Serious Violence Prevention Partnership invests over £100,000 to launch the Sideline Project

Northamptonshire Serious Violence Prevention Partnership (NSVPP) has awarded £116,430 to Athletic Elite, a basketball coaching and development organisation, to launch the Sideline Project.

The Sideline Project uses basketball and sports coaching to improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of young people across Northamptonshire. The project focuses on those young people who are identified as vulnerable to risk, delivering tailored sessions about physical health, confidence, resilience and emotional well-being. It aims to empower young people to make healthier choices, and create safe places for them to belong.

The project will create six-week programmes for secondary schools in priority areas, evening basketball and mentoring sessions for students with attendance problems and/or those referred by the police. These will support young people between the ages of seven and 19. Alongside these programmes the Sideline Project will support the upskilling of basketball coaches in crime prevention.

The priority areas have been identified using the data collected as part of the NSVPP Serious Violence Duty Strategy. They are: Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough and Corby. This partnership approach ensures that primary interventions, like the Sideline project, are specifically designed to address serious violence in targeted areas. It is a part of the NSVPP’s plans to implement a public health approach to violence prevention, gaining an understanding of the causes of violence to develop evidence-based interventions which focus on both reduction and prevention.

Andre Arissol, founder of Athletic Elite said:

“Collaborating with Northamptonshire Police and delivering the Sideline Project allows us at Athletic Elite to provide social, emotional and physical development opportunities around the county that work towards positive futures for all. We are honoured to be able to work with the children and young people of Northamptonshire.”

Detective Superintendent Andy Glenn, who leads Northamptonshire Police’s response to serious violence, said: “I welcome the funding granted to Athletic Elite, who work tirelessly with young people to help them navigate life in a positive way.

“We know some children have a difficult time growing up which can lead to poor decision making and a future life involved in crime. We’re working closely with colleagues such as Athletic Elite to identify those children most at risk and provide support such as the Sideline Project to help steer them away from criminal activity.

“This project is part of a wider programme of work that’s taking place to tackle serious violence across the county, which includes taking robust action against those people who commit crimes as well as disrupting the activities of criminal gangs.

“Support and advice for anyone who has concerns about a young person is available on our website, northants.police.uk.”