23/5-2023GAME AND INTERSPORT JOIN FORCES TO EMPOWER YOUTH AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH STREET SPORTS AND STREET CULTURE
The street sports organization GAME’s experience in creating active communities for youth and INTERSPORT’s expertise and strong roots in local sports in Denmark are now coming together in a collaboration that empowers youth and communities.
Helping more people find their place in sports
The goal of the partnership is to involve more children and young people in active communities centered around street sports and to increase their engagement and well-being.
“For us, sports are not only for elite athletes. The heart of sports can be found on every streetcorner, in parks and on the streets where all communities can come together to engage in sports. Sports are fun and games, but also creates communities and strengthen individuals. This is something we want to be a part of and support. We aim to contribute to the effort to get more people involved in an active daily life, and we see a strong connection and synergy with the work GAME is doing,” says Thomas Schøler Grøndahl, CMO of INTERSPORT Group Denmark.
Potential between NGO and a company
There is significant potential in the partnership between a youth-NGO like GAME and a sportschain like INTERSPORT to empower youth and communities through access to street sports.
The resources and expertise INTERSPORT contributes will enable GAME to engage even more young people. Those involved with GAME will feel like a part of a larger community, become better at resolving conflicts and are motivated to participate in civil society, which wil contribute to strengthening the communities they are a part of.
GAME is a Danish-based international street sports organization that works to involve more children and youth in positive and inclusive communities. The organization, which received the Crown Prince Couple’s Social Prize last year, offers young people education as role models and instructors in street sports, and these young people then volunteer in residential areas every week, providing free training for local children. GAME also works on creating innovative facilities, known as Streetmekka’s to make street sports and street culture more accecable.
INTERSPORT is the world’s largest sportschain, and in Denmark, the chain has a unique local engagement with 64 stores across the country. INTERSPORT contributes to the collaboration with financial support and goods as well as concrete expertise such as merchandise-sales, events and partnerships with sports brands.
“It’s about involving both the young people who don’t believe they can and those who can’t resist. When we strengthen the conditions for young people as role models, street sports practitioners, friends, and as young people who are being heard, we also create stronger and more inclusive communities,” says Ayhan Can, Director of Facilities & Engagement at GAME.
The collaboration kicks off at GAME Finals on June 10th and 11th in Copenhagen, featuring events such as 3×3 street basketball and where young volunteers and children from residential areas all around the country come together to compete in street soccer and street dance.
