities,
this process is the unique partnership create opportunities and build communities. It is dedicated to
between the Barclays, the Football revitalising at the grassroots of the game, constructing modern
sport facilities, and developing sport as a force for social cohesion
Foundation and Groundwork. The and as a vehicle for education in communities. The Foundation has
complementary backgrounds and worked with many local delivery partners throughout the
programme including Barclays Premiership and Football League
experience of these partners have football clubs, local councils and community groups.
been critical to the successful
delivery of the programme.
Groundwork UK is a federation of trusts in England, Wales and

Northern Ireland, each working with partners to improve the
quality of the local environment, the lives of local people and the
success of local businesses in areas in need of investment and
support. The trusts share a common purpose of building
sustainable communities in areas of need through joint
environmental action. Groundwork commands an international
reputation for its approach to sustainable development
and regeneration.
Groundwork Trusts do not have total coverage across the UK,
and so where there have been gaps they have worked closely
with two other charity partners to deliver the Barclays Spaces
for Sports programme.
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV)

BCTV is a charity that encourages volunteers to become involved
in environmental conservation.
Nacro
Crime reduction charity Nacro helps make society safer by finding
practical solutions to crime issues. It works with ex-offenders,
disadvantaged people and deprived communities to help them
build a better future.
8
3. Listening, learning
and improving
From the outset Barclays has used

an evidence-based approach to inform
the development of the programme.
It recognised the need to establish
a framework for learning and sharing
around the programme to support
organisations, communities and all
those involved.
Barclays commissioned independent research, from Manchester
Metropolitan University, to support the development and delivery
of the programme.
By carrying out in-depth interviews and case studies, the research
goes wider than the standard monitoring and evaluation reporting
that all successful applicants to the programme use. The
information gathered will form the basis of a legacy report at the
end of the programme to serve as a key reference document
highlighting findings and learning from the overall Barclays Spaces
for Sports programme.
The approach used to date has been recognised as innovative and
saw Barclays Spaces for Sports scoop a Hollis Sponsorship Award
under the category of grass roots sports sponsorship. The judges
commented, ‘With big budgets, we always look harder for
evidence that this is money well spent. What impressed us about
Barclays Spaces for Sports was the emphasis on sustainability and
the diversity of groups benefiting. With more than 1,000 Barclays
staff volunteering to participate and 19% of customers aware of
the scheme, it’s an excellent use of resources.’
The programme also received the Sport England Community
Programme of the Year at the prestigious Sports Industry Awards
and has most recently received a ‘Big Tick’ from Business in the
Community and has been short-listed for their BUPA Healthy
Communities Award later this year.
This interim report summarises the key findings and emerging
issues from the first two years of the programme.
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4. The Barclays Spaces for Sports

programme
Following the show, research commissioned by Barclays showed

The Barclays Spaces for Sports that over three-quarters of men (76 per cent) now thought
programme was developed as a dancing was a great way to keep fit. Due to this increase in interest
Barclays Spaces for Sports teamed up with Darren Gough to run
three-year phased programme involving sessions under the title Strictly Sporting. The sessions showcased
a mixture of capital build and revenue how dance is a great alternative way to keep fit and active for
those who are not usually interested in traditional sports.
funding. The capital build would
facilitate the development of a space 4.1. The capital fund
for sport and the revenue funding The capital build contains two distinct elements; flagships and
local sites.
would support the development
1. Flagship sites: These sites are predominantly located near to
of sport at the space. Barclays Premiership or Football League football club grounds
This notion of people and place has been central to the or cities and in most cases jointly funded through Barclays and
programme from the start, as has creating the necessary the Football Foundation. These projects are developed and
conditions for site sustainability. Lessons learnt from the SiteSavers administered by the Football Foundation
programme with Groundwork have been employed in developing 2. Local sites: These are predominantly administered through
Barclays Spaces for Sports. At this stage of reporting, the emphasis Groundwork with support from BTCV and NACRO.
for partners and the sites has been focused on delivering the
capital build and submitting the development plans. The final The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme covers England, Wales,
report will cover findings around implementation of these plans. Scotland and Northern Ireland and every region has a Barclays
Barclays Spaces for Sports funding falls into two categories for all Spaces for Sports project.
sites: a capital fund for building new facilities and a development This interim report focuses mainly on the experiences of local
fund linked to the capital fund that enables groups to run sessions sites. Flagship sites will be the subject of further in-depth work as
for three years. (More information about the funds is contained a part of the overall research strategy.
later in the report).
The capital build element of the programme is due to be complete
by the end of September 2007. The development plans start when
a site build is complete, meaning that elements of this will
continue until 2010.
Barclays have also been supporting the ongoing development
of the programme with regular pieces of commissioned topical
sports research and by running local events on sites designed
to encourage participation. For example Strictly Sporting came
about after cricket star Darren Gough’s Strictly Come Dancing
television exploits.
10
Flagship projects
Jointly funded by Barclays and the Football Foundation
in most cases. Developed and administered
by the Football Foundation.
Number now open: 16

Number underway: 12
Individual build cost: £500,000-£600,000
Development funding: £45,000
Kit & equipment funding: £5,000
Flagship projects are developed in association with

Barclays Premiership or Football League clubs in England.
Local projects
Usually administered by Groundwork, with support
from BTCV and Nacro.
Number now open: 125

Number underway: 47
Individual build cost: £25,000-£80,000
Development funding: £18,000
Kit & equipment funding: £2,000
Every region of the UK has a local Barclays Spaces

for Sports project.
Coaching Packs
Administered through the Football Foundation. The packs
contain coaching equipment and clothing, which can be
used for a variety of team sports.
Number awarded: 3,400

Total number to be awarded: 3,600
Value per pack: £750
Local Hero Awards

Administered through the Football Foundation. Each award
acknowledges an individual’s contribution to a local sports
club and is accompanied by a club or charity donation.
Number awarded: 33
Total number to be awarded: 36
Donation per award: £1,000
Sports on offer
• Football • Volleyball
(including five-a-side • Lawn Bowls
and wheelchair football)
• Orienteering
• Futsall
• Cycling
• Cricket, Kwik-Cricket
• BMX biking
• Rugby, Tag Rugby
• Skateboarding
• Hockey, Street Hockey
• Scooters
• Netball
• In-line Skating
• Basketball
• Climbing (wall climbing)
• Gymnastics
• Martial Arts
• Trampolining
• Aerobics
• Dance
• Fitness Centres
• Badminton (gym/trim trail activities)
• Tennis • Lacrosse
• Volleyball
Geographical coverage to date
• Local sites
• Flagship sites
Barclays Spaces for Sports Coaching Pack Awards

– Regional Breakdown
Scotland: 139 North: 270

North West: 50 Yorkshire: 280
East Midlands: 340 West Midlands: 338
East: 22 London: 235
South East: 23 South West: 214
Wales: To be added Northern Ireland: 96
Number of successful awards up to Phase 31 (April 2007)

