Sport Scored: The Costs and Benefits of Sport for Crime Reduction

This study builds on the Laureus research report, Teenage Kicks (2011), which placed a value on the return on investment offered by sport for crime reduction projects through comparing existing monitoring data relating to the outcomes of sport with national cost benchmarks. This latest study deepens the evidence base provided by Teenage Kicks, through conducting new primary research across four sport for good projects in the UK, Italy and Germany, using an innovative mixed methods approach. The research builds upon validated research methodologies from outside of the sport sector, including from economic impact assessment, health research and the literature on youth crime. The largely quantitative impact research led by Ecorys was combined with high-quality qualitative research conducted by our university partners. The report shows that on average across the four programmes analysed, sport provides a return of over 5 Euros for every 1 Euro invested through savings related to reductions in crime, truancy, and ill health.