My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), evidence of access to a lease for the space you are leveraging, and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions.
Yes
First Name
Dennis
Last Name
Boateng
Pronouns
He/Him
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
1
Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
No
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
No
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Lead Organisation Name
Your Cages CIC
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2025
Initiative Title
Estate Cages into community Hubs
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
www.yourcages.co.uk
Initiative Stage
Pilot-Stage (The first activities have happened, and you have proof of concept)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Your Cages reimagines underused sports spaces by combining free community access with income-generating bookings that fund homework clubs, ICT classes, and youth development programmes in Angell Town.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
Across many London housing estates, Multi-Use Games Areas (MUGAs) and cages are installed as physical infrastructure but are not integrated into wider estate development, youth strategy, or community management plans. Unlike adventure playgrounds, which are typically staffed, programmed and embedded into long-term funding models, estate-based sports cages are often delivered without sustainable governance, supervision or programming. On Angell Town Estate, the original MUGA was a free, open-access facility with no formal management structure. While intended to provide positive recreation, the absence of oversight led to unknown usage, safeguarding concerns, and tensions between residents. When the MUGA was renovated into a 3G pitch, the improved surface increased demand and perceived value, but it also intensified existing challenges. Questions emerged around who the space was for, how it should be accessed, and how to manage noise and evening usage. The renovation exposed a wider structural issue: estate-based sports infrastructure is rarely accompanied by a sustainable operating model that balances free community access with financial viability and resident wellbeing.
Your approach: How are you/ will you addressing the problem outlined above? How does your solution unlock or reimagine access to spaces for sport and physical activity? What role do landowners, local authorities, or other decision-making stakeholders play in your approach? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
Our solution is rooted directly in the structural gap we identified: estate-based sports facilities exist across London, but they are rarely integrated into long-term management plans, youth strategies, or borough-wide sports planning. Through our pilot at Angell Town, we developed a community-governed shared use model that transforms undermanaged infrastructure into sustainable, youth centred assets. Before launching this initiative, I worked as a Duty Manager in a formal sports facility. Evening and weekend pitch slots were consistently oversubscribed, with waiting lists for grassroots clubs and community groups. Access was competitive and often financially out of reach. At the same time, when travelling across estates, I repeatedly saw empty cages and underused MUGAs. That contrast was my “aha” moment: oversubscribed leisure centres on one side, underutilised estate infrastructure on the other — often within the same borough. The issue was not a lack of infrastructure. It was a lack of integration, governance and sustainable operating models. Many estate based MUGAs are delivered through capital investment but lack structured programming or long-term management frameworks. Unlike adventure playgrounds, which are embedded into funding and staffing models, cages are often installed without operational planning. This creates three structural barriers: 1. Infrastructure without governance, unclear access rules, safeguarding concerns and resident tensions. 2. Financial exclusion: local young people cannot afford commercial facilities, while estate pitches lack revenue streams to sustain programming. 3. Fragmented decision-making – landowners, TMOs, TRAs and local authorities are not always aligned around how these spaces should function.
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
Currently, our pilot at Angell Town primarily engages residents, TMOs, and TRAs in shaping how the 3G pitch is managed. They provide input on scheduling, governance, and balancing community and external bookings, ensuring the facility aligns with local priorities, addresses noise concerns, and meets resident expectations. This has created a solid foundation for community trust and operational stability. However, young people have not yet been fully involved in co-designing the model. While they are the primary users of the facility and benefit from structured sessions and programmes, the opportunity for them to actively shape activities, governance, or future improvements has been limited in this pilot. As we expand and plan on converting additional underused cages into community hubs, placing young people at the centre of co-design will be a key focus. For future sites, we plan to: Involve young people directly in planning session schedules and programme content, ensuring activities reflect their interests and developmental needs. Introduce roles for older youth as peer mentors and junior facilitators, giving them responsibility for supporting younger children and fostering leadership skills. Collect regular feedback from young participants to refine programming, access rules, and community engagement strategies. Collaborate with residents, TRAs, and local schools alongside youth representatives to co-create shared governance models, balancing community oversight with young people’s voice and agency.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in unlocking spaces for and access to physical activity and sport so far? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had , and or what impact do you envision having in the future?
