Sporting Memories Network CIC is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

registered social enterprise that runs community-wide sports reminiscence projects. These projects (provided by the "Sporting Memories Network CIC") introduce the use of archival sports images, reports, and memorabilia. It works with a registered charity – The Sporting Memories Foundation that trains and supports volunteers to deliver sports reminiscence in England and Wales.

Start-up

Founded in 2011, Sporting Memories Network Community Interest Company (CIC) ran an initial pilot project with fifteen care homes in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, to test and refine their approach. The project (funded by

Skills for Care Skills for Care is the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England. Skills for Care is an independent registered charity working with employers, government A government is the system or group ...

), was evaluated by Dr Michael Clark, Research Programme Manager, Personal Social Services Research Unit,

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. The project tested the effectiveness of training care staff and sought to engage relatives,

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

, and more able residents in facilitating group activities. After receiving background training, each home was supplied with archival images and a training manual. They also received a weekly sports reminiscence newspaper called ''The Sporting Pink.'' In his evaluation report, Dr Clark wrote: "The Sporting Memories work is appealing to people (staff and residents) and draws out enthusiasm and personal information that would otherwise have been dormant". Enthusiasm for an idea is important if it is to be widely used and effective. Training people in approaches they do not believe in means that either the intervention will not be used or used unenthusiastically. Consequently, it is unlikely to benefit anyone. By tapping into widespread enthusiasm for, and connections with, sports, "Sporting Memories" can be inspirational both to care home staff and to residents. In addition, the training can be readily passed on, and used in a flexible, creative and sustainable manner. The materials can be used many times and adapted to the interests of residents over time. Those who had experienced it reported that they would continue to use the work in their homes. The network also works with professional sports clubs by raising awareness of dementia through scheduled league matches which are designated Memories Games. This aspect of the Sporting Memories Network's work was acknowledged in the first annual report on the progress of the Prime Minister's challenge on dementia and their work with Everton Football Club was published as an example of best practice in the

Alzheimer's Society Alzheimer's Society is a United Kingdom care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers. It operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while its sister charities Alzheimer Scotland and Alzheimer Society of Ireland co ...

2013 report on Creating Dementia-Friendly Communities The majority of the group activities utilize

reminiscence therapy Reminiscence therapy is an intervention technique used with people who have a memory disorder, by asking about their life history. For example, if an older person sees an old photo or a vintage car, then they may be asked if they remember when t ...

which is widely recognized as having a beneficial effect on people living with

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

memory problems Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...

or depression. As identified in a study by Tolson et al. (2012), the use of football as a subject may be more attractive to older men living with dementia than traditional topics covered in reminiscence sessions or group activities. In the Journal of Dementia Care, North Berwick Day Centre manager Carol Wicker reported: "A lot of men attend our day center and most of the staff and volunteers here are women. We try to find ways of engaging with men but it can be difficult to interact meaningfully and get to know people." The Sporting Memories Network has developed activities around many different sports, including Football, Cricket, Rugby, Golf, Tennis, and Motorsport. There are community projects run by the network in England, Wales, and Scotland which are volunteer-led.

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

, and County Cricket Clubs are involved in hosting and running some of the groups. Other venues include libraries, museums, social clubs, and pubs. The network has gained the support of current and former sports stars including:

David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster from Scotland who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "DC", Coulthard was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' ...

Ross Brawn Ross James Brawn (born 23 November 1954) is a British Formula One managing director, motor sports and technical director. He is a former motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal, and has worked for a number of Formula One teams. Teams ...

and

Nico Rosberg Nico Erik Rosberg (born 27 June 1985) is a German and Finnish former racing driver and entrepreneur, who competed under the German flag in Formula One from to . Rosberg won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Mercedes, and w ...

from

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

; and footballers

Robbie Savage Robert William Savage (born 18 October 1974) is a Welsh former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder, now a association football, football pundit and head coach at National League North club Macclesfield F.C., ...

