Charity partners with Sports Direct to launch free sports equipment for schools

• Sports Slam aims to get kids moving, as Sports Direct pledges free equipment and resources to schools across the country
• In partnership with national children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust, Sports Slam is fronted by sports stars James Haskell, Natasha Jonas, Lina Nielsen and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake
• Taking place during the charity's National School Sports Week, Sports Slam kicks off in schools around the country from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd June
• Teachers and schools across the UK can take part in Sports Slam through free sign up on the Sports Slam website.

Sports retailer Sports Direct has announced the return of Sports Slam - the brand’s children’s initiative, which encourages 7–11-year-olds to participate in at least 60 minutes of activity or sport each day.

Sports Slam is part of Sports Direct’s three-year partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, which aims to transform societal attitudes towards the importance of children’s sport, in addition to joining forces to lobby UK government to set a national ambition to tackle inactivity and get every young person active for 60 minutes every day. The initiative is part of a wider commitment to equalise sport and PE for children.

It will include a week-long programme of fun-fueled activities and challenges, that will inspire kids to get active, while helping them develop skills that go beyond court, field and track.

With 1 in 3 children in the UK now getting fewer than 30 active minutes per day and 70% of children dropping out of organised sport by the age of 13, the campaign calls for kids to ‘Play For Fun, Play For 60’ recommending a minimum of 60 active minutes per day. Sports Direct is backing the campaign with the provision of free sports equipment as well as downloadable resources and teacher tools, open to all primary schools across the UK and Ireland.

Fronted by sports stars including 3x current light-middleweight champion boxer Natasha Jonas, former England rugby player James Haskell, European athletics champion Lina Nielsen and junior European champion sprinter Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Sports Slam kicks off in schools around the country from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd June, during the Youth Sport Trust's National School Sports Week.

Sports Slam’s programme of fun-fueled activities and challenges, are designed to empower children and improve self development skills - such as confidence, courage and teamwork, through speed-dating of a variety of sports from basketball to boxing. 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.

Beckie Stanion, Chief Marketing Officer at Sports Direct said: “With Sports Slam, we’re at the beginning of a journey that aims to transform our relationship with sport. By speaking the universal languages of fun, freedom and inclusivity, our holistic approach to PE in schools will play a part in inspiring kids to continue playing sports throughout the summer holidays. Longer term, we’ll be working with the Youth Sport Trust to lobby the government to protect sports by putting an end to year on year cuts in investment that have harmed a generation of children in our country. By putting in the work today, we’ll be securing the sports of tomorrow.”

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “The Chief Medical Officers' guidelines for England tell us that children need to be active for 60 minutes every day. Yet our research shows 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 43% are aware that children should be active for 60 minutes a day on average over the course of a week. Almost half of all parents (48%) believe children aged 5-18 should be active for just 30 minutes or less a day. 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.”

Teachers and schools across the UK can take part in Sports Slam through free sign up on the Sports Slam website.