Dear Readers,

Firstly, a huge thank you to all who sent such positive feedback on the inaugural edition of Sporting Spirit and we have incorporated your ideas and suggestions into this second edition. Please keep the communication and ideas coming, this way we can grow the enjoyment and impact of the publication together!

Allow me to address a couple of your questions up front before reading about what The Spirit Organisation has been doing over the past quarter to develop community sport and uplift those who play it.

Why Everton you ask? Well, I am a fourth-generation supporter of ‘The People’s Club’ and what it stands for is very close to my heart and that of my Father and my sons. In fact, as I write, I have just attended the first test game of Everton’s new, magnificent Bramley Moore Stadium. But the reason The Spirit Organisation is so deeply involved and committed is due to Everton’s unique role in the community and particularly in the disadvantaged communities around the L4 area of Liverpool. The Spirit Organisation is a major supporter of Everton in The Community and has been for some years. Just last year Spirit became the major sponsor of the Everton in The Community football teams in a multi-year deal aimed at boosting opportunities for the EITC disability teams. You will read about their success in this edition.

On the subject of soccer, in this edition, we are delighted to feature the launch of the Spirit International Football Academy (SIFA) in Cape Town.

The second question I have been asked is why support sport and why not other areas of philanthropy? The answer to this valid question is quite simple. Spirit is both an international investment house and an international philanthropy body. We conduct many impactful philanthropy programmes in education, community development and wildlife through the Spirit Foundation (https://spiritf.org/) which has its own publication, ‘Full Circle’. This will be published next month so keep your eye out for it.

The real reason we invest so much into community sport is its unique ability to provide enjoyment, upliftment, fulfilment, meaning and purpose to so many people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Whether you have a disability, or are unemployed, or living in relative poverty, sport provides opportunities for achievement and happiness. Spirit seeks to add to these opportunities. However, access to sporting opportunities for disadvantaged communities is often out of reach and this is where Spirit’s support makes the most difference. Through our financial support, Spirit provides access to sporting opportunities that may be otherwise unavailable to many communities. If because of Spirit’s support, we can bring opportunity, fulfilment, purpose, meaning, sense of achievement and a little bit of happiness, then this is the best possible return on investment.

So, I hope you will enjoy reading about Spirit’s involvement in and support of sporting codes as diverse as disability soccer, community rugby, development cricket and local motor racing.

Until next time, enjoy your sport and please do some good in your own community.