Impetus backs Street League

Impetus Trust, a venture philanthropy firm, is investing in Street League ,which uses sports, football in particular, to engage socially excluded men and women to build their skills. Its ultimate aim is to help them enter the job market.

It seeks to actively develop its players, build their confidence, improve their health, extend their social networks, and develop their skills with the ultimate aim of providing a route into mainstream education and/or employment. 

The organisation was initially set up in 2001 by Dr Damian Hatton, a doctor at University College Hospital in London, who took a sabbatical to do something about the large numbers of homeless and other disadvantaged people he was seeing in hospital.

Street League began with one operation in London and has expanded to Glasgow. By the end of June, the organisation will have worked with over 2,000 people in partnership with 60 organisations including the Football Foundation, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres as well as job centres. The expansion of its operation to two centres, with a third one to be opened in Newcastle early next year, demonstrates the scalability of the model and the potential for further expansion, Impetus said.

Using private equity and venture capital management techniques and concepts, Impetus focuses on growth potential in charities.

Daniela Barone Soares, chief executive of Impetus, said: “The first phase of our partnership will focus on supporting Street League to further develop the delivery model, define the scale-up process and develop a detailed plan to strengthen the organisation's capability.”