SKY SPORTS will step up its drive to get more children involved in sport with the launch of ‘Sky Sports Game Changers’, a new live Saturday morning TV show beginning at 9am on 17 August.

Game Changers will feature regular appearances from a host of sports stars and Sky Ambassadors including David Beckham and Jessica Ennis-Hill to inspire kids to participate and get them active. David Beckham will host football masterclasses during the series and Olympic champion Jessica will have some fun teaching the seven events of a heptathlon. 

Broadcast live in front of a live studio audience of young people, the show will be presented by Olympic Gold medallist Darren Campbell and Di Dougherty, who makes a welcome return to Sky Sports. Paralympic wheelchair rugby captain Steve Brown will be among the show’s reporters.

Speaking about being involved in Game Changers, David Beckham said: “It’s an ambition of mine to inspire more young people to get active and take part in sport so I’m excited to be one of a great group of athletes contributing to Game Changers and working with Sky who have the passion to make it happen.”

Sky Sports managing director, Barney Francis, said: “We love sport and believe in its power to inspire young people to get active, have fun and learn new skills. Game Changers is the first show of its kind and a brilliant addition to the Sky Sports schedule – I know my own kids will love it. Alongside Sky Sports Living for Sport, Sky Ride and the Sky Sports Scholarships scheme, it’s another demonstration of our commitment to all levels of sport from elite level to grass roots.”

Game Changers will draw on the expertise of many of the 75 athlete mentors who are part of Sky Sports Living for Sport, the free initiative that uses sports skills to inspire young people in a third of all UK secondary schools. 

The first show will kick off with a live skills session from Sky Sports Living for Sport mentor and inline skating world champion Jenna Downing. As well as live studio skills sessions that get the young audience involved, the sports stars will visit schools and sports clubs. These features will be supported by downloadable Skill Sheets available from the Game Changers website to help kids learn the basics of a new sport. 

Game Changers will be available to Sky viewers in a regular slot on Saturday mornings at 9am on Sky Sports. However the first episode of Game Changers will be available live and completely free to every home in Britain on this day only as part of Sky’s free day to kick off the new Premier League season. Sky Sports 1 will replace the regular programming on Sky 2 (on Sky and other pay TV services) and Pick TV (on Freeview and You View) on Saturday 17th August. 

As well as on TV, viewers who are out and about can watch Game Changers on the move outside the home on mobile and tablet devices via Sky Go, and kids who are out playing sport can catch up with the show on demand.

For further information please contact:

Alison Hackney

020 7032 1445

alison.hackney@bskyb.com

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Notes to Editors:

Now in its tenth year, Sky Sports Living for Sport is a free initiative, delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, that uses the life-changing stories and expertise of athlete mentors to inspire young people to learn new skills and improve their lives. Over 30,000 young people a year participate in the initiative, which reaches one third of all secondary schools in Britain and has just launched in Ireland.

The positive impact of sport on young peoples’ lives has been researched and proven in connection to Sky Sports Living for Sport. An improvement in the health and wellbeing of pupils who participated was reported by 87% of teachers, with improvements in communication and team-work also reported. Self-confidence and self-esteem was reported to have improved by 96% of teachers, with the same percentage seeing an improvement in attitudes to learning and judging the project a success.* Nearly three-quarters of pupils thought they were more likely to stay on at school to sixth form or go to college, over half joined a sports team and two-thirds of students were inspired to take up a hobby or activity as a result.

* Research taken from independent findings from Chrysalis Research, 2012