Dear friends, players, volunteers and supporters,
Sport has an extraordinary ability to bring people together.
It gives us friendship, community, purpose, confidence and a sense of belonging. For many of us, our teammates become lifelong friends. Our clubs become part of who we are.
Yet too many people face barriers to participating in grassroots sport. Some are excluded. Others struggle with cost, accessibility, discrimination or simply finding somewhere they feel welcome.
And the volunteers who make grassroots sport possible are often overwhelmed by administration, rising costs and increasingly complicated systems.
I believe we can do better.
Why I’m founding Open Sport Foundation
I'm working to establish Open Sport Foundation with a simple ambition: to help make grassroots team sport accessible, affordable, inclusive and enjoyable for everyone.
One million people playing amateur sport every week.
We prioritise inclusion, participation and fun over pure competition. We prioritise amateur sport for everyone, not elite sport for the few.
We believe the greatest success of sport is measured by how many people get to participate, the friendships they make, the enjoyment they experience and the communities they build together.
Winning matters to many teams. So does competition. The value of sport also extends far beyond the final score: the laughter, shared experiences, volunteers giving up their weekends and the feeling that somewhere, among your teammates, you belong.
A different kind of sporting organisation
Open Sport Foundation is being proposed as a global, community-owned, volunteer-led, not-for-profit sporting movement. Players, clubs, volunteers and affiliated sporting bodies should have a meaningful voice in shaping its future.
Open Sport Foundation will provide the shared charter, principles, technology and organisational framework for a family of Open Sport Federations.
These federations will be sporting bodies established under the Open Sport Foundation Charter, responsible for developing and organising their respective sports and communities.
We envisage Open Sport Hockey, Open Sport Football, Open Sport Netball and other federations, potentially organised nationally or regionally as the movement develops. Each federation will uphold inclusion, accessibility, participation, democracy and community ownership.
We will begin with hockey and build towards supporting football, netball, cricket, rugby, basketball, volleyball and other team sports. The long-term ambition is a sporting movement that belongs to the people who participate in it.
Technology that serves grassroots sport
Open Sport Foundation is developing an open-source digital platform to make running a club easier. We want a volunteer to be able to organise their team from a dugout in the rain, using nothing more than their phone.
Fixtures, availability, communication, match-day arrangements, player recognition, club administration and community activities should be simple and accessible.
The Open Sport Foundation platform will be completely free for individual players and for all Open Sport Federations established under our charter. Federations will have access to the shared technology without subscription or licensing charges from Open Sport Foundation.
Clubs will retain control over their own membership arrangements and fees. Technology should help people spend more time enjoying sport and less time administering it.
We're already developing working demonstrations and intend to build transparently, inviting feedback from the communities who will use them.
Inclusion is our founding principle
Everyone deserves the opportunity to participate in sport, to be treated with dignity and to belong to a team.
For Open Sport Foundation, inclusion must be reflected in our rules, governance, facilities, competitions and everyday behaviour.
We want to welcome women and girls, including transgender women and girls; men and boys, including transgender men and boys; non-binary and gender-diverse people; disabled people and those living with long-term health conditions; neurodivergent people; people of every ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief; lesbian, gay, bisexual and other LGBTQ+ people; children and young people; older people; people experiencing financial hardship; and beginners, recreational players and people of every level of sporting ability.
We recognise that people may experience several barriers at once and that removing them requires practical action.
Inclusion must mean something in practice
Every Open Sport Federation operating under our charter will be expected to uphold clear standards.
A genuine opportunity to participate. Everyone who wants to take part should have a realistic opportunity to do so, through recreational, development and competitive pathways. Participation decisions should be transparent, with accessible review and appeal processes.
Respect for identity and dignity. Bullying, harassment, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and other discriminatory behaviour have no place in our sporting communities.
Accessible facilities and reasonable adjustments. Clubs should work towards accessible venues, changing arrangements, communication and equipment while respecting participants' privacy, dignity and safety.
Affordable participation. Federations and clubs should explore equipment sharing, affordable memberships, hardship support and local sponsorship.
Meaningful safeguarding. Children and adults at risk must be protected through policies, trained volunteers, safe reporting and accountable leadership.
Fair, transparent governance. Rules should be published and understandable. Members should be able to raise concerns, challenge decisions and participate democratically.
A welcoming culture. Newcomers should be introduced, supported and encouraged. Volunteers should be appreciated and contributions recognised regardless of sporting achievement.
We will listen to participants, especially people who have historically been excluded, and measure our success through genuine opportunities to participate and belong.
More than a sporting platform
Open Sport Foundation is about creating communities where friendships grow, people support one another and clubs become important parts of local life.
We want to celebrate birthdays, club anniversaries, personal milestones, volunteering and all the little moments that make belonging to a team special.
We want young people to develop confidence, older people to maintain friendships, and everyone to discover the joy of playing together.
This cannot belong to one person
I have started this project because I believe deeply in what it could become. I want us to build an organisation that belongs to its members.
The founding charter, constitution, governance arrangements and priorities should be shaped collectively. Open Sport Federations should develop democratically, with the people involved in each sport determining its direction.
We need people with experience in grassroots sport, safeguarding, technology, governance, fundraising and community organising. We will need founding members, volunteers, pilot clubs, advisors, supporters and eventually funding.
Our intention is to build carefully, transparently and democratically.
An invitation
If you've ever found friendship through sport, you'll understand why this matters. If you've ever felt excluded from a sport you love, you'll understand why this matters too.
If you've ever stood on a cold touchline, organised a fixture, washed a team kit, collected match fees or helped a nervous new player feel welcome, you already understand the value of grassroots sport.
I would love you to help shape what Open Sport Foundation becomes.
Imagine one million people playing every week. Thousands of welcoming clubs. Independent, democratic sporting federations united by shared values. New friendships, stronger communities and opportunities for people who might otherwise never discover the joy of team sport.
More playing. More belonging. More celebrating.
Let's build Open Sport Foundation together.
With best wishes,
Madeline CowleyFounder, Open Sport Foundation (proposed)