Thinking Football Summit’s Post

Making London More Active! The Young Foundation and London Sport are teaming up in Barking and Dagenham, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, and Southwark to explore how communities access sports and physical activities. Their goal is to tackle inequalities and find ways to support Londoners in living more active lives, aligning with London Sport's mission to make London the most active city in the world. They’re hosting creative workshops to capture lived experiences and need residents and community leaders to participate. No prior experience in sports or physical activity is necessary. Open Call for Residents: Workshops run from September 16th to October 4th. Participants will be paid £20 for a 90-minute session. Open to residents aged 16+ from Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, Lambeth, or Southwark, specifically seeking those from Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean, Black African, or White British backgrounds. Open Call for Community Leaders: Eligible leaders will receive £80 for up to 6 hours (2 workshops and a final presentation event). Must meet the eligibility criteria above. Please share this opportunity with anyone who fits the criteria. See poster for more details. Jem Hai

Does it really matter where someone comes from or where they were born? Does it really matter what you believe or which club you support? The answer is no, it does not matter where you come from, what you believe, which voetbal club you support, or your political orientation. The main question we need to ask each other is: What contribution are you making to improve the lives of others? Are you a supporter of separation, or do you connect with others regardless of these limitations? Too often, the first questions people ask when they meet someone new are: “Where are you from?”, “What is your belief?”, “Which voetbal team are you a fan of?”, or “Which political parties are your favorite?” 🤔 These are worthless interaction questions. While these questions might seem harmless, they can inadvertently create divisions and reinforce stereotypes. Instead, we should focus on what truly matters: our actions and contributions to society. By emphasizing our shared humanity and the positive impact we can have on each other’s lives, we can build stronger, more inclusive communities. 🌈 Instead ask each other: “How are you making a difference?”, “What positive changes are you working towards?”, and “How can we collaborate to create a better future for everyone?” 🌟

Leaders of sports organisations would do well to see their club through four interrelated lenses… Micro: individual Meso: team Macro: club Mega: community A systems approach considers are we doing and what are we saying (culture) that influences our people on an individual, team level, and club level (as well as into the wider community)… Considerations that influence culture across the system include: -structure -mission and vision -objectives -values -behaviours -physical spaces and artefacts -procedure and policy -social responsibility and ethical conduct

Sport and physical activity, at its core, unites people. This month, our Director @JasonFergus reflects on the transformational power of sport, how it ignites a broader system of change, and helps to build communities in order to break down barriers. Read his full blog here: https://lnkd.in/e37VQmc9

The power of branding.

🎬[TOGETHER: TREBLE WINNERS] I recently watched a documentary series produced by Netflix about the unforgettable Manchester City season (2022/23) in which they won the famous 'treble' and became only the second English club to do so (after Manchester United in 1999). 🏆 It is clear to me that such series generally do not show everything, especially not the most important tactical details from the dressing room, but I was actually impressed by two things: • I always thought that Guardiola was the prototype of 'tactical genius', which I believe he is, but in the series I got the impression of the absolute opposite - he is primarily a leader in every sense of the word. Motivation, interpersonal relations, culture, the importance of everyone in the team (from the kitchen chef to De Bruyne) for the team's success are more important than half-space, overlap, 3v2 relation and the like. • Guardiola's simplicity - at one training session he told a player "You made a mistake? Run." - a very simple and logical feedback, I personally had the impression until now that Guardiola analyzes every situation in detail and gives the same kind of feedback. I realized that genius does not really lie in the complicated, but in the simple. At one time, Tomislav Ivić was considered a genius, and as most people say that his genius was  in the fact that he could explain football even to the greatest layman of the sport. It is said for a reason that "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance". 👔

Being a United fan is tough right now… However 👇 Reflecting on my passion for football and education recruitment, I've noticed parallels between Manchester United's current performance and our industry's challenges. Like United, facing highs and lows, we understand the importance of resilience amidst difficult times... Similar to United’s global scouting efforts, in recruitment, assembling the right team is vital. Key aspects like investing in talent early, adapting to change, and resilience in the face of obstacles are essential. Let's learn from United's ethos of strategy, teamwork, adaptability, and resilience as we navigate recruitment challenges. Up the reds!!! 🔴⚽ #ManchesterUnited #EducationRecruitment #Teamwork #Resilience #Strategy

Football, Music, or Movies – What’s Your Reason to Travel? There are so many reasons why we choose to travel. For some, it’s the passion for football – the thrill of watching a live game in a packed stadium as your favorite team takes the field. For others, it’s music – perhaps an unforgettable night at ABBA Voyage in London. Or maybe it’s the magic of movies, discovering iconic locations where legendary scenes were filmed. At Sembo, we aim to open up the world and make it easier for everyone to travel based on their unique passions and interests. Today, we’re excited to launch Premier League matches as part of our travel options! Whether it’s cheering for Manchester United at Old Trafford or Liverpool at Anfield, this is just the beginning – with more matches and exciting travel opportunities to come. Whatever inspires you to pack your bags, we’re here to help you turn those dreams into unforgettable experiences. So, what’s your reason to travel? #ReasonToTravel #Sembo #ExploreTheWorld #PremierLeague #FootballTrips #MusicTrips #FilmDestinations https://lnkd.in/gSnynGPT

A simple concept but it produced such an interesting discussion.. thank you Nicky Harverson & Chris Davis for facilitating (& Hannah Meek for asking the question that kick started all of this!) Not only did it enable us to understand each other better as colleagues whilst highlighting the diversity of experiences and backgrounds we now have in the team (which is so powerful!), it really gave us space to really think about people’s movement journey across a life course. It’s so much more than an individuals attitude or motivation… Even for us, as advocates and champions of physical activity, there are times when we’ve been less active or not active at all, for various physical, social and personal reasons, but that can change in an instance from week to week/ month to month, or for some,over a longer period of time - and that isn’t about motivation or knowledge, these are factors or conditions in our lives that make it easier or harder - the system around us - the spaces, places, infrastructure & social norms. We need to ensure that the conditions are right & the opportunities are there, ready & waiting for when an individual or group are ready to (re) engage with movement. And when they are, the expeirnces need to be positive ones; safe, inclusive & where they feel they belong.

The penultimate Host City 2024 panel of today addressed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in event governance. The panel began by discussing how to move beyond a compliance culture, to take a more proactive approach to DEI. Professor Gayle McPherson, Chair in Events and Cultural Policy at the University of West of Scotland, said that begins by making sure the right people are in the room from the start. She added that rights holders, hosts, governments and suppliers all have a role to play in enforcing best practice. She stressed that, while there will always be inconsistencies in values and priorities between groups, collaboration fosters closer alignment. David Grevemberg CBE, Chief Innovation and Partnership Officer at Centre for Sport and Human Rights, emphasised this. “If you want a truly inclusive event, then you need representations from all communities; and for that, you need a safe space that caters for the adaptations, accessibility needs and language nuances that people require. Without community engagement, you event can’t be truly inclusive.” Shiny Fang, Secretary General, UIPM - World Pentathlon explained that meaningful representation also needs to be reflected through an organisation's structure. She added that diversity comes with challenges in coordinating and balancing different views, and that must be addressed upfront to avoid DEI becoming a headcount tickbox. #HostCity2024 #diversity #equity #inclusion #eventgovernance