4.2. The development fund The development plan for the flagship projects is included with
the capital application and assessed at same time, not treated as
One of the key reported elements of the a separate process.
overall programme to date has been the Experienced resource will be retained within the Foundation up to
2010 to provide an advisory service to all projects seeking advice
combination of capital and on sustainability. The emphasis will be on transferring skills and
development revenue funding for all knowledge to sites to build their capacity, enabling them to secure
the long term success of their sites. They will be encouraged to
sites. Many previous funding sources take ownership of their sites and develop their networks to access
for sport only offered local communities additional support available e.g. local authority maintenance
agreements, sports development officers, other sources of funding.
the choice of one or the other.
An additional sinking fund is held by the Football Foundation who
The programme was developed with site sustainability in mind
may make additional awards from 2007 to 2010 for those sites in
from the outcome, and the development fund aims to build a
need of further development and support. Needs will be identified
foundation for all sites to enable them to secure a sustainable
through analysis of the quarterly reports and dialogue with the
future over the long term.
projects rather than being actively marketed to all sites.
The development fund administered by the Football Foundation
also contains two levels of funding, reflecting the level of capital
investment. Flagship sites receive a total of £45,000 over three
years, plus an additional sum of £5,000 for kit and equipment
(£50,000 total). Local sites receive £18,000 over three years, plus
an additional £2,000 for kit and equipment3 (£20,000 total).
The development fund is paid over three years; it is not intended
to be a sole source of funding for sites, but rather an enabling
investment that allows communities to embed sports at and
engage local communities. Primarily the funds are intended to
kick-start activity on the site and begin to provide the conditions
for longer-term sustainable development.
For local sites, the development fund is available once construction
has finished and the site has been signed off and handed over to
the community. A steering group is responsible for designating an
account holder for the funds.
Funding is not automatic and is only released once a development
plan has been agreed with Barclays, the Football Foundation and
Groundwork. The development plans are designed to have a
degree of flexibility to be able to adapt to changing needs
over the three years.
3. In order to support communities with equipment purchases this function

is largely administered through the Barclays Spaces for Sports website.
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4.3 Coaching packs and Local Hero awards 4.3.2. Local Hero award
The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme goes beyond site Barclays created a Local Hero Award to honour those individuals
regeneration. There are two further elements of the programme, who work endlessly to support grassroots sport in their
Coaching Packs and Local Hero awards. communities across the UK. The programme provides a platform
for these individuals to be recognised for whatever support they
There were many reasons for developing these further elements
give, be it as a driver, groundsman, kit washer or coach. Local
of the programme, including:
sports teams and clubs couldn’t function without this type of
• Allowing a wider reach across all levels and needs of grassroots support. Each recipient receives a silver medal and a donation of
sports – not everyone needs a whole new site £1,000 to the team or charity of their choice and is featured on the
programme website.
• A better regional reach – these elements allowed Barclays to
reach a much wider regional spread of beneficiaries
• Greater levels of accessibility to the programme – more teams Local Hero
in need could benefit from Barclays Spaces for Sports
Barclays awarded Manik Miah, a youth football coach and
4.3.1. Coaching packs administrator from Tower Hamlets, East London the unique
Barclays Spaces for Sports Local Hero Award and a £1,000
Working with the Football Foundation, the programme is cheque to honour his work in grassroots sport.
supporting teams and groups in disadvantaged areas in the UK by
Manik was presented with his award by Frederic Kanouté at
donating 100 coaching packs per month. These packs contain
Elite Youth, Tower Hamlets, the club where his association
coaching equipment and clothing, which can be used for a variety
with youth football began five years ago. The award
of team sports. Some 3,600 coaching packs will be distributed over
recognises his contribution towards the growth of Elite Youth
three years at a value of £750 per pack.
and the promotion of football within East London's Asian
community for the Bangladeshi Football Association. Elite
Youth aims to engage young people in the Tower Hamlets
Barclays kit boost for Liverpool Signers area who are exposed to deprivation in sports, and
Barclays has come to the aid of "Liverpool Signers", a football educational activities.
team for youngsters with impaired hearing, by giving them
" I am so proud to be involved with
complete set of coaching kit and sports equipment.
Elite Youth and the Bangladeshi Football
Liverpool Signers run football and coaching sessions for
Association. The ethos of Elite Youth is to
young people in the local area, aged 9-to-15 years with
impaired hearing, and over recent years their membership engage young people in positive activities
numbers have grown considerably. to keep them away from the dangers of the
Club coach Scott Black was delighted with the award: "This streets. The parents and volunteers of Elite
Barclays Spaces for Sports kit will enable us to create another Youth have worked together to achieve this
team outside of the school and expand our after-school and I think this Barclays Spaces for Sports
programme to younger children."
Award is recognition of everybody's effort,
"Barclays Bank is to be congratulated not just my own."
for their Spaces for Sports initiative. It is good Manik Miah, Youth football coach
to see business supporting local communities and administrator from Tower Hamlets
in this way,"
Bob Wareing, Local MP
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5. Interim findings
5.1. Partnerships
Communities are complex, and making
A range of partnerships has helped the programme to deliver 124
an impact is not accomplished by new sites in a relatively short space of time. Many of these
quick fixes. partnerships are developing continuously as the programme and
the opportunities it creates develop.
Working with communities requires real effort. It involves meeting
people where they live and work, getting to know them, and From the outset, Barclays Spaces for Sports generated high
supporting them and this takes time. Rebuilding a space is awareness through national and regional sports and regeneration
relatively quick and easy to do providing you have the funding and agencies, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
technical expertise. Transforming a space from a desolate, run (DCMS) and the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
down, feared area into a vibrant, well used and central part of the now replaced by the Department for Communities and Local
locality takes commitment and listening to the needs and Government (CLG).
engaging the interests of people.
At a regional level, the new Regional Sports Boards, Groundwork’s
The places – i.e. capital builds – are a visible output that is easy regional offices and Barclays’ Community Regional Teams helped
to report on, but at this stage it is too early to talk about overall to ensure that people knew about the programme. Both the
learnings as the programme is not yet completed. Emerging Football Foundation and Groundwork have an extensive network
findings can be reported though, as well as the stories and of local contacts and groups that they work with or have
feedback from the communities now being served by already funded.
the programme.
This profile undoubtedly helped to generate applications for
Overall, the emerging findings are positive. Across the UK, funding, although to ensure that areas most in need of support
especially in socially deprived areas, local spaces have been created benefited, site regeneration was on an invitation-only basis. The
or restored, and researchers have heard stories from many people top 20 per cent of most deprived wards across the country were
about how spaces have been invigorated. However, the process targeted and groups were required to refer to local regeneration
has not been without its challenges for all involved and some of strategies in their applications. Local site applications were also
the key findings are set out below. invited from very rural areas where access to sports facilities
was challenging.
The interim findings can be grouped under the following headings:
The majority of projects funded to date are situated within locally
– partnerships
identified regeneration areas. All are focused on the needs of the
– client and community empowerment community, and all have a steering group that oversees the
– youth and behaviour development over three years. Barclays and its partners provide
– volunteering ongoing support and skills to train members of the community
so that they can manage their facility and to embed it within
their community.
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5.1.1. Main partners This refocus ensured Barclays were funding projects that genuinely
would not have progressed without Barclays Spaces
The main partners in the programme, Barclays, the Football
for Sports funding. Thus projects that were unable to attract
Foundation and Groundwork, had originally conceived a plan for
funding from other sources would be delivered, and more
the programme that would have seen 21 flagship sites and 300
communities would benefit.
local sites created.
Administratively, delivery schedules, reporting structures, even
At the local site level, original applications for funds were invited
signage and use of logos on site, were the domain of another
through local Groundwork trusts or, where they had no coverage,
organisation. The quid pro quo for any sponsor (even one that
through BTCV or Nacro. Bids were assessed using standard scoring
wants to leave decision-making to the communities in which
criteria that covered the main issues around indices of deprivation
it invests) is the visible impact made as a result of their investment.
or rurality, build, community need, planned activities and
Greater investment allowed communities to see that their project
maintenance issues, which were then accepted or rejected
was genuinely made possible by the Barclays Spaces for Sports
by a panel.
programme and that they were also part of a bigger
Groundwork was responsible for the original sift, with further national programme.
specific technical and sport development support from the
The new level of funding for the local sites in year two has had a
Football Foundation, and assessment by the Barclays Regional
significant impact in many areas, as it plugs a gap in local funding
Community Managers.
for sport. There are many small pots of funding under £10,000 that
Flagship sites were targeted primarily at Barclays Premiership community groups can access relatively easily but there are few
clubs. This process was administered through – and jointly funded sources of funding between £10,000 and £100,000, especially for
by – the Football Foundation. Again bids were assessed using capital build for community sports sites.
standard scoring criteria and based on identified needs. The larger
The Big Lottery has provided significant investment in sport and
site costs meant that these bids were much more technical in
arts over the last decade, but this has been for much larger
nature and there were generally more issues about planning and
projects and it has generally not provided revenue funding. Lottery
funding, so much larger partnerships emerged than at local sites.
funding for community sport is widely acknowledged as having
peaked and there are decreasing revenues. Larger funding bids
5.1.2. Lessons from year one
also have to be strategically aligned to national governing body
At the end of year one, while relatively few projects were up and strategies and plans.
running, sufficient lessons had been learned about the process and
Sport is widely regarded as a really positive tool for regeneration
participation for some early conclusions – and adaptations to the
purposes, and is recognised in programmes like Positive Futures
programme – to be made.
and Sports Action Zones. Community Sports officers are also
i. More money, fewer projects funded through the New Deal for Communities.
At the end of the first year, following feedback from early Many of these types of programmes are linked to other significant
applicants, the scope of the original programme was sources of public sector funding and are geographically defined.
simultaneously both reduced and increased. It became clear that There are many estates that sit just outside seemingly arbitrary
assessing many hundreds of applications to select 100 local site borders that are excluded, despite their needs.
projects a year was overly ambitious. The reality was that £25,000,
Many of the local sites have been in deprived areas that have not
whilst welcome, did not provide enough of an investment for the
been able to access other funding opportunities and the new level
typical applicant to help create a stand alone facility.
of funding was a welcome addition.
Rather than spread the money too thinly, the total number of local
site projects was reduced to 172. Each new site would now receive
increased investment of between £50-£80,000. In addition the
target number of flagship projects was increased to 21-28,
enabling larger projects to reach new regions.
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ii. Specialist support iii. Development fund surgeries

