Wide access to sport is a sign of a healthy nation.  Unfortunately many children throughout the world do not have access to sport and healthy activity and the King’s Foundation is committed to providing children in difficult or disadvantaged circumstances with opportunities to participate in sport.

Many of the children that the King’s Foundation works with are excluded and discriminated against. Many are orphans, children living or working on the street, children with mental and physical difficulties, former child soldiers, sexually exploited children and children from indigenous communities.

Sport gives them a chance to have fun, to enjoy being children and provides much needed structure and purpose

Emotional Benefits

Sport, recreation and play provides children with companionship, support and a sense of belonging.  Sport helps children to develop coping mechanisms and concentration, it helps to rehabilitate traumatized children and it provides increased self-worth and confidence.

Physical Benefits

Participation in sport has significant physical benefits, contributing to people’s ability to lead long and healthy lives, improving well-being, extending life expectancy and reducing the likelihood of several major non-communicable diseases.

Economic Benefits

The economic benefits of a physically active population include improved public health, reduced health care costs and increased productivity. Sport can also be a significant economic force by providing employment and contributing to local development. It is a key site and natural draw for volunteer involvement and can improve the capacity of the labour force. Sport teaches skills such as the value of effort and how to work as a team, thus improving employability. This is especially effective when focused on young people and marginalized groups.

Educational Benefits

Many of the children we work with do not attend formal schooling. Sport can provide a way to educate children in many different areas. Furthermore, participation in sport supports the preservation of a clean and healthy environment.

Spiritual Benefits

As a Christian organisation, the King’s Foundation believes that Jesus is the ultimate role-model for life and we use sport to provide an opportunity to demonstrate, communicate and live out his values.

The importance of practice, perseverance, managing success and failure, learning to win and lose, self control and community are just some of the spiritual values that can be learnt and developed through participating in sport.

Sport is a unique, limitless tool that can be used to reach all people because it has universal appeal and overcomes all sorts of barriers.  It opens doors to all levels of society.  It is an international language without cultural or social hang-ups.  It cuts through differences in race, religion, age and sex.