Programmes and Funding

Our three main programmes:

Group Advancement Programmes (GAP)

Supporting groups of young people who wish to advance but need funding for extra training & coaching, helping to increase work and provide qualifications for the delivering coaches and as an additional benefit working to help the host partner become more sustainable.

We are delivering 12 programmes to groups within clubs/academies, reaching 252 young people.
In the bottom 28% most deprived areas of England
There are on average 21 participants per programme with an average age of 16

Individual Advancement Programmes (IAP)

Support for aspiring athletes who have a positive attitude and winning mindset but need extra support to overcome barriers and progress to an elite/professional level.

Career Path Programmes (CPP)

Training and educational opportunities with work experience to support a pathway to employability.

We are supporting 29 of the most deserving individuals
From a range of sports – football (34%), tennis (24%), boxing (14%), basketball (14%), athletics (7%) and gymnastics/fitness (7%) – and ethnicities, of which 70% are from BAME background.

We also facilitate individual mentoring for the individuals we support to provide positive and essential guidance.

Case Studies

Group Advancement Programme with Right Development Foundation
PPS supports the delivery of Right Development Foundation – a basketball programme based in Barking – the fifth most deprived local authority in England. RDF does amazing work to engage the local community and provide an environment that allows its participants to feel safe and thrive. PPS supports eight of its most talented but in need young people by funding their membership costs for the year. Those we support have an average age of 16, and there is a 6:4 male:female split. This support is essential to keep these young people involved and active. It eases the pressure for their families and supports RDF with additional income they wouldn’t have received otherwise. Most importantly, it keeps eight young people involved and active to allow them to get the best out of themselves through sport. Read our ‘wider social impact article’ on this programme here

“PPS has continued to make a great impact within the community we are working in. PPS has become recognised within RDF for their generous support to our young people and coaches, especially in a time of great need. Members training fees are being supported by PPS and additional individual support is being offered to players who are taking a step further on their basketball journey. The support PPS has provided has given parents a relief of financial burden, and has given players an opportunity to focus primarily on their training and development”

– Lamar, Founder of RDF

Individual Advancement Programme with Jesse Clarkson, tennis player
We started supporting Jesse in January 2020 as a talented young performance tennis player, he was starting to get left behind his peers due to lack of finances but certainly no lack of positive attitude or ambition. Our support started as any ISP with PPS is: with financial support and mentoring. We enabled essential individual coaching to supplement his training schedule – and mentorship which helped Jesse as an additional source of support. The additional coaches really made a difference and in the summer of 2020 he won his first National event. In September 2020 we launched a new branch of the ISP called P++ supporting ‘genuine prospects to reach the top of this sport’. Jesse received a higher-value programme which we were able to part fund with the LTA to allow Jesse the best programme possible. In providing such support PPS was leveling the playing field and allowing a young talent the chance to get the best out of himself. Read our ‘wider social impact article’ on this programme here

Career Path Programme with Chima, boxer
Chima was referred to PPS for individual support by Double Jab Boxing Club based in New Cross, South-East London. Chima had been a youth offender with little purpose, but Double Jab had helped him at the most critical time. With ambitions to pursue amateur boxing and progress his career path, PPS stepped in to offer essential support. We funded qualifications for Chima to become a coach and paid him to work at Double Jab. We also helped to fund essential equipment to allow him to train to his best ability . Importantly, we provided individual mentoring to offer valuable guidance. Our training in employment and interview skills has helped to set him up, and he has since started coaching a group of younger boxers.

“PPS has helped me improve my coaching skills and also funded me for equipment to better my boxing skills”.

– Chima

“PPS has helped me improve my coaching skills and also funded me for equipment to better my boxing skills”.

– Chima

Mentoring with Anthony
Anthony is a 23 year old and PPS supports his goal of turning into a professional basketball player whilst supporting him on his career path as well. Anthony has experienced hardship and isolation during the pandemic, but has an amazing desire to pass on his knowledge. So as well as PPS supporting him, he acts as a paid mentor to younger basketballers that PPS supports – creating a unique chain of support.

“The role of a mentor is to encourage the personal, social, professional development of a mentee through the sharing of knowledge and experience with a willing learner. Being mentored is an invaluable and effective support system for anyone by being guided, listened to and encouraged by someone you can trust and relate to. Mentees can benefit from mentoring by getting exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking, getting advice on developing strengths and overcoming weaknesses”.

Mentoring for Khaled
Khaled Abu is a 21 year old graduate and amateur boxer. We support Khaled with funding for S&C training and paid coaching. Sport and coaching keeps Khaled focused and teaches him various important skills like discipline, resilience and focus. Mentorship is where his programme comes to life with PPS Trustee John Feaver voluntarily acting as Khaled’s mentor. They can discuss issues that are coming up for Khaled as he tries to become fully employed in his chosen career – banking. John can share experiences and provide valuable guidance.

Click here for our Programmes and Funding guidance

Emergency Covid-19 Hardship Fund

We also reacted to Covid-19 by rolling out an Emergency Hardship Fund to support coaches/mentors/athletes within our network. For lockdown 1.0 from March and 2.0 in November we made weekly payments to help with essential and provided digital workshops to keep morale high. For lockdown 3.0 we updated the Hardship Fund to ask those eligible to ‘give a little back’ by handing out food/drink to homeless people and those in need before we make any payments.

From the start of the Hardship Fund until the end we supported 52 people across 19 weeks. When we updated the Hardship Fund, those eligible made 124 hands outs to people on the street and gave away 372 food/drink items and 2,400 Gregory Tree fruit bars to people who were in an even more difficult position than they were. PPS also handed out 30 Alcatel tablets with 6 months of data from EE to those who needed access to home schooling.

The Community Response to Covid-19

“Workshop like the zoom session with Olivier Giroud has made me understand that resilience is always needed even in your darkest financial times”.

“The weekly payment from PPS has helped with my mental health as it does help to bridge the gap on essential outgoings”.

“I would like to say a massive thank you for the financial support you have given me and also the inspiration from the workshops. It has made a world of a difference and I am so grateful”.

“I’m a basketball coach and not getting any income because of the pandemic. The Fund has given me support to pay the bills I have to pay and support my son. The support that you bring with PPS has helped me keep things a float”.

“I am a 400m athlete without a regular income. Due to the funding I am able to have a balance diet, stay healthy and maintain physical fitness”.