The partners bring a unique contribution to the overall programme In year one, group seminars were offered to raise the
that has benefited those applying as they cover most necessary understanding of the beneficiaries, share case studies and share
requirements for connecting spaces and sports. Groundwork is best practice on how they could use their development funding.
well known for its innovative community regeneration approach Those involved with the projects, especially those with little
and its technical expertise in environmental projects whereas the previous experience of sports development, welcomed the
Football Foundation has that same expertise but in sports seminars. They provided a context for the programme and an
development and the technical specifications of sports facilities. opportunity to network with other individuals who were
in similar positions.
In some instances where applicants had little previous
knowledge of sports provision, the Football Foundation provided From the outset of the programme each project was required to
valuable support and knowledge that ensured the right type form a steering group with interested local partners, community
of playing surface or equipment was specified when developing groups etc. to apply and be responsible for the funding and
tender specifications. sustainability of the site. It was always recognised that the projects
would need extra support to maximise the use of their
Both main partners were able to advise applicants on suggested
development fund to allow them to create a foundation for
timeframes for build and so on. In one instance, where there was
a sustainable future for their site.
a problem with the installation of a cricket practice net,
Groundwork and the English Cricket Board regional development Feedback at the end of year one also suggested that many groups
officer negotiated with the contractor on behalf of the cricket club found applying for development funding difficult. Creating a
to resolve the situation. The club acknowledged to researchers three-year development plan for a site was viewed by many as
that they would have struggled to undertake these challenging, especially for those groups who had no previous
negotiations themselves. knowledge of this type of work. Not all groups applied
immediately. Those that did often didn’t provide adequate
information to meet the criteria.
For year two applications, one-to-one surgeries that placed greater
emphasis on robust development planning were introduced.
These were done before applicants needed to submit their plans
and helped them to think about the types of partnerships they had
created and what other local organisations or policies a site could
or should be linked to.
Discussion was often quite candid in relation to the challenges
facing some of the projects. For example, having different groups
involved in the build and then the development of a site meant
that many had to firmly establish their steering groups and
connections into the communities and these were not as strong
as they might have been.
20
All steering groups were told that the development plans should
be viewed as working documents and the Football Foundation was
happy to discuss specific needs or changes on a case-by-case
basis. It will be interesting to view these documents over the
course of the programme and see if significant changes do
occur and why.
While all groups were grateful for the £20,000 they receive on
average over three years, some believed it to be insufficient to
make the impact that they wanted. As stated earlier, Barclays took
an early decision that the development fund would be enabling
– creating the conditions for sustainability by acting as a lever
for other sources of funding or enabling training of
community volunteers.
During the research phase, some groups asked for development
fund criteria to be made even more flexible – for example, by
allowing them to spend the money for kit and equipment over
three years, rather than the six months that the scheme currently
allows. Some sites also reported that they would have preferred
to purchase their own kit and equipment, as the Barclays branded
footballs were not enticing to their client group. Others wanted
to purchase locally or take advantage of deals that they already
had to make the money go further. However, many of the local
community members at the sites who didn’t have experience or
knowledge of kit and equipment purchasing found the central
website for ordering equipment worked well for them.
This neatly illustrates the fact that whatever the scheme offers, the
differing range of experiences and sheer number of sites means
that it is unlikely to suit every need exactly – hence the new
one-to-one approach.
The one-to-one surgeries for year three sites highlighted a marked
and positive difference in the understanding of the process,
especially where Groundwork Trusts had submitted applications
on behalf of local groups or partnerships.
21
5.1.3. Public-private partnerships

The range of partnerships involved in many of the projects is Key points around partnerships
hugely impressive. Writing applications, managing capital building • An alignment of people, purpose and practice is required
projects, then running sessions and developing the project further for successful collaboration.
requires many skills. Few organisations can do it on their own.
• A programme steering group was established from
Many of the partnerships are still developing, especially as sites the outset between the main partners. This provided
move from capital build to delivery. The development fund has an opportunity for early feedback in year one that helped
attracted other partners and many local authorities, grateful for a the partners recognise that the level of funding for capital
lump sum investment within their locality, have agreed to build of local sites needed to be raised to deliver quality
undertake maintenance of the sites. For longer term sustainability projects that would not otherwise have happened.
this is a crucial factor that is often overlooked as an ongoing cost.
• This recognition was followed by swift action by the main
Researchers have found that Barclays is perceived to have brought partners. The new system was integrated into the year
much more than just money to the table. Many projects have been two application process.
in the development stage in communities for years before the • One-to-one surgeries have supported sites with the
Barclays Spaces for Sports programme came along. Once development planning process. This proved beneficial
identified and accepted, communities have been impressed with where applicants had little prior knowledge of sports
the speed of building local sites. This has been challenging as well development planning.
as positive.
• Without the support of Barclays, many groups say their
Many of the sites have been viewed as catalysts for other development would never have got off the ground.
regeneration around them. The fact that it is private sector funding
• The initial feedback indicates that steering groups
has not been seen a barrier, but in fact is rather warmly welcomed.
established for the sites show a clear commitment to
Barclays being involved has been perceived by many to have
working with other organisations.
brought rigour and speed to sometimes longwinded regeneration
processes. Partners have been attracted to the process because of • Barclays Spaces for Sports has been reported as the
Barclays’ involvement. lynchpin that attracts other partners and funds.
• Many local authorities have underwritten maintenance
costs and have added their own funding to
Barclays investment.
• Local authorities will oversee the development fund
of many projects.
• The support of Barclays has a wider impact than simply
providing funding. Its brand opens the door to other
investments and increases confidence in the area.
22
5. 2. Client and community empowerment

