New Laureus Report Shows Sport Can Fight Youth Crime Across Europe – And Save Money

·              Successful sports projects in Germany, Italy and UK reduce costs to victims, police and prisons and deliver €5 value for every €1 invested

·              ‘This report gives us the ammunition to take to governments and say ‘now give sport a chance to help’ – says Laureus Ambassador Axel Schulz

·               To read a full copy of the report go to http://www.laureus.com/publications

BERLIN, October 23, 2012 – Community sports projects are highly effective when it comes to tackling youth crime and anti-social behaviour and can save governments’ money, according to a ground-breaking report published today.

The report, commissioned by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, entitled Sport Scores, shows that in at least three European countries – Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom - sport is a highly cost-effective and successful way to reduce youth crime.

Research in the report reveals that for every one euro invested in sports projects there is an average return of 5.02 euros to society by reducing costs to victims, police, prisons and courts.

German heavyweight boxing legend and Laureus Ambassador Axel Schulz was present at the launch of the report in Berlin. He said: “When you have been involved in sport for as long as I have, you know how much good it can do. But it’s no good just going out and shouting ‘sport is great’. You need to have research like this which proves beyond doubt that sport can really make a significant economic difference. This gives us the ammunition to take to governments and say ‘here is the proof, now give sport a chance to help’.”

Building on an earlier Laureus-funded report, Teenage Kicks, from 2011, the new report examined projects in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, which reinforced the original findings, that there is a significant economic return to be had from investing in sports-based crime prevention programmes.

Sport Scores measured the results of four community-based projects – Fight for Peace in London, KICK Im Boxring in Berlin, Midnight Basketball in Milan and Sport and Thought in London – all of which use sport to engage young people in a programme of education and support. They were all found to be highly cost-effective and successful in reducing youth crime.

Fight for Peace is a Laureus funded project in East London that uses boxing and martial arts as a means to re-engage and support young people with their personal development. The report estimated the project delivers a beneficial cost ratio of £4.42 for every £1 invested.

KICK Im Boxring is a Laureus funded project with four bases in Berlin and three partnership programmes with local boxing clubs. It is estimated the project delivers a beneficial cost ratio of €3.43 for every €1 invested.

Midnight Basketball is a project delivered by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in Italy, based in a public park in Quarto Oggiaro in Milan. The project aims to keep young people off the streets and out of trouble using basketball during late-night hours. This delivers a benefit ratio of €5.64 for every €1 invested. 

Sport and Thought is a project working in Newman Catholic College in Brent, North West London, which offers weekly after-school football and psycho-therapeutic sessions to combat school exclusion. It provides a return on investment of £6.58 for every £1 spent.

Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, said: “What we see from the projects analysed in this report are the positive benefits that sport can generate in relation to health, education, and employment. But the benefits are not just for the individual. When these projects work they work for us all – whether it’s a reduction in police time spent on dealing with criminal behaviour, less health care on those who are leading more healthy lives or less support for those no longer cared for by social services or the prison system. This report helps frame that bigger picture, by contributing to the growing body of evidence showcasing the social and economic returns of sport worldwide.”

The production of Sport Scores  is co-financed by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Ecorys Research Programme - Ecorys is a leading European research and consultancy company - with support from Bocconi University, Milan, the German Sport University, Cologne, the University of East London, the UK research company Substance and Professor Fred Coalter.

It draws on validated research methodologies from outside sport, including economic impact assessment, health research and literature on youth crime. This largely quantitative impact research was combined with high-quality research conducted by the universities involved.

The mission of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness and health problems like obesity. Laureus is a global leader in research, expertise and best practice in supporting grassroots programmes around the world.

Since its inception, Laureus has raised more than €55 million to support projects which have helped to improve the lives of over one-and-a-half million young people. Currently Laureus supports more than 100 sports-based projects around the world.

To read a full copy of the report go to http://www.laureus.com/sites/default/files/publications/laureus_sports_scores_report.pdf

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The Patron of Laureus is Nelson Mandela.  At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, President Mandela said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair.” This has become the philosophy of Laureus; the driving force behind its work.

Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good.  Laureus is composed of three core elements - the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Laureus World Sports Awards - which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and use sport as the means to promote social change.

The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy are: Giacomo Agostini, Marcus Allen, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Yaping Deng, Marcel Desailly, Kapil Dev, Mick Doohan, David Douillet, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Häkkinen, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel Indurain, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Dan Marino, Edwin Moses (Chairman), Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Alexey Nemov, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Steve Redgrave, Vivian Richards, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba, Steve Waugh and Katarina Witt.

The Laureus Academy members volunteer their services as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which was set up to promote the use of sport as a tool for social change. The Foundation addresses social challenges through a worldwide programme of sports related community development initiatives. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €55 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people. The mission of the Laureus Foundation is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness and health problems like obesity. The Academy is supported in its work by the members of the Laureus Ambassadors programme, a select group of current and retired sportsmen and sportswomen who have achieved sporting greatness, plus non-sporting personalities who have made significant contributions to the sporting community during their careers. 

The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year.  The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury - the 46 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport honouring the great athletes of today.  The Awards are presented at an annual Awards Ceremony, attended by global figures from sport and entertainment, which is broadcast to 120 countries and territories.  

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which supports over 100 community sports projects around the world.  The 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards were held in London on February 6.

Laureus was founded by its Patrons Richemont and Daimler and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz and IWC Schaffhause.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz, the world’s oldest automaker, can look back on a unique tradition. It is the most valuable automotive premium brand which stands for quality, safety, comfort, design and sustainable mobility. Mercedes-Benz enjoys an excellent reputation, particularly in the field of safety. Many pioneering technical innovations that are standard automotive features today were first seen in a Mercedes-Benz car. The Mercedes-Benz engineers will in the future consistently reinvent the automobile – with the same enthusiasm and innovation as Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz in 1886. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz has been actively supporting professional and amateur sport for decades and has become established as a dependable partner in the fields of motor sport, football, golf, horse riding and tennis.  Mercedes-Benz is a Global Partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since the beginning of the Foundation's operations in 2000, Mercedes-Benz has shared and supported the goals and values of this worldwide charity programme where sports play the core role in the fight against social issues - Laureus has become a vital element of the corporate social responsibility programme of Mercedes-Benz.

IWC Schaffhausen

With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing watches of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of Haute Horlogerie at its finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design.