Read: A champion of social impact: how sport is changing society

Sport can change people’s lives on and off the field.

For an individual, the physical health benefits of engaging in exercise are clear - and more important than ever when so much time is spent in front of computer screens. The benefits to mental health are less obvious but became increasingly evident during the pandemic, when normal social interaction, including sport was curtailed, and many of us turned to running on our own or yoga at home to maintain our wellbeing.

Sport encourages participation, teamwork, discipline and an acceptance of rules, tolerance, inclusion and gender equality. For the young, it can boost self-esteem and help to form strong societal bonds. It also entertains us, whether remotely on a TV or radio or as a spectator at a sporting venue.

For communities, sport has the capacity to unite people of all backgrounds in a common interest and encourages a sense of belonging. That focus doesn’t just apply to playing the sport - or even the result - but extends to engagement in and support of the wider activities that the sport promotes.

Increasingly, we have seen sport move away from just being a source of exercise or entertainment – though it remains both - to becoming a powerful tool in raising awareness of important social issues and lessening cultural divides. There will always be individual local causes supported by local sporting organisations - for example a non-league football team will make regular donations to a local food bank. But it is the profile and reach of the bigger campaigns which drip feed to sporting venues all over the country that are the most significant and, inevitably, have the most impact.

Here in the UK, football is our national sport although we see similar campaigns in rugby, cricket and athletics. The Premier League broadcasts to 800 million homes in 190 countries across the world. It not only nurtures young talent but also the communities it draws it from and invests in wide-ranging programmes to support them. The Premier League Primary Stars, Premier League Primary Kicks and Premier League Inspires programmes engage with children and young people from early years right through to adulthood, developing the personal skills and positive behaviours that will help them get on in life. That commitment to the communities it serves is also reflected in the national campaigns it promotes and which seek to influence cultural attitudes. No Room for Racism calls for equality and inclusion. Rainbow Laces demonstrates its support for the LGBTQ+ community.

The English Football League (EFL) has joined forces with the British Red Cross in a new partnership which will use the power of football to support those experiencing loneliness. The Red Cross currently works with over 100,000 people a year who are experiencing loneliness, from helping isolated elderly people to supporting refugees who have arrived here with nothing. The EFL and its club network had already supported tens of thousands of people who experienced loneliness during the pandemic with its Tackling Loneliness Together programme and Extra Time Hubs.

The EFL has also partnered with Mind over the last four seasons to raise awareness and funds, develop mental health training programmes and cement legacy partnerships between clubs and local mental health provision. In what was a first for English football at the time, the Mind logo was incorporated onto the name and number designs of all shirts and replica kits throughout the partnership, and the British Red Cross logo will be incorporated into all EFL shirts and replica kits from next season.

All these campaigns are highly significant in changing behaviours and attitudes. They reflect those of purpose-led organisations across the country but arguably engage with a far wider audience beyond the boardroom. That is heightened by campaigns run by individual sportsmen and women who leverage their platforms to address key social justice and other awareness issues. These include the high-profile and effective campaign by Manchester United footballer, Marcus Rashford, to feed vulnerable children during lockdown and the campaign, widely covered by the BBC, to raise awareness and funds for Motor Neurone Disease by former rugby union and league players, Rob Burrow, Doddie Weir and Stephen Darby. These have called the Government to account and prompted decisive action in response in a way that similar campaigns by less well-known individuals might have struggled to do.

Finally, there is also more overt political campaigning for which sport provides a huge platform. We have seen footballers wearing the colours of Ukraine in response to an international crisis that is now affecting us all. Following the killing of George Floyd, sporting teams were in the forefront of a display of support for the Black Lives Matter movement which prompted valid debate within sport itself about how it should demonstrate its opposition to important social issues.

However it is achieved, fans increasingly expect sportsmen and women to be involved. They also want the brands associated with them to show their support so that the repercussions of sport’s campaigning role will also be felt by those – often global - businesses. That reflects what is happening across the corporate world. Organisations are expected to deliver real social impact for their colleagues, customers and communities. An impact that makes a positive difference and helps people everywhere reach their potential. This is the essence of what sport’s changing role can offer, on and off the playing field.

Seema Kennedy OBE, Chair of Policy Development, Purpose Coalition; former Minister for Public Health, Home Office Minister, and the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Private Secretary