Since launching our pilot at Angell Town, we have begun to demonstrate how underused estate-based facilities can be transformed into accessible, community focused hubs for sport and youth development. Currently, we run two weekly free football sessions, averaging around 10 children per session. In addition, we have established a homework club every Saturday, offering educational support and a quiet space for learning. While uptake has been modest so far, it provides a strong foundation for growth as awareness and engagement in the community increase. The pilot has also generated important operational and social insights: Free access to a high-quality 3G pitch encourages local participation where alternatives are limited. Collaboration with residents, TMOs, and TRAs demonstrates that community-led governance can effectively balance local and external use. Revenue from evening bookings for external users can be reinvested into youth programmes, creating a self-sustaining model for community hubs. Looking ahead, we envision significant expansion and impact: Scaling this model to additional underused cages across London could dramatically increase equitable access to play and sport, particularly for public school students who cannot afford private facilities. Embedding structured programming, youth co-design, and peer mentorship in future sites will strengthen participation, engagement, and a sense of ownership among young people. Linking revenue from external bookings to education and sports activities will create a replicable, sustainable model where estate based facilities directly contribute to youth development and the wider community
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Our initiative is innovative because it tackles a gap that most existing sports and youth programmes overlook: estate based sports facilities often exist but are rarely managed, programmed, or integrated into the community. Unlike building new facilities or relying on oversubscribed leisure centres, we unlock underused estate and park spaces and transform them into sustainable, community-governed hubs. The originality of our approach lies in three key areas: 1. Shared-use, self-sustaining model Most cages and MUGAs are either unmanaged or fully commercial. Our model balances free access for local young people with evening bookings for external clubs, with income ringfenced to fund homework clubs, ICT classes, and extracurricular programmes. This ensures the facility remains accessible while supporting ongoing youth development. 2. Embedded governance and accountability We actively integrate residents, TMOs, TRAs, and local authorities into governance, scheduling, and conflict management. This transforms the facility from a neglected space into a managed community asset, improving safety, clarity of access, and stakeholder relationships. 3. Youth co-design and leadership While our current pilot primarily involves residents, future sites will place young people at the heart of co-design. They will help shape sessions, lead activities, and participate in governance, ensuring programmes meet their needs and fostering ownership and responsibility.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your initiative up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
Our initiative is designed to be operationally sustainable and scalable, transforming underused sports facilities across London, including estate-based cages and MUGAs in parks and open spaces, into vibrant community hubs while generating revenue to fund youth programmes. Operational sustainability is built on a shared-use, hybrid model: local young people have priority access to free sessions during the day and after school, while external clubs and organisations can book evening slots at market rates. Income is ringfenced to fund homework clubs, ICT classes, and extracurricular activities, creating a self-sustaining cycle that reduces reliance on continuous grant funding. We embed strong governance structures at each site. Residents, TMOs, and TRAs participate in scheduling, conflict management, and access oversight, while our team provides on-site supervision and programme delivery. This collaborative model builds trust, ensures accountability, and balances the needs of local young people with those of wider users. Impact tracking is central to our approach. Participation data, youth feedback, and resident input guide programme design, identify opportunities for improvement, and allow us to demonstrate social value. Scalability is a core focus. Across London, there are hundreds of underused cages and MUGAs in estates, parks, and other open spaces. Each new site follows a structured framework: Assess local community needs and space suitability Establish governance partnerships with residents, TMOs/TRAs, and local authorities Implement shared-use scheduling with free youth access and revenue-generating bookings Reinvest income into structured youth programmes Embed youth co-design and peer leadership to increase engagement and ownership
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Our initiative operates through a collaborative and outsourced model to ensure high-quality delivery while keeping operations manageable. Football sessions: Delivered by The Streets Football, an external organisation with expertise in youth sport and coaching. They design and run weekly sessions, ensuring safe, engaging, and structured activities for children. Homework club: Led by a freelance Primary School teacher, supported by an assistant. They provide educational support, monitor attendance, and manage activities to foster learning in a structured environment. Bookings and scheduling: Managed through Playfinder (Bookteq), which handles external bookings and facility access, enabling clear scheduling and revenue tracking. Operations oversight: I run day-to-day operations on a part-time basis, coordinating between programme providers, community stakeholders, and external users. This includes supervising the delivery of sessions, liaising with residents and TRAs, and ensuring smooth implementation of the shared use model. This structure allows each partner to focus on their area of expertise while ensuring the initiative remains accountable, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of the community. As the project grows, we plan to expand responsibilities by introducing youth co-design roles, peer mentors, and additional resident involvement in governance, further embedding ownership and sustainability into the model.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Our initiative is moving from pilot operations toward replication and growth, with milestones designed to ensure sustainability, impact, and community engagement: Ongoing pilot operations (current) Continue running football sessions and homework clubs at Angell Town. Maintain partnerships with The Streets Football and freelance homework club staff. Track participation, gather feedback, and refine operational processes. Capability-building and organisational readiness (next 1–2 months) Complete recommended training courses through Integrate, including Impact Measurement Intensive, Volunteer Management, and Key Organisational Policies. Work with Integrate to develop key organisational policies: Data Protection Policy to enable accurate collection and reporting of participation data. Safeguarding Policy for volunteers and paid staff. Community Hire Agreement clarifying expectations for hirers and the initiative. Paid role descriptions for football coaches and homework club staff to support recruitment and operational delivery. Expansion and replication (next 3–6 months) Formalise proposals to another TMO/TRA or lambeth council to deliver services at a new site. Secure a ring-fenced location in Loughborough Junction, targeting Wycks Gardens and St James Crescent, based in brixton london. Engage local residents, TRAs, and youth in initial planning and co-design to ensure programming meets community needs. Operational and programme scaling (following site acquisition) Implement shared-use scheduling for free youth access and revenue-generating bookings. Introduce multi-sport adaptations (tennis, netball) to support participation across all genders and age groups and provide diverse sporting options. Track participation, gather feedback, and refine programmes to maintain high-quality delivery. These milestones combine capacity building, operational readiness, and community engagement to ensure the initiative is sustainable, replicable, and positioned to expand across additional underused estate and park-based facilities in London.
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details.
Key areas where support would be required include: Marketing and communications: Costs for creating social media content, photography, and video to promote the initiative and share progress with stakeholders. Website development and maintenance – Enhancements to the Your Cages website to showcase impact and report programme outcomes. Insurance and compliance – Public liability, volunteer insurance, and any additional coverage required to safely deliver programmes and participate in workshops. Travel and attendance – Costs for travelling to in-person capacity-building workshops and meetings across London. Participant refreshments/food during workshop days to support attendance and full engagement. Estimated support required: £8,000 Providing this funding would allow the initiative to fully benefit from the capacity-building programme, strengthen our operational readiness, and ensure we can deliver high-quality, safe, and well-documented programmes to young people across multiple sites.