The nature of the programme meant that many people involved in Carrow Park, Norwich
the local sites had little or no experience of capital development The site was built adjacent to Norwich City Football Club
projects, especially for sports facilities. Despite the many stadium and involved the installation of a brand new floodlit,
challenges involved in undertaking redevelopment of any site, artificial turf sports facility complete with disabled access.
there are many learning opportunities as well. Different structures Norwich Football in the Communities (FiC) has just won a
now exist within communities around the local sites and new Football League award for its Ability Counts disability
partnerships and experiences have been created that if utilised will initiative. The site offers a range of activities, including
continue to add value to the area and those served by it. football, rugby, tennis and netball to the local community.
These new structures are directly attributable to the programme The area for the site contained an old community
and cover a wide range of experiences from planning issues, to playground that had fallen into disrepair and nobody used it.
technical specifications, to developing a steering group, to Although community consultation had been undertaken
volunteering and training as a sports coach. Each site has a unique when work began, people suddenly came out of the
story about its particular journey and the value of the experience. woodwork saying “what are you doing to our playground?”
The communities served by the sites should also be recognised According to the local Football in the Communities officer
as partners in the programme and supported by the development there were protests about the loss of the playground (despite
fund; they have been strongly encouraged to have a real sense its current state of disrepair). Norwich FiC were proud of
of ownership. their record in community work and they responded
positively by continuing to involve the community in decision
The fund aims to provide a platform for engagement after the making about the development. An enhanced playground
capital build phase. The provision of a development fund has been area was added to the plans. Local residents were really
seen by most people interviewed as one of the cornerstones of the enthusiastic. One told us that “the inclusion of a children’s
overall programme. Many communities have previous experience play area alongside the sports facilities was just what we had
of being told that something (such as a facility) was coming imagined”. Local councillors and the MP for the area also
but not really having a say in what it was nor how it operated applauded the development, which, they said, would help to
once built. give the area a big lift.
The director of finance and operations for the club said,
“From our point of view this is an unbelievably exciting
project’. He explained that the development is a completely
new facility and thus “had to go through a lot of hoops to go
through planning because it was brand new. This meant that
the funders needed to understand and be involved in
communications around the planning process.”
At one stage work had been delayed because a Second
World War bomb had been uncovered. But apart from the
unexpected, there were the normal technical issues to deal
with and the kinds of equipment needed and of course,
making sure that balls don’t go into the gardens of
neighbours. Throughout it all Norwich FiC said that the
Barclays Spaces for Sports team has been excellent and the
support provided has been very good.
23
The fact that a major bank and household name was willing to
invest in a local community was itself significant. There was Tylorstown, Glamorgan
prestige and value attached to the Barclays brand and name that
had a resonance beyond funding or the site itself. As already Having a say, feeling a sense of ownership and being directly
discussed, the level of funding and the application process proved involved in decision-making processes was no ‘added extra’
challenging, but also rewarding, to those involved. It built here – indeed it mattered so much that the community
would have been prepared to completely forego any funding
confidence and provided a lifeline to many communities.
on offer if they did not have a voice. The way the Barclays
Once funding had been received, it seemed to invigorate Spaces for Sports programme team consulted, negotiated
partnerships into considering other opportunities as well. One and worked with this project to ensure successful
specific case was Silverdale Cricket Club, a small completion has made a difference.
Staffordshire-based community club in a coalfields regeneration
The site was clearly welcomed and embraced by the
area that had previously struggled for funding. The club was in
surrounding community. This was not just a multi-use
its 150th year and was very community focused but in desperate games area (MUGA) on tarmac. It was clear from all those
need of upgrading its playing facilities. Following a successful that we spoke to that the impacts within the community
application, they were awaiting their site signage and one of the were being considered far beyond the playing area. Yes,
volunteers said that when it came he would like to “hang it round community sports developments and activities were clearly
the whole ground highlighting the fact that Barclays had made necessary and had a place in providing positive opportunities
the investment”. for both young people and adults in the village. However, it
went beyond that in terms of inclusion.
Silverdale viewed the endorsement from Barclays as highly
significant, adding that “there was a certain cachet attached to In Tylorstown, what lay beneath the success of the site was
Barclays’ name”. The club felt that this had already made a the differences that could be made in making the ‘invisible
difference to how others viewed them. They stated that they had aspects’ more visible i.e. more known, more accessible and
now begun negotiations over other sources of funding and at a more recognised. Even at an early stage, a social worker
scale above what they would previously have attempted. This talked about the ways in which he was able to reach young
seemed to indicate an outcome over and above simply providing a people because, as minimal as it sounds, there was
much needed site for the community to access. The whole process somewhere to meet them. Several of the interviews conveyed
had built confidence and provided learning and experience to how young people were on the “outside looking in” and both
support the future direction and development of the club. the impetus and the aims for the development of the site
have sought to address how young people can be brought
in beyond the tokenistic and often rhetorical language
“there was a certain cachet attached of inclusion.
to Barclays’ name”.
The local site manager said there was a real concern that a
core group of young people were becoming invisible. No
longer included in established social activities, they were
Without the ability and confidence to make decisions there is no susceptible to the growing drug problem the area was
empowerment. However, learning how to facilitate decision experiencing. The local youth worker was worried too – there
making and empowering communities is easier said than done. were no “in-between activities”. He explained that the local
This fact can be neatly illustrated through one of the more in- leisure centre offered a structured and controlled
depth case studies from Tylorstown in Wales. One of the positive environment (but many kids were barred); the local
mountains and wasteland provided freedom and spontaneity.
impacts emerging for this site was that the project was able to
The MUGA could provide an alternative.
bring together people and disparities around funding requirements
to create a workable solution for an identified problem.
24
Tylorstown, Glamorgan (continued) There had been a vision to use this space for some time,
but funding had been difficult for the community to secure.
“The kids for whom we are putting that The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme provided both
facility there… they decide at the end of the the impetus and most of the funding to make this happen,
day whether they’ll use it. If they’ve got some but the project had run into difficulties persuading people
that the free access that had been promised originally
sense of ownership, been included in the
would still happen, even though funding requirements
decisions, then they are less likely to vandalise had to have an element of organised sports.
it and more likely to become social, to gel Seeking and agreeing a workable solution took the project
with each other… then behaviour, attitudes team some time, but the site has the commitment and the
and all those kinds of things will improve as approval of the local community, which is not an
well – because they get a new perspective on insignificant achievement in a community such
as Tylorstown.
things because they are no longer on the
outside and always looking in. They are part Official statistics for Tylorstown both told a story and hid
one. The indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) ensured that
of it then and this is far more important to us the area was identified as being in need (i.e. shaded bright
than whether we have, say, four basketball red). At the same time, the official statistics relocated the
teams or two cricket teams or whatever…” statistical ‘radar’ in geographical terms which meant that
project manager an entire village was ‘left out’!
Statistical indices can tell us some things about how a
programme is impacting upon lives and communities, but
it is important to examine such data critically – in other
words, statistical data needs to be understood for the ways
in which it both constructs our view of people and
communities, as well as the everyday ‘realities’ that they
might invoke.
Numbers are never neutral and it is important to be both
critical and sensitive to how people, bodies (individually
and collectively) and communities might be understood
within such indices. A Communities First officer summed it
up quite nicely: “Funding is about investment, it is not
about playing a numbers game”. As a key point of learning:
to understand and empower communities – people matter!
This is at the heart of the Barclays Spaces for Sports
programme with its emphasis on linking people and places.
The launch of the Tylorstown site was a packed affair with
a wide cross-section of the community represented. The
street was decked in bunting, and there was a real
atmosphere and a palpable sense of achievement on the
day from all concerned. The site had revitalised not only
the space but the community surrounding it as well.
25
In an increasingly ‘target’ driven climate, the communities we have 5.3. Youth and behaviour
spoken to have valued the opportunity to talk and be listened to
Barclays Spaces for Sports projects are open to people of all ages
about their personal experiences of the impact of the local sites.
and backgrounds, but many communities asked for special
They appreciated the opportunity to discuss what mattered to
emphasis to be placed on the young. This is to be expected as one
them about different aspects of the sites.
of the biggest issues that emerges consistently when deprived
Many have added that, in the past, they have felt that many communities are canvassed about immediate needs is the lack of
traditional methods of reporting have not provided the opportunity facilities – especially recreational facilities – for young people. One
to express their personal views and they have missed the human of the key indicators for the programme was that it targeted
element that makes all the difference to them. Investment needs to socially deprived areas. Most of these areas record higher than
be viewed both in terms of capital but also, most vitally, in terms of average levels of youth nuisance or anti-social behaviour, and
the commitment and energy that people give to their community. many development plans alluded to specifically targeting excluded
or disaffected kids.
The Tylorstown study reflects neatly what many sites reported:
that people matter. Many regeneration documents point to the fact Each generation of youth feels stigmatised or demonised in some
that empowering people so that they are actively involved in the way – the mods and rockers of the 1960s, the punks of the 1970s,
decisions that affect their community helps foster a sense of through to the hoodies of today. Social deprivation is a key marker
ownership. Ultimately, without giving people the ability, trust and for many significant issues within communities around crime and
confidence to make decisions, there is no empowerment and disorder, worklessness, health and education – and many of these
probably little sustainability. issues are multi-factoral in nature and highly complex, as well as
being entrenched. The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme,
therefore, has to be realistic in its aspirations and, at the level of
each site, care needs to be taken to draw out inferences of impact
within the local communities.
Key findings around client and community Within the public sector, targets offer an opportunity to gauge
empowerment are: impact but do not always tell the story behind the facts. What is
• To ensure that people are involved in decision making. important to statutory organisations as an outcome is not
necessarily as important to the community and vice versa.
• To make communities visible and making them visible
involves inclusion. As the previous chapter highlighted, it is not the site per se that
• Managing expectations requires listening to people. made the difference in the communities, but rather the
• You need to create the opportunity for communities to engagement processes undertaken to involve the communities in
express their views and perceptions, not simply ‘tick a all aspects of the project. Each local site has a specific
box’ as many people reported to us. development plan based on the immediate circumstances and
needs of the local area, and this determines the primary focus of
• The Barclays brand added value and confidence to many
communities. delivery and the potential partners in the process. The following
examples draw out some the positive experiences that have been
• The interim indications are that the Barclays Spaces for
recorded from the research so far.
Sports programme through its unique partnerships has
involved and listened to communities. It has also provided
the necessary conditions to support sustainable
development of the sites.
26
It is all too easy to place all young people in the same category.
Barton Downs, Torquay However, young people belong to many different communities,
have different experiences, have different opportunities and face
The Barton Downs site highlighted the inventiveness of the different risks and problems.
local young people in using the site. The project was for a
MUGA located next to an existing sports and community Care needs to be taken when gathering views to ensure that it is
centre, the Acorn Centre. understood what ‘community’ is being represented. Communities
are generally viewed in spatial or social terms. Many standard
The general feeling was that the MUGA would be a welcome
regeneration texts advise being clear about who is being targeted
addition within the community, providing informal access
and ensuring adequate representation is gained. Our interim
to sport and an extra area for formal sport as well. What
findings supported this.
hadn’t been anticipated was that it would be so much in
demand that young people would want to use it well Projects must be clear about who they are communicating
into the evenings. with and take care not to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach
Although located some distance from nearby housing, there to dealing with the local population.
were no plans for floodlighting, to keep within budget. The
Acorn centre was seen as the most obvious facility to use in
twilight or in hours of darkness. However, the young people
who used the MUGA most arranged for older friends, Heath Avenue Play Area, Salford
relatives and neighbours to line up their cars so that their
headlights would provide the much needed lighting to A visit by researchers during a half-term structured delivery
enable continued play. The manager of the Acorn centre was session reinforced the central theme of both people and
so impressed with their inventiveness that he agreed to places of the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme. The
provide a battery charging facility! sports development workers commented: “On Monday we
were thinking, it’s going to be a long week, but it’s been easy.
We were thinking that we would be lucky if half of them
came back but they all came back. They are obviously quite
keen to do it.”
Recalling the need for empowerment and the mechanisms for
bringing people together, more generally, many of the local sites The development workers went on to say that in their
have both the potential and the capability to provide a focus for experience it was some achievement to see these particular
agencies who work with socially excluded young people. kids get out of bed early on a non-school morning and turn
Interviews with sports development workers and community up all week. Originally they had considered running a shorter
development workers tell of the ‘one step forward, two steps back’ programme with a later start.
mentality that is often associated with such work. The workers thought the key was having good quality
As professionals and experienced people in dealing with less facilities and offering the chance of coaching accreditation,
structured interventions, they know that any claims to success are which helped tip the balance for these young people. For
hard earned, frequently set back and often provisional. It is not just these kids it seemed a structured delivery approach worked
a matter of building a facility – there is the work of building best during half-term.
relationships that lead to confidence and trust.
27
Saltwell Park highlights the fact that simply building a sports site
does not provide a cure-all for the disengaged and disenfranchised Harringey Autism, Tottenham Hotspur, Active London
and, as already stated, it is the mixture of people and places that
will ultimately make the difference. In areas with protracted issues, This football group was set up to pilot football coaching
community development takes time. The key finding here is to for children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and high
recognise the gaps in the system, as Saltwell has, and then functioning autism. The group train every week and have
been enjoying the great facilities at White Hart Lane,
consider how to engage those missing communities – in this
which received funding from Barclays Spaces for Sports,
case, through speaking to elders.
since January.
"We can see that our children are now developing team skills,
self esteem and friendships as a result of the training. This
is wonderful. They are now much more able to access
Saltwell Park, Gateshead
playground and sports activities both at school and
Catering for all young people within the local communities elsewhere," said parent Christina Heidensohn from
was seen as an important issue to consider when developing Haringey Autism.
activities on the Saltwell Park site. Locally there have been
The project is an innovative collaboration between Haringey
some tensions between different communities; however
Autism (a branch of the National Autistic Society),
there have already been some examples of young people
Tottenham Hotspur Community and the Active London
integrating with people that they would not normally
Project to deliver training to AS children, as these youngsters
socialise with. The perception is that sport activities, in a
often miss out on sports training and fitness as well as social
safe, free, and neutral venue (i.e. the site) have allowed this
opportunities due to their slight but significant social
to happen much more easily.
communication problems.
“Young people are now mixing with other young people that
"Our White Hart Lane Community Sports Centre is a huge
they probably wouldn’t have. They might know who they are,
success and has quickly become a hub for sporting activities
but they wouldn’t come along to a session if it wasn’t here”.
within our local community," said Kathryn Robinson,
The integration witnessed has been a positive feature of the Director of Community Development for Tottenham
site. However, there are still some concerns that one of the Hotspur Community.
communities – the local Jewish community – may not be
When the group started in January 2006, most of the
using the facility as much as was initially hoped. This issue is
children that regularly attend sessions had played little or no
being considered at the moment:
football before, as they had been excluded from games at
“In the past, I’ve worked with the Jewish community, but the school or had been confused by rules in sports lessons. Now
staff on the site, they haven’t. But only once have young they can enjoy weekly sport and it's making a real difference
people from the Jewish community been playing on the site to their lives.
and when the staff came they moved on. Whether or not we
More recently, the club has started running separate sessions
set up sessions just for these communities (the Asian
for the siblings of these children, who unfortunately often
community has been involved throughout) or we try and
end up taking a back seat at home to their brother or sister
bring them all together is an issue. We would have to speak
who requires so much attention. This second group
to some of the elders…”.
specifically aims to provide a forum where these children
come first and are given all of the attention, finishing off
each session with a match between both groups to drive
greater camaraderie and team working between the brothers
and sisters of a family affected by Asperger’s Syndrome.”
28
5.3.1. Types of sport

