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Bristol Sport Foundation
BSF is the independent charitable arm of Bristol Sport, the multi-sport group founded by Steve Lansdown CBE in 2014.
Its mission is to use the power of sport help tackle the deep-rooted inequalities faced by children, young people and their communities across greater Bristol.
We are seeking new Board trustees to support the next phase of development!
Bristol is a tale of two cities:
· Children and young people in Bristol are experiencing poor mental health which is linked to adverse childhood experiences: 20.6% of children aged 0-15, approximately 17,700, are experiencing child poverty. This is 3.5% higher than the national average. In South Bristol this peaks at 39.8%.
· Attendance in schools is a challenge for our children and young people, with rates of persistent absentees at 26%, significantly higher than the national average of 19%. This is related to high rates of illness, anxiety and poor mental wellbeing.
· Serious youth violence is a significant issue in our city. It is rising with the rate of first-time entrants into Bristol’s youth justice system. In 2023 it was 195.7 per 100,000 population; this is significantly higher than the national average of 143.4 per 100,000.
Through the development and delivery of both projects and programmes we aim to help improve health and wellbeing, increase positive educational outcomes whilst building social confidence and resilience.
We want to help change this picture for the better and we need committed people to help us on this journey.
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Our work: we have three core areas of work:
1. Flyers Community: we look after the community arm of the professional Bristol Flyers Men’s Basketball Team. Our team of inspiring basketball coaches deliver hub sessions across the city, encouraging thousands of children and young people to participate in one of the faster growing sports in the UK.
2. Delivery in schools: we deliver a great programme of support in primary schools across the city. This ranges from PE and School multi-sport delivery, lunchtime and after school enrichment, pupil mentoring and healthy lives related interventions. Our team of experienced coaches currently support an estimated 8,500 children per week through the Forever Sport programme.
3. Maximising collective impact: As one of the three charities based at Ashton Gate Stadium, we are committed to working in collaboration with the Robins Foundation and the Bristol Bears Community Foundation to maximise impact. We are particularly focused on identifying how the power of sport can make a positive difference to the challenges faced by our communities.
How we look.
We are a team of 45 staff
Delivery Team: 35 specialist coaching staff who enable our delivery.
Enabling Team: 10 specialist staff: CEO, Finance, Fundraising, Operations, and office management.
Our future
We want to deepen our impact in the communities that need us most. Using the power of sport, we believe we can inspire more children and young people to become more active, more engaged, and ultimately feel better about themselves and their futures.
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Can you help us deliver this ambition?
Do you have the skills, knowledge and passion to help BSF grow in its next iteration of development and help us work better and more collaboratively across the city?
Against a backdrop of tighter public and private sector finances, and ongoing cost of living challenges, we are evolving our strategy to ensure we can drive progress by demonstrating the impact of sport and physical activity more clearly.
We are looking for expertise, interest or lived experience in the following areas:
· Experience with schools, education, children and young people
· Understanding of the challenges surrounding tackling inequalities across Bristol
· Charity governance
· Impact measurement and data collection
· Understanding the power of sport to engage and inspire
· Fundraising and Philanthropy
· Equality diversity and inclusion
· Health and Wellbeing
The Board of Trustees is accountable for the continued development of BSF. This involves working with the CEO and leadership team to help determine strategy, policies and the on-going vision for the organisation as well as securing financial investment and ensuring all legal and contractual obligations are met.
The initial term is four years in line with the Code for Sports Governance, with the option to renew for another four-year term by mutual agreement. Trustee roles are voluntary, with reasonable travel expenses for meetings and events reimbursed. The time commitment is four meetings per year and selected events to support the charity’s development.
The Foundation considers the current Trustee Board is unrepresentative of the local community population it serves. We therefore particularly welcome applications from young people, Black and Ethnic Minority groups and the LGBTQIA+ community.
BSF are committed to adopting a safer recruitment process so to apply please use the form. Successful candidates will be asked to complete a self-declaration form and carry out a DBS check before formally joining the Board.
Deadline date for applications: 5pm on 10th January 2025.
Shortlisted candidate interviews will be conducted during January 2025