Leading the Movement: Empowering leaders to tackle inequalities

Sport England’s Leading the Movement programme, funded by The National Lottery, is a long-term commitment to upskill, empower, and connect leaders to help them tackle inequalities in sport and physical activity. Here's how we're supporting it...

The programme exists to ensure that the benefits of being active are accessible to everyone, regardless of background or circumstance. Through targeted support, collaboration and professional development opportunities, Leading the Movement is helping sector leaders drive meaningful and lasting change.

At the heart of the initiative is a vision to build a diverse and thriving community of leaders who are empowered, skilled and united in their efforts to address inequalities in sport and physical activity.

The programme's mission is to equip leaders with the confidence, knowledge and support needed to successfully tackle barriers to participation and contribute to the ambitions of Sport England's Uniting the Movement strategy.

A key strength of the programme is its collaborative approach. YSF Director of Development, Joe Thompson, a mentor on the programme, is helping to guide and support leaders as they navigate the challenges of creating more inclusive opportunities in sport and physical activity.

Joe said, “I enjoy supporting people, sharing experiences and learning from others, and wanted to give something back having benefitted hugely from brilliant mentors myself.”

Meanwhile, YSF Development Manager, Tahir Akram, a member of the programme's co-design panel, is contributing valuable insights to help shape and develop support that reflects the needs of leaders across the sector. Tahir’s role here at YSF includes supporting collaborative whole-systems working across the city, linked to managing the Place Partnership, Active Bradford. He also leads the design and implementation of ‘Lead the Change’, an initiative designed to increase the number of leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds within the sector. Tahir passionately believes that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to get involved in sport and physical activity.

Joe and Tahir's contributions tie in with Leading the Movement's priorities. These include understanding the challenges leaders face in addressing inequality, developing practical solutions through training, coaching, mentoring, and content development, and building stronger connections across the sector to encourage collaboration and shared learning.

The programme also strongly emphasises supporting diverse leaders and those working with under-served communities. By providing targeted support and accessible resources, it aims to ensure that leaders feel better equipped to address inequalities and drive long-term systemic change.

As inequalities in sport and physical activity remain a significant challenge, Leading the Movement is bringing together expertise, experience and lived perspectives to empower leaders and accelerate progress towards a fairer and more inclusive future for all.

For more information about Leading the Movement and its work supporting sector leaders, visit the programme's website.

Leading the Movement