The issue of youth seems to be a constant headline topic in the Anchorage Lane, Sprotborough (continued)
media, but mainly for the wrong reasons. This can lead to ii. Engagement
disengagement and disaffection, and traditional sport does not
always provide all the answers. Anchorage Lane was also interesting for its engagement
with local young people and the lengths that they were
The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme has offered over 25 prepared to go to support the development.
different sporting activities including the development of a number
The land where the site was based was owned by the parish
of what may be perceived as ‘alternative’ sports sites. For instance,
council, which had been actively involved in consulting local
several skateboard and BMX sites have been created, leading to
residents about what they wanted. A skate park emerged as
many challenges for the programme partnership, as these sports
the front runner and the parish council was amazed by the
are very much about expression rather than the traditional sport
turnout of young people to attend the parish council
structure with teams and leagues.
meetings to develop the plan. Over a dozen youngsters had
These challenges have been recognised and one of the key participated in the process and remained engaged
elements of the programme is that all those involved have been throughout. They had also taken a personal responsibility for
encouraged to share information, experiences and expertise. the project and helped to police and tidy the site.
Having a small but focused support team for local sites within the The parish council was delighted with the enthusiastic
overall programme has enabled this sort of cross-referencing to be response they had received and hadn’t envisaged this level of
easily identified and acted upon. A key learning point is to engagement. For them, the experience had presented an
establish the structures that enable effective knowledge-transfer opportunity for young people to appreciate that putting in a
across the programme’s partners and communities. facility was not simply a matter of building it, but also
involved consultation and review, legal issues, funding
requirements and many more technical aspects.
One of the senior parish councillors thought the young
Anchorage Lane, Sprotborough people had learned a lot about the process of making
change happen and had seen that they would be listened to,
This site provided a skate park allowing both skating and
while recognising that they had a responsibly to the process
BMX use and proved interesting for two main reasons; its
as well. She firmly believed that the opportunity would also
development plan and its engagement with young people.
lead to some of those involved remaining engaged and
i. Development adding new blood and ideas to the parish council.
One of the development workers worked hard to establish
a framework for the site that he felt would best promote
and sustain its use. Urban freestyle sports such as skating
and BMXing adopt a different style of learning that is not
traditionally coached in the same way as, say, football
or hockey.
This plan involved using a professional urban freestyle
company, Team Extreme, to launch the site and to revisit and
host events there periodically. These popular events mix
music and freestyle demonstrations.
The plan has since proved a useful reference point for other
sites offering skateboarding or freestyle BMX biking to help
their own development plans.
29
The Anchorage Lane example shows that investment in the young

