Establishing trust, understanding barriers and being a positive role model are prerequisites for any coach working in this area – skills that many existing coaches will know from working with groups that feel underrepresented or disconnected from sport.

Programme Director of Active Row (run by London Youth Rowing), Emily Coe took a group of 14-year-old girls from Wandsworth out rowing as part of a programme to engage young people in London’s most disadvantaged areas. She had expected them to be unfamiliar with the boats and paddles, but their inexperience went several steps further than that.

“These girls lived under one mile from the Thames, but many had never even seen the river,” Emily explains.

“It has become a well-told story among our coaches, but it’s more common than you might think. Many young people simply never set foot outside their own borough.”

Step one: See the individual

“It’s first of all about treating people as individuals and creating a rapport with each one,” Emily says of the young people who take part in her Active Row programme. 

“Most of our young people can’t swim and fear the water, so we develop relationships through indoor rowing and build their confidence and trust in the coaches and teachers in order to get them out on the water.”

Step two: Build confidence

Removing all potential barriers is key, Emily says. Things to avoid include:

• unnecessarily exposing people’s lack of confidence or skill
• setting big and daunting targets
• using alienating jargon
• rushing them
• exerting pressure
• asking for payment that may be prohibitive.

People’s lack of confidence is an important element also highlighted by squash coach Carrie Ramsey. She runs a programme called Rackets Cubed at Chapel Allerton Squash Club in Leeds to engage primary school pupils from the deprived Harehills area of the city.

“They are very daunted,” she says. “They just don’t think they’re capable, so they need a lot of attention and patience. 

“The great thing about our programme here is that it lasts 20 weeks and they see me every single week. That long period of time is crucial to becoming a role model in their eyes, building those individual relationships and them investing in what I say. Something short-term would be nowhere near as effective.

Step three: A supportive coaching mindset 

Fostering relationships takes time, but also depends heavily on the coach’s personality. 

Positive Futures’ Senior Development Officer Lucy Donovan asserts that resilience and relatability are important assets. She coordinates programmes that use sport to support at-risk young people in some of the toughest estates across Gwent, south-east Wales.

As well as the ability to listen without judgement, she explains that empathy is key.

“Not everyone has the tools to work with disaffected and challenging young people whose home lives are manic, so relating to the young people is the most important skill,” she says.

Step four: Achieving engagement

“Once we’d started training up local people as coaches, the difference was amazing,” Lucy continues. 

They became instantly relatable positive role models.

Emily’s experience with her rowing initiatives has been similar. 

“We deliberately have young coaches that young people can relate to,” she explains, “including a couple who can’t swim and had never been in a boat before they took the role on. 

“They show their vulnerability and young people consequently identify with them in a different way.”

The value of individual sports

The value of individual sports is echoed by Nick Burke, who runs Salford Lifestyle Centre in Broughton, one of the most deprived wards in the UK. He provides local people with access to a community-owned gym.

“In my experience, individual sport and fitness activities such as boxing and weight training, performed in a group environment, work best,” Nick explains. “This allows people to find their own pace, grow as individuals, and set their own goals while supporting each other and socialising.

“This way of training also eliminates any of the ‘holding the group back’ feelings and resentments that can come with more familiar team sports. 

“Alternatively, using sports where those involved have less of an emotional connection (like handball) can also be a great way to help keep things fun whilst building up teamwork.”