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
Maren
Last Name
Thomisch
Pronouns
She/Her
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
DFY Sports Limited
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2019
Initiative Title
The Shared Space Model: Unlocking Facilities for Inclusive Sport
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
https://www.dfy.org.uk/
Initiative Stage
Growth (You’ve moved past the very first activities; working towards the next level of expansion.)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
The Shared Space Model expands DFY’s existing after-hours delivery in London schools into a formalised Community Anchor framework, enabling trusted access to primary school facilities beyond curriculum hours that is open to both DFY participants and wider local children.
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 London, primary school halls, playgrounds and multi use games areas remain underutilised outside curriculum hours. While facility letting providers exist, many primary schools either do not participate or rent space inconsistently due to safeguarding concerns, staffing constraints and perceived operational risk. This results in a local access gap: families may live near suitable facilities, but cannot reliably use them in the evenings, weekends or holidays. The children most affected are those least likely to access paid clubs, including girls, children in lower income households, and children who do not feel welcome in traditional sport environments. DFY Sports delivers year-round sport in London schools and community settings and reaches over 2,000 children weekly. We started with delivery in London and have grown our footprint over time, with our strongest base in Brent and expanding delivery across additional boroughs including Hammersmith and Fulham. We currently provide after-hours provision and holiday activity in multiple schools, but in most cases access is limited to a small number of hours. Schools regularly tell us there is unused evening capacity, but opening it safely and consistently requires a trusted operator, clear safeguarding responsibility, and a practical plan to communicate and fill those hours. The barrier is not infrastructure. It is institutional confidence and operational structure. We are close to the problem because we work inside schools weekly, we hear directly from headteachers and families, and we see how limited after-hours access constrains participation even when facilities exist.
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?
The Shared Space Model formalises what DFY is already doing in London schools and scales it beyond limited, ad hoc hours into a structured Community Anchor approach. Rather than relying on external booking marketplaces, DFY acts as the trusted operational intermediary between school leadership and the local community. Schools and other space holders provide agreed access to facilities outside formal hours, and DFY assumes responsibility for safeguarding, supervision, programming, and day-to-day site operations. Access is open to both existing DFY participants and wider local children, supported by an affordability approach so cost is not exclusionary. We formalise the operating model through: - shared use agreement templates - clear safeguarding and supervision responsibilities - behaviour and inclusion standards that make spaces genuinely welcoming - a timetable of predictable access hours beyond curriculum time - practical operations systems that reduce burden for the space holder The “aha” moment came from repeated conversations with primary school leaders. Many want to open their facilities more, but they do not want unmanaged external hire. When a trusted partner takes responsibility for safeguarding, staffing, and community management, access becomes possible. DFY’s existing relationships make this feasible in schools that would otherwise remain closed or only partially open. Decision-making stakeholders are central: headteachers, academy trust leaders, governing bodies, local authority teams, and other landowners control access and policy. Our approach is designed to reduce their risk, clarify accountability, and create a repeatable model that can be adopted across multiple sites.
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?
Young people are not just participants. They influence how the space functions. At each site, DFY will run structured youth consultations to inform: Scheduling that works for families Activity mix preferences Barriers to participation for girls Behaviour expectations within the space Feedback loops will be embedded through short pulse surveys and termly discussions. Parents and school staff are consulted to ensure timing, affordability and supervision models reflect real community constraints. Importantly, access will not be limited to children already in DFY programmes. The Community Anchor model creates defined open-access hours for local children not currently engaged, ensuring the space genuinely serves the wider community.
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?
DFY already delivers sport at scale in London schools and community settings, reaching over 2,000 children weekly. We also already provide after-hours provision and holiday activity in multiple schools. However, in most sites access remains limited to a small number of hours, despite facilities having additional unused capacity. Through this Growth-stage expansion, we will move from limited after-hours access to a structured Community Anchor model by: - formalising 2 to 3 anchor sites in Year 1 - unlocking an additional 12 to 20 hours per week of predictable after-hours facility access - engaging 400 to 800 children annually across anchor sites, including children not currently involved in DFY - improving participation and retention of girls and first-time participants through more welcoming, better-designed access - protecting affordability through structured pricing and inclusion places Longer-term impact includes increased utilisation of existing community infrastructure, reduced reliance on informal or unsafe play spaces, stronger school-community relationships, and a documented Shared Space Framework that can be replicated across additional schools, academy trusts and boroughs. This model scales impact by changing how access is governed and managed, not only by increasing the number of sessions delivered.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
The innovation is institutional rather than programmatic. Facility letting providers can solve booking logistics, but many primary schools still do not open their facilities consistently because the core barrier is not booking. It is safeguarding responsibility, operational burden, and trust. The Shared Space Model addresses this structural gap by embedding a trusted delivery partner inside the governance of access. What is different: - access is unlocked through established school relationships, not open market hire - DFY assumes operational and safeguarding responsibility, reducing risk for the school - clear shared use agreements and operating procedures create predictability and accountability - hybrid access combines structured sessions with defined community hours that welcome new children - the model is designed to maximise underused space by expanding the range of activities delivered, drawing on DFY’s multi-sport coaching workforce This approach shifts norms around how primary school facilities function in the community, moving from occasional or limited hire to structured, trusted opening that is inclusive by design.
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?
DFY is already operationally set up to deliver across multiple London schools, with established safeguarding systems, experienced staff, and long-term relationships with school leaders. The Growth phase will: Year 1 - formalise 2 to 3 anchor sites - increase unlocked after-hours access by 12 to 20 hours per week - strengthen communications and local awareness so spaces are filled beyond the existing DFY network - document the operating model into a Shared Space Framework that can be replicated Year 2 - expand through academy trust and local authority partnerships - increase the number of anchor sites and standardise agreements and operating procedures across them Sustainability will combine affordable participant contributions, school partnership arrangements, inclusion subsidies, and local authority collaboration. Because the model leverages existing facilities, it requires limited capital investment. Sustainability is achieved through repeatable operations, consistent staffing, and partnership alignment. The long-term opportunity is to replicate the model across additional London boroughs by working with decision-making stakeholders who can unlock multiple sites through a single relationship.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
DFY Sports - Lead applicant - Operational intermediary - Safeguarding oversight - Programme delivery - Monitoring and evaluation - Community consultation Partner Schools - Provide facility access - Align safeguarding policies - Support communication with families Potential Academy Trust or Local Authority Partner - Strategic oversight - Facilitate expansion across additional sites
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Q2 2026 - Confirm Growth phase schools - Formalise shared use agreements - Conduct youth consultations Q3 2026 - Expand after-hours access hours - Launch open-access community sessions Q4 2026 - Monitor utilisation and inclusion metrics - Refine Shared Space Framework Q1 2027 - Expand to additional site - Publish implementation toolkit
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.
As a Growth-stage initiative, capacity building will focus on strengthening governance and replication systems. Costs include: - Legal support for shared use agreements - Governance and safeguarding review - Documentation and toolkit development - Staff time for partnership coordination - Monitoring and evaluation framework development All costs will comply with grant restrictions and directly support scaling the Shared Space Model.
