ABSTRACT

This chapter presents a case study of the “Street Violence Ruins Lives” initiative launched by the Charlton Athletic Community Trust in 2008. The aim of the initiative is to teach young people about the dangers of carrying a knife and of gang membership. Based on a personal account given by the former Commercial Director of Charlton Athletic Football Club and the founder of the Community Trust, the case study highlights the ways in which the initiative has been communicated in order to raise awareness of the campaign. It argues that it is important for sports organizations to effectively communicate corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives as it can raise awareness amongst those individuals that can potentially benefit from a particular scheme but that it can also potentially lead to increased funding from the commercial sector that can be used help to expand the delivery of CSR initiatives.