Spirit in Sport - Community Table Tennis Café

Who are we?

We are Spirit in Sport. Established in 2008 we're a Christian charity based in Portsmouth with a vision to use sport to give people a place where they can find community, get healthier (both physically and mentally), and experience belonging. Our mission statement is to 'Reach the Community through Sport for Christ.'

Our work with children includes running holiday Sports camps, weekly community sports groups, a Girls Football Club, and going into local schools. Each of our sessions prioritises character development over sporting acumen. Although we value sporting acumen, we value our character more. So we try and instil good life lessons into the kids from a young age with messages of 'encouragement', 'perseverance', 'kindness', etc.

We are also passionate about giving opportunities for young people, regardless of background or socio-economic status, to realise their potential so offer an opportunity alongside Sport England in the form of the Sports Leaders Qualification. This gives young people the chance to gain an accredited qualification in leadership, not just in sport, but for life in general.

For adults we host our weekly 5 aside football league, as well as our weekly running club.

And finally, we value and recognise the need for ALL ages to have the opportunity to play sport and experience the benefits this brings. Hence, our vision for our Table Tennis café which we are crowdfunding for is to provide a space where people of all ages can find community, enjoy a drink and lunch, and play some Table Tennis. 

Community impact

Being located in the heart of Portsmouth for over 15 years we recognise the need for our impact in giving people a place where they can:

1. Find community, friendship, and belonging

2. Play organised sport at an accessible price (or in some cases no price!) 

3. Be given opportunities they otherwise would not have to grow. For instance, through our Sports Leaders Qualification many of the people we serve have this incredible potential to be unlocked, but get overlooked, cannot due to finances, or simply do not get the chance elsewhere. This is where we hope to step in.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We've noticed that alongside the cost of living crisis, prices to play organised sport, and inside cafe's seem to be going up. Thus, making it even harder for people to find accessible places of belonging to play sport, enjoy a drink, and connect with others in their community.

We hope for this Table Tennis café to be free of charge, with an optional £2 charge for lunch.

Staffing, equipment, heating, venue, and kitchen costs have to be covered so this is why we're seeing if our community can help!

How we’ll spend the money raised

Money raised will be spent on hiring and heating costs of the kitchen and hall for the café. It will also be spent on buying lunch in the form of soup and rolls to ensure that access to the café can be free of charge; making it accessible to all.