More Ball Games: How London Sport is Getting Youth Playing Again...
Last week London Sport in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi launched 'More Ball Games', a campaign turning restrictive signs into invitations to play...
Growing up in London, playing outside wasn’t just something kids like me did after school, it was a way of life. Footballs bouncing off estate walls, jumpers for goalposts, these weren’t just games, they were the foundations of friendships, resilience, and community. The "No Ball Games" signs always present on estates, became part of the backdrop, something my friends and I recognised but never paid much attention to.
However, this isn’t the case for everyone, No Ball Games signs is still a huge deterrent for young people. According to the charity, each ‘No ball games’ sign deters an estimated 80 young people from engaging in sport and physical activity – which could have led to more than half a million young people being discouraged from playing and staying active.
London Sport’s More Ball Games campaign, created in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi and the London Lions basketball team, is turning restrictions into opportunities. Instead of warning signs, estates like Lambeth’s Mursell Estate now feature basketball hoops, inviting kids back into spaces they have always claimed as their own. This isn’t just about sport, it’s about rewriting the rules of urban play and making community spaces truly belong to the people again.
More Than Just a Hoop
This campaign is about much more than simply giving kids a place to kick a ball or shoot hoops. It’s about reclaiming public spaces and making physical activity accessible to everyone, particularly in areas where opportunities are limited.
With 7,000 such signs across London, it’s no surprise that inactivity is a growing problem. The statistics paint a stark picture, 52% of UK children don’t get the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise, and in deprived areas of London, children are three times more likely to be inactive. But numbers alone don’t tell the full story. Ask anyone who grew up in an estate, and they’ll tell you that playing out wasn’t just about exercise, it was about learning life skills, building friendships, and feeling like you belonged.
Some of the UK’s biggest footballers, basketball players, musicians, and actors started out in these spaces. From cage football to spontaneous three-on-three basketball games, these experiences shaped futures. Ademola Lookman, Jadon Sancho, Reiss Nelson, and many other footballers who grew up in these environments, honed their skills in London’s estates before becoming successful professionals.
A Cultural Reset
The More Ball Games campaign comes at a crucial time. Today’s young people spend more time on screens and less time outside than any generation before them. For Millennials and Gen Z, playing outside until the street lights flickered on was a rite of passage, for Gen Alpha, that reality barely exists.
London Sport, Saatchi & Saatchi, and local councils have tapped into something bigger than nostalgia. This isn’t just a feel-good initiative, it’s a necessary campaign that sparks real change. By replacing prohibitive signs with playable spaces, they’re sending a powerful message for others to follow. And with figures like London Lions captain Ovie Soko involved, it carries weight as he grew up in Tottenham, in the same kind of environments these kids come from. His presence isn’t just a celebrity endorsement, it’s proof that someone from your background can make it.
The Ripple Effect
This initiative could be the start of something much bigger. If more boroughs follow Lambeth’s lead, we could witness a city-wide transformation in how public spaces are used. And the benefits extend beyond sport, this is about youth engagement, mental health, and even crime prevention.
More Ball Game is a win for sport, a win for culture, and a win for London.