SPIRE Collective works across local, national and international contexts to strengthen youth development, prevention and community resilience.

We create frameworks, toolkits, evaluation models and research outputs for a wide range of audiences, from frontline practitioners and community groups to policymakers and global partners. Across all projects, we are committed to producing work that is rigorous, accessible and grounded in ethical, youth-centred practice.

Our portfolio reflects the diversity of the contexts we work in: supporting crime and violence prevention, enhancing early years development, strengthening safeguarding practice, and embedding sport within wider social systems. Whether developing theories of change, designing monitoring and evaluation tools, or producing practitioner guidance, our aim is always the same - to use sport as a vehicle for meaningful, measurable and equitable change.

SPIRE Collective Research and Reports

Physical Activity in Early Years Development: Understanding the Sport Play Continuum

September 2025

This report examines how physical activity, sport and play support early childhood development and early prevention for children aged 2–7 across two London settings. Through observations, interviews and practitioner workshops, the study explores how movement-based practice shapes physical, social–emotional and cognitive development, and identifies the conditions that make early years provision most impactful.