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A Few Words From Our CEO Mike Chamberlain...
I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy (and active) New Year. During 2025, we have enjoyed stability with all team members still with us, and all developing and expanding their work to support community sport and physical activity across Birmingham. We’ve also recruited 5 fantastic new trustees to give us a full board and we are really excited about how they will bring their significant skills and experience to bear.
The year began with a number of large events, engaging partners around the opportunity for new longer-term funding for Birmingham, and this work has continued throughout the year. Our collective ‘Place’ bid to Sport England will materialise early in 2026 and will closely align with Sport England's 'Uniting the Movement' strategy and Birmingham City Council's 'Creating an Active Birmingham’ strategy. As the lead body for this work, we will support the bigger outcomes addressing inactivity, improving activity levels, tackling inequalities, and creating more opportunities for children and young people.
Active Birmingham, the ongoing legacy work from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has further expanded into new areas of highest inactivity and social need; Our children and young people programmes have dovetailed more closely with the community capacity building and we had a hugely successful ‘Girls of Brum’ event at the Alexander Stadium in June, which we will build further on in 2026.
Our workforce and skills support with partner organisations has included apprenticeship programmes, skills development for volunteer programmes. The ‘Make a Difference’ programme working with schools continues to mentor young people and give them development opportunities as well as providing holiday camps.
There has been a more deliberate focus on quality, diversity, and inclusion through all our programmes and interventions. Safety and welfare capacity has enabled significant community leadership and support to clubs and community organisations; and we are also mobilising our sustainability plan including our commitments to partners and communities.
We are now approaching the final year of our 5-year ‘system partner’ funding with Sport England and will be signing a new commitment with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Sport England at the start of next year. We have a big role to play in the new Birmingham Sports Strategy and will continue working closely with the council and partners to ensure community benefit is at the heart of all events that take place in the city and region. We will also continue to build on some successful business development during the year to maximise other income which can be redistributed across our work and directly to community organisations.
The Sport Birmingham team really look forward to working with you next year to help make Birmingham a more active and healthy city for everyone! |
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Girls of Brum Returns for 2026!
2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for Women & Girls in Sport throughout Birmingham and our work. Girls of Brum is a bold citywide movement dedicated to creating a Birmingham where every girl feels confident, resilient, and empowered to thrive through sport, physical activity, and leadership opportunities. When girls are supported to take part, be visible, and lead, the benefits extend far beyond the individual - they transform families, communities, and the future of our city. Therefore, we are delighted to announce the return of the highly successful citywide Girls of Brum celebration event to the iconic Alexander Stadium on June 11th 2026!
Check out the excitement from this year's event here.
We're also thrilled to announce the Women's Coaching Festival! Sport Birmingham, in collaboration with The Active Wellbeing Society and This Girl Can, will run this dedicated event throughout April 2026. The festival aims to strengthen our sport and physical activity workforce across the city by ensuring the delivery of inclusive, accessible sessions for women and girls. It also seeks to encourage and support more women and girls to become involved in the sector's workforce.
Both events will lead up to the global event where the International Working Group welcomes the Women & Sport Global Summit to our city in July 2026. This major event will bring worldwide attention to advancing equity and equality in sport.
We’ll be releasing full details about these exciting Women & Girls events in the New Year. Keep an eye on your inbox! |
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Powering Up PlayZonesSport Birmingham have been successful in securing multi sport investment funding from Sport England. This funding will be used to activate PlayZone sites across the city and will be directed to local community organisations (PlayZone Connectors) based within PlayZone wards. These organisations will work closely with community residents and other local groups to co-design an activation plan for each site, ensuring that the spaces are shaped by local needs and priorities.The following organisations are our PlayZone Connectors:Pitch2Progress - Batchelors Farm PlayZoneOur Community Foundation - Adderley Park PlayZoneBirmingham Settlement - Birmingham Settlement PlayZoneBirmingham United CIO - Concord PlayZoneIf you are interested in hearing more about the PlayZones please contact: nicola.english@sportbirmingham.org
Click here to read a Football Foundation article about the PlayZone Programme |
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SAFE Into 2026
Planning is underway for the delivery of the 2026 SAFE mentoring programme. This year's sites are Arena Academy, George Dixon Academy, Greenwood Academy and Beeches Primary school.
SAFE's aims are to enhance educational achievements and develop life and employability skills that promote self-efficacy and resilience. The programme also seeks to harness the power of physical activity, wellness initiatives and mentoring to drive positive change, while fostering a sense of civic responsibility within communities and neighbourhoods.
