The rising cost of living is threatening to freeze young people out of participation in grassroots sport, a charity has claimed.
Increases in energy, facilities and insurance costs are having a crippling effect on local sports clubs, figures from a survey of hundreds of clubs carried out by Sported has shown.
The Sported / Ring Community Pulse survey of almost 275 community-based groups across Northern Ireland found that over nine in ten were “extremely or fairly concerned” about the impact of increased costs on their operations.
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57% say they have been hit by a significant rise in energy and utility bills over the past six months. 41% revealed that funding to offer financial support has dropped over the same period.
One of those clubs who have seen their activities affected is Ballinamallard United Youth FC in Co Fermanagh, who have had to charge young people and their families more to attend sessions.
Derek Sharpe is head of youth development at the club and says some families have had to stop bringing their kids to sessions because of the increase.
“Sport, for many young people, is an escape from the stresses that happen in school or home. What we’ve tried to do, like other clubs, is to give kids more of a chance to have that peace or that structure in their lives,” Derek says.
“After Covid, we’ve seen them have less confidence than they maybe had before. We’ve had young people who have had difficulties after they’ve stopping coming but we’ve got them back and helped them.
“It’s £3 to come along. But we also see families who can’t afford that. And it’s tough here because we’re in a part of the country where there’s not as much to do.
“Kids can get involved in negative influences. Sport keeps them away from those. But the cost of facilities and pitches is going up which doesn’t help.
“Our Council facilities have gone up 10%. There’s a knock on effect that we have to charge more per session.”
Derek praised the time and effort put in by local volunteers who give up their time to coach free of charge, but says it costs money to ensure coaches are qualified as well.
“Our club’s run by volunteers. Without them, it would be impossible,” he says.
“The time commitment is phenomenal. But you also have the costs to put them through coaching or other qualifications. It’s huge, we have to find grants for that.
“We got some help through the Barclays Community Football Fund to support our girls development programme. But it’s a continuous cycle and it’s tough.”
Sported, which offers free resources and funding to groups in its network in Northern Ireland, identified from group leaders that 80% of them are concerned that cost of living increases are impacting on the mental health of the young people they work with.
In the longer term, over one in three of those surveyed by Sported believe cost of living hits will lead to drops in young Northern Irish people being active, with 22% fearing their club or group will either have to operate at a reduced capacity – or close completely.
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Tom Burstow, deputy CEO of Sported, said: “It costs a huge amount to run a grassroots sports club. And there are various challenges, whether they are based in a major city like Belfast or in rural parts of Northern Ireland.
“85% of the groups we work with don’t own their own facility. So you have the 15% who have enormous facility costs and energy prices sky rocketing. And then the remainder are reliant on the costs set for them and those have risen exponentially as well.
“We want every young person in Northern Ireland to have a chance to realise their potential. The groups are at the heart of their communities and we fear that if they are lost, young people will be more susceptible to risk.”
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