27/07/10 Street Sport Project Granted London 2012 Inspire Mark
Sport 4 Life’s Street Sport project – an initiative that provides sporting opportunities for children and young people in disadvantaged parts of Birmingham- has been granted the Inspire Mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire Programme. The London 2012 Inspire programme recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – and Street Sport is just that. The programme has been genuinely inspired by London 2012 because it is providing youngsters with the opportunity to emulate their Olympic heroes in community-based competitions, while simultaneously promoting the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship to all participants. Seb Coe, Chair, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: “Street Sport is encouraging children and young people to fulfil their potential. I am proud that with the help of partners such as Sport 4 Life UK are delivering on our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in Birmingham.” James Forrest, Manager, Sport 4 Life UK said: “We are really proud to have been granted the Inspire Mark and to have been recognised as an exceptional initiative promoting sport in Birmingham. Our Street Sport project will engage hundreds of participants every week, will bring sport into the heart of deprived communities, and will give children and young people the inspiration and motivation to perhaps become Olympic competitors themselves one day.”

23/07/10 420 Children Enjoy A Sport 4 Life Extravaganza
In the glorious sunshine of June 420 children from inner city Birmingham took part in two massive sports days - the Soho Games and the Ladywood Games - organised by Sport 4 Life. The tournaments enabled underprivileged children to experience top quality competitive activities including football, athletics, uni-hockey and handball, and were attended by 14 primary schools in total. Benson School were crowned the Soho Games Champions, while St Patrick's School took the Ladywood Games title. It was not all about winning, however, as the events were specifically designed to build community spirit, encourage team-work, and promote fair play. Moreover the Games enabled Sport 4 Life to implement its charitable objective of supporting children to get active and to be healthy.

23/07/10 Street Dance Crew Perform At Community Fun Day
Two street dance crews - set up and run by Sport 4 Life - performed at a local community event in Birmingham this July, to much acclaim. Showcasing their talents at the Stockfield Fun Day 2010, the "Acocks Dance Dance Group" delivered an up-beat routine of hip-hop and street dance moves and their skills were praised by the crowd and local community alike. The all-girl group - which consists of an under-12s crew and an under-16s crew - has been set up to enable underprivileged children and young people from an east Birmingham estate to improve their physical fitness, to build a sense of community spirit and identity, and to have fun! The project has been supported by the Stockfield Community Association, who are very pleased and proud of the progress of the initiative.

10/06/10 Sport 4 Life Staff Wins BCFA 'Coach of the Year'
Sport 4 Life’s Street Sport project co-ordinator, David Johnson, was named ‘Coach of the Year’ at the 2009/2010 annual BCFA Awards, held at the Grass Roots Live event at the NEC. The award gives recognition to David’s remarkable enthusiasm, commitment and passion for delivering top quality community football coaching in some of Birmingham’s most disadvantaged areas. David has developed projects from an idea into a reality, and engages over 200 young people each week. The award was presented by former Charlton Athletic and West Ham Manager Alan Curbishley, and former Arsenal football player and current sports pundit Alan Smith. Deputy Manager of Sport 4 Life Tom Forrest congratulates David Johnson on his achievement: “For all his commitment, hard-work, passion, enthusiasm, and skill in an extremely challenging environment, we believe David fully deserves to be recognised and we are delighted that he has won the BCFA 'Coach of the Year' for 2009/2010. We feel this award is also testament to the fantastic charitable work that Sport 4 Life is delivering throughout Birmingham.”

01/05/10 Helping Birmingham Be Active
Sport 4 Life has launched a range of fitness classes in deprived parts of Birmingham, working in partnership with the Birmingham City Council initiative "Be Active". We will be delivering 90 fun fitness sessions for families, enabling parents and their children to get active together in an innovative mix of activities including parachute games, dance, cheerleading, and ball games, while also providing 80 adult-only classes in aerobics instruction and healthy lifestyles advice. All of these classes have been designed to give underprivileged people the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health, to lose weight, and to make friends, and we strongly believe this project will help Birmingham to be active!

15/04/10 Young Sports Leaders Trained By Sport 4 Life
Thanks to a grant from StreetGames and Sports Leader UK, Sport 4 Life has been able to engage 7 young people from Druids Heath to complete the Day Certificate in Sports Leadership Award. The course has enabled the participants to develop valuable leadership skills, team work skills and communication skills, and has given many of them the opportunity to gain valuable experience as community sports coaches – while simultaneously having a lot of fun! The course provided the teenagers with a theoretical understanding of leadership, as well as practical opportunities to lead their own sessions in sports ranging from uni-hockey to dodgeball to penalty shoot-outs. All participants have progressed into volunteering at Sport 4 Life’s community sports sessions, and are being trained up to become role models for younger generations of children on their estates.