Chris Kamara Christopher Kamara (born 25 December 1957) is an English former professional footballer and manager who worked as a presenter and football analyst at Sky Sports from 1992 to 2022. As a player, he was known as a tough-tackling midfielder. He joi ...

and

Nigel Martyn Antony Nigel Martyn (born 11 August 1966) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He notably played in the Premier League for Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Everton, having initially play ...

. Sporting bodies, such as the

Professional Footballers' Association The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union, with approximately 5,000 current members each seaso ...

, and the

British Racing Drivers' Club The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) is an exclusive invitation-only members club for racecar drivers who are judged to have achieved success in the upper levels of motor sport for a number of seasons. Except under exceptional circumstances, ...

, are also supporting the work. Each supporter has appeared on the network's website and shared their own favourite memories contributing to the 'memory bank' on the company's Replay Websites. In turn, these are used by group facilitators. On 3 June 2014, the use of sporting memories was featured by BBC Radio 4 All in the Mind. Presented by

Claudia Hammond Claudia Anne Hammond (born 23 May 1971) is a British author, frequent radio presenter and podcast host for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, and occasional TV presenter. Early life Hammond was born in the market town of Sandy in Bedford ...

, the programme interviewed gentlemen participating in a weekly sporting memories group in East Lothian. The gentlemen spoke of their experiences in the group, their own health issues, and the impact the group has had on the
Link
It also featured on the lunchtime interview on

Test Match Special ''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. The programme is available on BB ...

, alongside former South African cricketer

Mike Procter Michael John Procter (15 September 1946 – 17 February 2024) was a South African cricketer, whose involvement in international cricket was limited by South Africa's banishment from world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s. A fast bowler and hard- ...

, during the second day of the first test match England v India on 10 July 2014 �
Link
Awards On 20 May 2014, Sporting Memories Network CIC was presented the award for "Best National Dementia Friendly Initiative" by Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt. On 7 September 2014, Sporting Memories Network CIC appeared in the list o
Britain's Top 50 New Radicals
The list was compiled by Nesta and ''The Observer'' newspaper and featured organisations or individuals using innovative approaches to tackle social challenges. On 6 November 2014, Sporting Memories Network CIC was voted "Best Football Community Scheme" at th
Football Business Awards
The shortlist consisted of Football Community Trusts from the following football clubs: Charlton Athletic, Chelsea Football Club, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham FC, Liverpool FC, Sunderland AFC, West Bromwich Albion, and Sporting Memories Network CIC

Memory Games

Sporting Memories Network has raised awareness of dementia at a number of professional football league, premier league, and super league clubs
Memories games
to unite fans who share their own favourite memories of supporting their club. The games engage current and former players and club staff in the build-up to the games. These are usually scheduled league matches. Information about dementia and memory problems is made available to fans through various channels. The first memory game to raise awareness of

took place at Huddersfield Town. Memories games have taken place at: * Huddersfield Town v Derby County-15 September 2012 Football League Championship * Huddersfield Giants v Bradford Bulls- 3 March 2013 Super League * Everton v Stoke City- 30 March 2013 Premiership * Warrington Wolves v Hull FC- 17 May 2013 * Grimsby Town v Kidderminster Harriers- 19 December 2013 * Bristol City v Preston North End- 5 April 2014 * Bristol Rugby v London Welsh- 18 April 2014 * Gloucestershire County Cricket Club v Middlesex- 23 May 2014 * Warrington Wolves v Leeds Rhinos- 30 May 2014 * MCC v Hertfordshire- 22 June 2014 *Match played to mark the 200th Anniversary of

Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...

* Gloucestershire County Cricket Club v Surrey- 18 July 2014 * Salford City v Class of 92- 7 August 2014 * England v India One day International- 25 August 2014 * York City Knights v London Skolars- 7 September 2014 * Wigan Athletic v Fulham- 1 November 2014

References

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Start-up

Memory Games

References

Further reading