Perhaps one of the most passionate sports cities in the world, Philadelphia was the perfect host for the Beyond Sport Summit & Awards 2013. With nearly 1,000 leaders in business, sports, development, philanthropy, and government attending throughout the week and multiple events taking place all over the city on key topics such as health, innovation, conflict resolution, investment, urban communities, and sustainability, the fifth annual global event was a true success and one of our strongest yet.

Day 1
The first day consisted of expert-led sessions focused on key issues that fall under one of three main headers which reflect the Beyond Sport Basic Principles: Model/Curriculum, Impact/Sustainability, and Partnerships/Resources. Through breakout panels followed directly by peer-led roundtables delegates generated tangible new skills and approaches proven on the ground, trigger insight and debate to fuel new thinking. Topics included:

• How to integrate financial literacy into your sports programming, led by Barclays and Grassroot Soccer;
• How to make your model scalable, led by Right to Play;
• How to engage professional athletes into your programming, led by Octagon;
• How to create attractive opportunities in order to retain your corporate partners, led by Cone Communications;
• How to use affordable monitoring and evaluation tools, led by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

In the afternoon, delegates got the chance to visit programmes across Philly using different sports to address social issues, from baseball to ice hockey to running.

Day 2
On the second day, special events on key issues were held in partnership with expert organisations all over the city. Delegates attended closed and open-door sessions where they could dive deeper into relevant topics

Beyond Innovation: Focused on sports’ role in addressing STEM education (science, technology, engineering, math), Beyond Innovation was held at the iconic Franklin Institute. Perspectives from the education, business, professional sports and charity sectors were shared through presentations, workshops, and panels, addressing challenges, sports-based solutions, and practical opportunities.

Sport and Sustainability: In this full day session held at Lincoln Financial Field and facilitated by Green Sports Alliance, attendees discussed the challenges faced by and solutions available to both sports organisations and activation partners for creating actual environmental impact through sports. The group united around the issues and strategised on ways in which to collaborate to help all advance towards a more sustainable future.

Beyond the Divide: The full day event being hosted by Neumann University explored sports’ role in peace-building, reducing ignorance, and educating different sides of ethnic, racial and religious conflicts. Hosted by Edgework Consulting, insightful panels, inspirational talks and inquisitive discussion sessions were led by leading organizations in the field such as: PeacePlayers International, the United States State Department, Move this World, Hapoel Tel Aviv FC and Mifalot, Ambassadors in Sport, USAID, and United Nations.

Sport for Health: Led by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, the Sport For Health session spent a half-day addressing sport’s role in tackling non-communicable diseases, and exploring how government can better support initiatives and efforts taking place. Perspectives, views, and suggested actions were shared by expert organisations in the field offering practical solutions, including US Soccer Foundation, Cricket for Change, MLB, Figure Skating in Harlem, Cricket for Change, America SCORES, Pitch PR, USAID, and the NFL.

Investors Roundtable: Supported by Wharton Sports Business Initiative, this invite only session provided a platform and an environment for key investors in sport and social change – including corporate funders, foundations, sports leagues, brands, governing agencies – to discuss challenges, opportunities and possibilities about supporting development through sport programs.

Safeguarding Children in Sport: More than 75 organisations gathered to further the discussion and refine a set of standards to help make sport safe for children. Hosted by UNICEF, the full-day session discussed piloting the standards.

Urban Communities Symposium: Backed by the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Police Department, the symposium focused on sport’s role in tackling youth vbiolence in cities. The sessions brought in outside and local perspectives to brainstorm on a long-term vision for Philadelphia to move forward using sport.

On the evening of Day 2, the Mayor of Philadelphia, alongside the local sports teams – 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies and the Union – welcomed all Summit delegates to a special reception at the Kimmel Center that celebrated the city’s vibrant sporting professional culture and their commitment to the community. The reception saw the awarding and recognition of local grassroots sports organisations making a difference in their community through the Barclays Philadelphia Impact Award.

Day 3
On Day 3 of the Summit, all attendees gathered together for a day of high-profile panels, inspirational interviews, engaging talks and the presentation of the prestigious Beyond Sport Awards.

The theme of the day was Courage. Whether it be a practitioner working within a community in a war-torn country or a daring CEO pushing the envelope on how business should be done, the way we make change is by leading the way, challenging the norm: courage. Day 3 was about how courage can create change, from the bottom up… and the top down. Speakers included: ESPN Anchor Kevin Negandhi; Former Pennsylvania Governor Gov. Ed Rendell; NBA Commissioner David Stern; NRG CEO David Crane; NHL Hall-Of-Famer Mike Richter; Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O’nel; Philadelphia Eagles Owner Christina Weiss Lurie; Senator George Mitchell; Special Olympics CEO Tim Shriver; Marcus Jadotte, VP of Public Affairs and Diversity and former Senior Advisor for President Obama’s re-election campaign; Rugby World Cup Winner Will Greenwood; and NFL legend Brian Dawkins.

Throughout the day were special segments announcing the Beyond Sport Awards Winners. Winners included a programme that placed juvenile offenders in diverse sports programs, a project in India using football to empower young girls, and a foundation in Colombia that uses capoeira for children and youth affected by extreme violence and poverty. The Winners of the community awards received funding and business support for their programmes.