Sport is one way in which social exclusion can be tackled. Important evidence suggests that participating in sporting activities increases people s sense of integration into their local community, in both urban and rural areas. The Somerset Rural Youth Project uses sports projects to tackle problems of social exclusion among young people. Evidence from across the country shows that sport reduces the chances of young people slipping into lives of crime. There is a reduced risk of a person re-offending if he can be encouraged to participate in sport.
Early indications show a marked drop in crime, including a major reduction in juvenile offending.
Sport is already a major employer, providing over 400,000 full-time jobs. It is also a growth industry. A recent parliamentary report, from an All-Party Select Committee, commented on sport s great, and growing, economic importance. Enhancing the environment. The growing number of households is increasing the demand for land for new houses so intensifying the pressure on our countryside, playing fields and Green Belts.