people has helped to create social capital by expanding their Key conclusions for youth and behaviour
involvement, generating learning and creating a sense of
ownership and belonging. • Projects must be clear about whom they are
communicating with and to take care not to adopt a ‘one
A mixture of anecdotal and recorded evidence at this stage is size fits all’ approach to dealing with the local population.
indicating that anti-social behaviour around the sites is being
• Projects need to recognise the gaps in the system.
controlled or reduced. For instance, there have been few recorded Community development takes time, and not everything
instances of site vandalism during development and once open, will work first time.
this is monitored through feedback reports.
• Sport is a hook for disaffected youth and some sites
Many contractors have reported easy-going relationships with the are being used by statutory agencies to link with wider
local kids who knew what was being built and so respected it. projects, such as crime reduction or youth
Anecdotal feedback from site visits and those connected with sites offending teams.
is pointing towards a number of good news stories emerging in • Where clear investment in young people has happened
terms of positive impacts, such as providing a place for the ‘local then social capital is being created.
scallies’ to go to. • A focused site support team with expertise in both sport
While the stories are legitimate, they are merely snapshots at a and community development has facilitated knowledge
point in time and care has to be taken in respect of some of these transfer across the overall programme.
claims, especially as the sites are still new. It is difficult to track • Sites should be supported with some form of updated
specific impacts across sites, especially where each is based on ‘policy map’ that highlights programmes and funding that
localised need and unique partnerships. Some sites might have a is potentially relevant to them.
crime focus to their work, others health, others older people and
so on. There are many national policy areas and programmes such
as Every Child Matters, the Respect agenda and Choosing Health
(to name a few) which sites and their activities could support.
However, the standard monitoring and evaluation forms do not
capture all the data that such policies or their delivery agents
might need. Moving forward to increase the potential for
sustainability, the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme should
seek to build the capacity of the local groups to understand
and link to these broader agendas.
30
5.4. Volunteering
Building the site is just the first step. Development of the site and Braunstone Climbing Wall, Braunstone
activities takes time requiring the personal involvement of people The site is on the fringe of a park and in an area considered
who care and have experience to work with people, especially to be ‘one to avoid’ locally. The park had an old tarmac area
young people. Time, of course, is a scarce resource. It is here with a broken down wall that local youths used to drive
where help from volunteers can be vital. The development fund stolen cars onto and then brick them. The site had been
can and has been used to support and train volunteers. transformed as part of a large regeneration scheme and
Barclays Spaces for Sports had provided money for an
There is evidence from the 2003 Home Office Survey that the level
outdoor climbing wall within the overall development. More
of volunteering is influenced by a person’s perception of their
crucially, the development fund had been used to support
neighbourhood. Thus a positive perception will result in an
employing a local person to develop and coach onsite.
increased likelihood of volunteering, with the reverse true of
negative perceptions. These perceptions refer to whether people This person was one of the young people originally
pull together to improve their neighbourhood, the number of canvassed about what they would want from any
people that can be trusted, whether they feel safe walking alone in re-development of the site, who had then got involved and
the neighbourhood after dark and whether they have a sense of trained as a coach. He left school with few qualifications and,
belonging. Many of the Barclays Spaces for Sports sites have been by his own admission, had few prospects, but he continued
quite literally transformed from no-go areas and eye sores to to volunteer at the project. This ultimately led to him being
positive beacons within the community. taken on full time.
He was actively encouraging others to do the same and two
more part-time coaches followed suit. When interviewed,
one of these summed up the transformation of the area by
saying: “the difference now is I pick up a ball instead of a
brick”. The prospects for these individuals seem to have been
enhanced greatly by their volunteering and by a new sense
of purpose and involvement with their community. They saw
it as “their facility”.
31
According to Sport England (2002) the sporting sector makes the

