Rackets Cubed, one of the key founding members of Squash United, was recent featured in a post by Sport For Development Coalition.
Sport for Development Coalition is a UK-wide movement of more than 200 charities and civil society organisations, leagues, clubs and networks over-arching thousands of projects and programmes intentionally using targeted interventions to tackle key health and societal inequalities.
In an article titled “United by 2022: How sport for development can help to build a legacy for Birmingham,” Rackets Cubed was introduced, with the article reading as follows:
The charity’s core aim is to deliver an integrated sport, education and nutrition programme to support children from low socio-economic backgrounds across the Midlands. Evidence suggests that more physically active children show improvements in academic achievement, and Rackets Cubed believe racket sports are particularly effective.
Nationally the programme supports children aged eight to 11 at 15 sites across seven cities. More than 50% of participants are eligible for school free meals, with 55% girls and 80% from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds. Rackets Cubed facilitate free access, court time and teaching with the programme running for a year, and focusing on STEM subjects alongside sports coaching and a healthy nutritious meal.
Founder and Chair Michael Hill explained: “Sport is a brilliant way for communities to integrate. Anyone can play social badminton it doesn’t matter what your background is.” He added: “The Commonwealth Games are a visible example of that; you get elite role models who are important for kids. If you see someone like you succeeding, kids will more likely participate and the Games are a great showcase.”
