Reece holds a basketball. The YMCA Sutton Coldfield is funded equally by money raised from Comic Relief and the #iwill Fund. Virtually Minded is a social action project which provides a safe space for young men to learn more about the importance of positive mental health and express themselves through interactive training and creative workshops. Location: Sutton Coldfield, England in February 2025. Photo by Andrew Whitton/Comic Relief.
Comic Relief has announced a new multi-million pound UK funding programme that will use the power of sport and mentorship to promote positive masculinity, healthier relationships and gender equality among boys and young men.
Backed by former Lioness Mary Earps, the initiative will “help challenge harmful norms and behaviours including toxic masculinity, misogyny and coercion”.
Over five years the new £3.9 million programme will support seven specialist community-led organisations across London and the West Midlands. Organisations will use sports and physical activity like football, cricket and netball, to help implement early interventions that encourage boys and young men to become role models and leaders while also championing a culture of respect and healthy masculinity.
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Participants will also take part in tailored education, mentoring and peer-led sessions to build skills that can be used to challenge harmful norms and behaviours that drive violence against women and girls in their own communities.
Anonymous imagery of two children playing football, taken from a project visit to London during the 2012 Sport Relief campaign on 29 July 2011. Photo by Comic Relief.
Comic Relief’s aim is to provide “bold solutions and early engagement with boys and young men to create a better society where violence against women and girls is unthinkable”. It has a long-standing commitment to gender justice with over 25 years funding experience. For example, over the last two years as a leading Sport for Change funder it has funded over 500 projects.
Mary Earps
Former Lioness team member and current PSG goalkeeper Mary Earps is keen to highlight the urgent need for more funding in this area.
She said:
“Violence against women and girls is an epidemic – harassment, toxic masculinity, misogyny, coercion, anxiety, fear, it keeps growing. I’ve been playing sport my whole life, and I know that from the pitch to the playground, sport has the unique ability to bring people together. Comic Relief is using the power of sport to reach young boys, to support and educate them, and build allies to challenge harmful behaviour. This work will create strong role models in our communities, promote healthy attitudes, and build a safer world for women and girls so everyone can thrive.”
Samir Patel, CEO at Comic Relief, said:
“Toxic masculinity, misogyny and violence against women and girls have been at the forefront of public debate this year, in part due to the huge success of Netflix’s Adolescence, which has shown the powerful role pop culture can play in bringing attention to the most pressing issues we face today.
“With violence against women and girls at crisis levels in the UK, and public concern at an all-time high, we are proud to launch our first ever programme that uses sport and education to work with boys and girls in their formative years, to promote healthier relationships, positive masculinity and gender equality.
“By bringing together young people, teachers, community leaders and role models, we aim build a future where girls and women feel safer, and where boys and men are supported to be part of the change.”
Team huddle. Anonymous imagery taken from a project visit during the 2010 Sport Relief campaign. Taken in London on 9th September 2009. Photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd/Comic Relief.
Seven organisations to implement the programme
The organisations that are part of this new programme are:
Beyond Equality, (London / West Midlands) – working with men and boys, the UK leading gender-transformative charity will use group workshops to rethink masculinities, promote gender justice, and build safer, more inclusive communities. They will deploy classroom and on-pitch learning programmes across 11 English Football League (EFL) football clubs
Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid (Birmingham / Solihull) – partnering with Warwickshire Cricket Foundation, the charity will use cricket to promote healthy relationships and gender equality, and continue to support women and children affected by domestic abuse
The Change Foundation, (London / West Midlands) – sport and mentoring will be used to support marginalised young people, focusing on health, skills, and employment to improve their futures
Fight for Peace (London) – will deliver early intervention programmes that combine boxing and martial arts, mentoring, and a personal development curriculum to challenge harmful norms and build their confidence
Football Beyond Borders (London / West Midlands) – will support disengaged young people through a football-themed social and emotional learning curriculum, to promote healthy masculinities and tackle gender-based violence across 60+ schools in the area
Respect, (London) – using sport as a hook, the charity trains coaches and youth workers to deliver Dating Detox, an 11-session programme that helps boys aged 11-18 to understand respect, consent, and boundaries
Roshni (Birmingham) – will support Black and minoritised women and young people affected by VAWG through trauma-informed, multilingual services, including refuge, advocacy, and outreach
Surwat Sohail, CEO of Roshni Birmingham, said:
“As a led by and for a specialist organisation we are delighted to receive funding from Comic Relief to tackle harmful norms and practices through sport. Working with young people to challenge misogyny is vital in ending violence against women and girls, and this support will enable us to use the power of sport to break down harmful attitudes, create safe spaces, and inspire lasting change. Together, we can empower communities to stand up for equality, respect, and a future free from violence.”
Main image: Reece holds a basketball. The YMCA Sutton Coldfield is funded equally by money raised from Comic Relief and the #iwill Fund. Virtually Minded is a social action project which provides a safe space for young men to learn more about the importance of positive mental health and express themselves through interactive training and creative workshops. Location: Sutton Coldfield, England in February 2025. Photo by Andrew Whitton/Comic Relief.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.
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