With key statistics showing a dramatic decrease in the number of PE hours being lost from the curriculum (more than 36,000 hours since London 2012, Department for Education Workforce Survey), Sports Direct and the Youth Sport Trust have identified a real need for support among parents, PE teachers, and caregivers alike.  

The Youth Sport Trust equips educators and empowers young people with the vision of creating a future where every child enjoys the life-changing benefits of play and sport. Sport gives young people a platform to have their voice heard and a place to feel they belong. The national charity harnesses this extraordinary power to change young lives and help them build a brighter future.  

Sports Direct believes that sport is the great equaliser and has outlined clear objectives with the charity for the next three years which aim to further progress the nation’s relationship with sport, recreation and children’s wellbeing. 

The three-year partnership will provide free-to-access content and tools to help families play together, help young people from the most underserved and disadvantaged communities achieve their potential through the power of play and sport, support schools with the best value equipment and kit for PE and school sport, in addition to holistic goals including transforming societal attitudes towards the importance of children’s sport.  

Kicking off during the charity’s annual awareness campaign National School Sports Week (19 to 25 June), Sports Direct and the Youth Sport Trust welcome the return of Sports Slam – a children’s fitness initiative which encourages 7–11-year-olds to participate in at least 60 minutes of activity or sport each day. Sports Slam 2023 will include a week-long programme of fun-fuelled activities and challenges, that will inspire kids to get active, while helping them develop skills that go beyond court, field and track.

During National School Sports Week, Sports Slam will enlist the support of some of the country’s most exciting and revered athletes to tour schools across the UK, engaging with the nation’s next generation of sports stars. Alongside getting active and discovering new sports, students will walk back into classrooms after the summer break, empowered by the development of personal skills like confidence, teamwork and mental wellbeing.  

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said:

“The Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for England tells us that children need to be active for 60 minutes every day. Yet our research shows us public awareness of this target to support children’s health and happiness is worryingly low. While 86% of parents believe that sport and play are important parts of every young person’s education and development, only 42% are aware that children should be active for 60 minutes a day on average over the course of a week. 24% of parents believe it to be less than 30 minutes.   

“This is why we are teaming up with Sports Direct and Sports Slam this summer for National School Sports Week to raise awareness of the guidance and help busy families find fun ways to be active together. We are taking urgent action to support more young people, schools and families to play for fun, and play for 60.”  

Sports Slam 2023 and National School Sports Week this year has a theme of Play for Fun, Play for 60. Visit www.sportstartshere.com for more details on the Sports Direct & the Youth Sport Trust partnership and to register your interest in Sports Slam 2023. To join the National School Sports Week campaign visit www.youthsporttrust.org/join-us/nssw