single biggest contribution to total volunteering in England, with WEBS, Rossendale
26 per cent of all volunteers citing “sport” as their main area of
interest. Volunteers are therefore a hugely important resource to WEBS is an acronym for four sites – Whitworth, Edgeside,
sport, but they are also vital also to communities. All facets of Bacup, and Stacksteads – developed in year one across the
community life require a heavy contribution from volunteers – Rossendale area in Lancashire. The sites were developed on
the back of an extensive youth strategy undertaken by
from special constables through to charity shops, health support
Groundwork and Lancashire County Council. Although these
groups, carers, schools, environmental campaigners, the list goes
were year one sites, the partners feel that they have only
on.
really got going recently in terms of meeting their potential.
There is a renewed drive to push volunteering and active
This has been down to a combination of timing and
citizenship as part of the wider Respect agenda. Sport volunteering
partnerships. Three of the sites did not include a budget for
is being championed in the run up to London 2012. But recruiting
floodlights, so programmed activities could not run during
and retaining volunteers for sport remains difficult. Many people evenings in the dark winter months. The partnerships
do not know what might be required of them, there are increasing formed around the sites have had issues resolving support
pressures from other commitments on people’s time and changing both for youth workers and sport development workers.
expectations in the marketplace are demanding a greater level of Individually, though, the signs are that the sites are well
professionalism, even from volunteers. used informally.
One of the key areas of focus has been to join efforts across
the sites through WEBS. A lot of attention has been focused
on the Bacup site, as this is in close proximity to a youth club
(known locally as Area 51) and it has floodlights. The youth
centre has been undertaking targeted outreach work with
at-risk young people and offers sport and music as a hook.
A football coach has been employed on a part-time basis to
support all the sites. The football sessions have introduced a
structure that has been well received by the kids. Rules and
boundaries have been introduced by the coach and bad
behaviour results in being sin-binned during a session. The
coach remarked that he felt there had been a marked
improvement in behaviour, but also a better understanding
from the kids about the value the training sessions added to
their experience of the game. These sessions have
traditionally taken place one night a week.
Two young lads were targeted for volunteering at the Bacup
site and have received accredited football training. They now
run an extra night of structured football training once a
week. The local kids have expressed interest in other sports
offering structured training and the project is now looking to
train more volunteers in basketball, cricket and netball. The
volunteers have received perks along the way, such as
vouchers for music or sports equipment, and they have also
recognised that their volunteering efforts and new skills are
placing them in a better position for gainful employment.
32
Volunteering on the projects is not just about sport though. The

WEBS, Rossendale (continued) many site visits have shown that a wide variety of volunteers have
supported, and continue to support, sites at all stages from
Buoyed by the success of the volunteering model at Bacup, development, to build, to ongoing delivery.
the project team developed the notion of WEBS to cover all
sites and to replicate the volunteering structure at them all. As the programme moves to the conclusion of the capital build
They are aiming to have a minimum of two volunteer phase, it would be worth reflecting on the potential value that
coaches per site. This new WEBS team will be the face of volunteers have added to date and whether this has been
the sites locally, representing them at tournaments adequately captured or could be in the future. For longer term
and official visits. sustainability, a wide range of volunteering will be needed.
Through the work in the youth centre, they have already The Local Hero Award showcases the work of many volunteers in
recognised that there is a steady drop off once the kids turn the communities. The awards help to raise the profile of
17, so they are targeting a slightly younger age group. They volunteering and publicly acknowledge the important
want to develop a conveyor-belt approach where, as coaches contributions these individuals and thousands like them make
drop out, there are more already in the system. The project’s within their local communities day in day out.
close links to Area 51 make it easier to engage with at-risk or
hard to reach young people and target them for training.
The researcher suggested that they should follow a
development he had discovered at a site visit to the Old
Trafford Sports Barn, where local kids are encouraged to join
the Trafford Urban Fitness Collective (TUFC). These
volunteers are given a uniform emblazoned with the TUFC
logo and it creates a respect within the community as they
understand what it means to be in TUFC.
The WEBS team is currently exploring creating a logo and
developing t-shirts and jackets with the WEBS branding,
so that volunteers are recognised for the work they do
and there can be a sense of being a part of something
much bigger.
33
5.4.1. Barclays volunteering

Barclays has a strong track record and is well known for Interim findings for volunteering
encouraging its staff to volunteer. Indeed it is a key part of the • The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme recognised the
company’s formal Corporate Social Responsibility programme. need to develop volunteers and provided a development
Data supplied by the bank indicates that, to date, more than 1,100 fund to facilitate this.
employees have volunteered to work with local groups as part of • All those submitting development plans to the
the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme. Activities range from programme are encouraged to think about how to
painting and landscaping, through to sports coaching and develop volunteers and not just think about using paid
business skills advice. staff or coaches.
Previous research of Barclays employees conducted by the Institute • Recruiting and retaining volunteers is a national problem
of Volunteering Research (2004) found that the desire to become for sport, but crucial for sustainability. Nevertheless, many
involved in the community increased with the frequency of different types of volunteers contribute to running clubs
and projects.
involvement. The same research also found that two-thirds of
those staff who volunteered felt that their understanding of social • Site steering groups should be encouraged to fully
issues had increased and they were more aware of the problems understand the value of volunteers and to effectively track
facing people in the community. the impact of volunteering in supporting the sites
as they develop.
There has been mixed reaction from sites about how they have
• Barclays should continue to encourage staff to volunteer
sought to engage with the Barclays’ volunteering scheme. From through the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme.
the point of view of researchers, much of this has centred on the
early expectations of sites when informed about the Barclays
scheme. Many sites envisaged access to regular volunteers and did
not seek to understand what may best suit some of the local
branches (many of which only have a few members of staff ).
Conversely, at some sites the volunteering relationship between
the site and the local Barclays staff is very strong. For example, at
the Veracity Recreation Ground, the flagship site in Southampton,
one local member of staff has been so involved throughout the
development of the site that the local community voted him onto
the site Steering Committee. This member of staff has then
organised a number of volunteering sessions for local teams
across the business and even sporting tournaments linking up 3 of
the Barclays Spaces for Sports sites in the area.
The local community of the Veracity Recreation Ground have been
so impressed with the level of involvement that they actually
opened their Steering Committee bank account with Barclays. In
return, this member of staff has derived enormous pride and
personal development through his work at the site. This is indeed
replicated at other sites, both flagship and local, across the
country. Overall Barclays is well known and recognised for its
ongoing commitment to valuing volunteering and for the wider
benefits it brings to its staff.
34
6. Community infrastructure
Barclays Spaces for Sports aims to

