4iP are announcing an early investment in SCORES or the school competition results system. This pilot project, which will be based in the West Midlands, is the first stage of an ambitious project by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to commission a national database of school sports results.
In March of this year 4iP and Screen West Midlands put out a call for proposals around using the power of digital networks to engage, inspire and reconnect young people to sports in the UK. After wading through proposals and some brilliant face-to-face pitching we selected AllTeams to design, build and run the service.
The SCORES service will showcase the results of a selection of team sports played by local secondary schools based in the West Midlands. Over 40 schools based in the Black Country, Birmingham and Hereford & Worcester have been selected for the project.
While the site will be free for schools to use we anticipate the SCORES reaching financial sustainability should the DCMS go on to commission a national database of school sports results as part of its ongoing commitment to building a vibrant sports culture across the UK, helping encourage children into sport and a healthy ‘playing-to-win’ culture into English sport at grassroots level. The national database could operate for all 5-19 year olds involved in the widest range of school sports.
Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Ben Bradshaw
“The School Sports website will be a key part of the Government’s ongoing drive to build a vibrant culture of competitive sport among young people. By harnessing the technology that young people are so familiar with we can help them to share their sporting successes, inspiring even more young people to get active. Our ambition is to see a national website, so children in the West Midlandswill be blazing a trail for the rest of the country.”
From a 4iP investment perspective a key ambition has always been to use the power of digital networks to engage, inspire and reconnect young people and help them change their lives. The SCORES service, powered by AllTeams is a fantastic initiative that, if effective, will encourage more children in England to become involved in playing sports and I’m delighted that 4iP is able be involved at the pilot stage.