Here are just some of the activities planned:
- Social skills workshops
- Group mentoring sessions
- 1-1 mentoring support
- Holiday camp / after school sessions
- Continued partnership with the Leadship Skills Foundation, delivering Go Lead Awards
For more information about the programme and to get involved you can contact:
ismael.ali@sportbirmingham.org or safeera.hickson@sportbirmingham.org
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Connections for Prosperity: Beyond the Sport Conference
📅 5th February 2026
📍Edgbaston Stadium
The West Midlands is a region built on resilience, creativity, and ambition. From the industrial heartlands that powered a nation to the cultural energy of our cities, this is a place that knows how to reinvent itself. Now, sport is emerging as one of our most powerful engines for renewal - driving investment, inspiring communities, and putting the West Midlands firmly on the global map.
Following on from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and major infrastructure commitments, the region is seeing unprecedented momentum. Flagship projects such as the major regeneration work taking place at Aston Villa FC, the creation of Birmingham’s new Sports Quarter, the expansion of elite training facilities, and the growth of community sports hubs are reshaping our urban landscapes and creating new economic opportunities.
This conference will explore how sport is much more than a game - how it can revitalise neighbourhoods, boost skills and employment, attract inward investment, and foster civic pride. This conference will focus on what the region could and should be doing to make sure it capitalises on the huge opportunities presented through the rise of sports regeneration across the West Midlands.
But the question remains: how do we go beyond the sport?
Through keynote addresses and panel discussions, the following will be explored:
- Sports led Regeneration in the region: Why now and how big is the prize
- Winning Formulas: The Dos and Don’ts of Sports-Led Regeneration
- How sporting excellence and investment are such key catalysts for regeneration in the West Midlands
- Job Creation and Skills: Do the numbers really add up?
- The role of political leadership in making sport-led regeneration a reality
- Winning the Mega Events: Is the West Midlands ready to consistently win the big prizes?
- The Sports Quarter and its role in shaping the region
- How sport has changed, and continues, to change people’s lives across our region
The audience for the day will bring together sports leaders, urban planners, investors, policymakers, community organisations, and academics, and showcase the West Midlands as a living laboratory for sport-led regeneration. The conference is delighted to welcome Gleeds, Mott MacDonald and Gowling WLG as key sponsors for this event. Acorns Children’s Hospice is charity partner for the day and will invite a number of partners to exhibit at the conference (with a small donation being requested to be made to the charity).
For more information and to book your place click here |
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Funding and Training OpportunitiesCheck out our funding opportunities page which is updated on an ongoing basis. You’ll find over 100 grant and loan providers listed! Take a look here and discover which opportunities could be a great fit for your group or organisation. Here are a selection of just some of the funding opportunities listed:The Positive Futures FundThe fund aims to support community/voluntary organisations and registered charities working with disadvantaged young people aged 13 to 25 years old, within Birmingham and the Black Country. Click here for more info.
Matthew Good Foundation
Grants for Good: Funding for small charitable organisations. Click here fore more information.
Severn Trent NeighbourGOOD Scheme
Through the scheme, local groups, charities, and community project owners can apply for support to make a difference in their communities. Click here for more information.
Pride in Place Impact Fund
The fund was established by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government. Applications are invited from community groups, charities, social enterprises, local businesses (or partnerships of these), and resident associations (or partnerships of these) that have a plan to invest in long term improvements to community buildings or spaces, public places or high street revitalisation, or to create or expand existing community partnership organisations or companies.
Click here for more info.
DBS Online Workshops
Looking for guidance around understanding DBS checks and safe recruitment practices? For more info and to register click the below links:
Disclosure Workshop - Tuesday 20 January 2026
DBS Checks - Understanding Eligibility
Barring Workshop - Tuesday 3 February 2026
DBS Barring and the Legal Duty to Refer
Buddle
Buddle have a fantastic range of free online training workshops for sport and physical activity clubs and organisations. Topics covered include community engagement, digital marketing and financial and legal matters.
Check out their full range here. |
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Daily £100+ donations to be won!
As we count down towards Christmas, your group could win a daily cash injection courtesy of easyfundraising and their Christmas Crackers competition, 8-21 December. Take advantage of your members and wider community’s Christmas shopping by receiving cashback donations every time they buy from over 8,000 retailers at no extra cost to them! They just need to shop via the easyfundraising app or website. And this month, while they’re at it, if they click on the daily Christmas cracker, your group will go into a draw to win a £100 or £200 donation each day up to 21st December. Not using easyfundraising yet? Register now to get free funding this month and into 2026!
Click here to sign up and register your club or organisation with Easyfundraising!
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❄️ Winter Camp is Back! ❄️
Activities include tournaments, dodgeball, workshops, park walks and much more!
📅 Mon 29th Dec | Tue 30th Dec | Wed 31st Dec | Fri 2nd Jan
⏰ 1pm - 5pm
🎟️ Limited places — so register now!
⚠️BIOB Code required.
For further info email zain@ourcommunity.org.uk
Click here to register |
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Sport Birmingham,
11th Floor, Cobalt Square, 83-85 Hagley Road,
Birmingham, B16 8QG Registered charity number: 1155171 |
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