Backies Skate Park, Lincoln
do more for communities than provide
This site provides an example of how a community
new, safe areas for participating in infrastructure is beginning to emerge around the
sport. The programme wants to create development. The project leader described to researchers
how the area had been an open wasteland the size of four
social spaces – places where people or five football pitches with housing estates around its edges.
can meet, talk and enjoy one It had been a dangerous area plagued with drug dealing and
muggings late at night. Fire engines had been regularly
another’s company. called out to extinguish fires lit on the wasteland. With
funding from various sources, the area had been
Community infrastructure is not just the formal structures
literally transformed.
associated with policing, social services, schools and community
services, but vitally includes building relationships with people in The project leader pointed out this was not just a skateboard
the communities. Building relationships takes time and many facility, but that the area now housed vital local community
deprived communities are wary of quick fix investments that have and social services. There is also community policing onsite.
done little to change their core circumstances. A community infrastructure was beginning to emerge
around the investment. Furthermore, the development
Community infrastructure has been implicit in all the examples money was going to fund someone who would take the
provided in this report. Without it there is nothing but a space. The initiative to work with the local young people and to develop
success of the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme is not simply sports activities as a way of developing a sense of
about outputs but also about outcomes. It is also about the views community and social responsibility. There is still much to
of those in the communities served by the sites. do. But the work has begun and the signs are visible.
36
Of course, it is early days for the programme and significant

longer-term impacts within communities are yet to fully emerge. Interim conclusions for community infrastructure
Researchers, however, are reporting that those projects that have
strong steering groups, good links within communities and Many groups report that Barclays Spaces for Sports has
dedicated personnel are those that have a more comprehensive provided “the first post in the ground”, both in terms
understanding of what they want to do and how they want to do it of making their proposals a reality and delivering
wider benefits:
(i.e. a strategy for developing action). In short, building that side of
community infrastructure is more important than bricks and • Projects that embed themselves in the community are
mortar – it is the people themselves who are the real substance also able to access further local or regional initiatives.
of any community. • Many steering groups have links with local authorities,
Projects that have people with skills in community development sports development bodies and other agencies.
who are able to engage socially with residents, young people and • They want to play a part in wider policy agendas.
community groups are those that seem more likely to use the sites • Some alternative sports projects are beginning to link with
successfully as ‘points of engagement’, rather than a delivery each other to share experiences and hold tournaments.
model of activities. These are also the projects that seem more • Projects are changing entrenched positions, such as the
likely to be able to ‘transform’ a site’s reputation, use and sense police seeing sites as “problems” instead of socially
of ownership. sustainable environments.
It is clear, then, that the development fund is an essential strategy • The formal part of community infrastructure includes the
in building the necessary community infrastructure that will availability of community and social facilities and
sustain the project beyond the initial funding. For some projects, community policing.
the development fund is being managed by a separate group or • Informal relationships and the development of
organisation than the initial application body. In some cases, this self-organising groups are even more important.
seems to be a reasonable and sustainable way forward. For a few, • Taken together, formal and informal elements support
this may be a point of concern as remote handling of the community economies, ecologies, capacities
development money may not always have a strong local or and capabilities.
community connection. This is especially relevant where the
development money is being used to fund structured sports
activities as part of wider sports development plans, rather than
for the site as a point of wider engagement. The development
surgeries have provided the ideal platform to recognise and
discuss these issues and help sites to take responsibility
to address them.
Barclays is being seen within some projects as the funding body
that created the catalyst to wider community developments
connected to the sites. Several projects conveyed a view that
Barclays should be proud of ‘leading’ other funders.
37
7. Reflections so far
and moving forward
In a 2006 speech to a CSR conference, the then Chancellor,

Barclays Spaces for Sports is widely Gordon Brown, outlined three broad areas where he thought
acknowledged as a timely programme companies can make a difference to the environment, employment
and community life. These were investing in local communities,
promoting themes that are supportive partnerships with social enterprise and the third sector, and
of many national policy initiatives encouraging volunteering.
such as Stronger and Prosperous It would seem that the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme
involves all three areas. The capital investment phase is nearly at
Communities, Cleaner, Safer, Greener an end and the development fund is supporting and encouraging
Communities, Every Child Matters, and partnerships and volunteering. The final report will cover these
latter elements, but the ultimate test will not be reflected on paper.
Choosing Activity. Neighbourhood It will be borne out on the sites and in the communities – where
renewal, sustainable communities and, success can be measured by the sounds of activities underway and
the perceived transformation of space.
more recently, notions of devolution,
The Barclays Spaces for Sports programme is beginning to build an
have placed emphasis on key aspects evidence base on how the development of sports facilities within
of local involvement. This report has communities can play a significant part in creating the conditions
to empower people. Developing the formal and informal
highlighted where the Barclays Spaces infrastructures essential to thriving communities is a complex and
for Sports programme is currently difficult process. Learning how to do this takes time. It involves
learning from mistakes and it takes commitment. Through
contributing to this agenda. research, the evidence grows and the learning can be shared. A
project manager reporting on her experiences of the programme
said: “It is absolutely brilliant that Barclays are reviewing the
project in this way. It makes me feel good because I feel that things
are being learned and that they want to make things happen and
it’s not just being built and left.”
38
Examples for everyone

to follow
Barclays Corporate Responsibility: Barclays Partners:

Barclays Spaces for Sports is part of a wider CR programme.
Through its CR programme Barclays aims to invest and improve
the areas in which it operates – in the workplace, in the
community and the environment which we all share.
CR is part of Barclays commitment to ‘responsible banking’. This Funded by the Premier League, The Football Association, Sport
means making informed, reasoned and ethical decisions about England and the Government, the Football Foundation is dedicated
how the company conducts business, how it treats employees and to revitalising the grassroots of the game, constructing modern
how it behaves towards customers and clients. football facilities, developing football as a force for social cohesion
and as a vehicle for education in communities.
In the UK, this includes initiatives around money, education, debt
advice and getting people into work. In 2006 Barclays announced www.footballfoundation.org.uk
£3.6million of funding to Help the Aged and NCH, the Children’s
Charity, targeting financial exclusion and poverty among 270,000
people at the vulnerable extremes of the age range, backed by a
massive staff volunteering campaign.
Groundwork is a federation of Trusts in England, Wales and

Northern Ireland, each working with their partners to improve the
quality of the local environment, the lives of local people and the
success of local businesses in areas in need of investment
and support.
www.groundwork.org.uk
www.barclays.co.uk/spacesforsports

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13481_barc_s4s_mmu_report_v11qxd.

qxd 24/5/07 12:05 Page 1

Interim Report April 2007

Manchester Metropolitan University 3

Barclays Spaces for Sport and

“What impressed us about Barclays Spaces for

Barclays Spaces for Sports

Barclays Spaces for Sports is the largest

2. The delivery partners

If the programme was to work at

Groundwork UK is a federation of trusts in England, Wales and

British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV)

From the outset Barclays has used

4. The Barclays Spaces for Sports

Following the show, research commissioned by Barclays showed

Number now open: 16

Flagship projects are developed in association with

Number now open: 125

Every region of the UK has a local Barclays Spaces

Number awarded: 3,400

Local Hero Awards

Geographical coverage to date

Barclays Spaces for Sports Coaching Pack Awards

Scotland: 139 North: 270

Number of successful awards up to Phase 31 (April 2007)

3. In order to support communities with equipment purchases this function

ii. Specialist support iii. Development fund surgeries

5.1.3. Public-private partnerships

5. 2. Client and community empowerment

5.3.1. Types of sport

The Anchorage Lane example shows that investment in the young

According to Sport England (2002) the sporting sector makes the

Volunteering on the projects is not just about sport though. The

5.4.1. Barclays volunteering

Barclays Spaces for Sports aims to

Of course, it is early days for the programme and significant

In a 2006 speech to a CSR conference, the then Chancellor,

Examples for everyone

Barclays Corporate Responsibility: Barclays Partners:

Groundwork is a federation of Trusts in England, Wales and

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