At least one million more underprivileged young people are to be reached by 2020 across the UK, says Lycamobile, announcing its partnership with Chance to Shine to support the cricket charity's community programme "Chance to Shine Street" and become headline sponsors of the 2015 Chance to Shine Street Awards.

 
Launched in 2008, the charity brings cricket to young people in urban areas where there are few green spaces. Young people in some of the country's most underprivileged areas will be off the streets and playing cricket, thanks to this new partnership between Lycamobile and Chance to Shine.

As well as London, the charity runs projects in Birmingham, Bristol, Dewsbury, Hull, Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester, promoting social cohesion and connecting young people from diverse communities through sport.

The Chance to Shine Street youth sessions are free and take place weekly, all year round in the evenings and weekends at community venues, such as leisure centres, sports halls and caged areas around housing estates and parks. Participants aged eight to fifteen enjoy fast-paced, six-a-side games with everyone getting a chance to bat, bowl and field.

Chief executive of Chance to Shine, Luke Swanson, said: "Chance to Shine Street is fast-paced, hard-hitting, loud, fun and open to anyone. It has a proven record of attracting young people, supporting their development and keeping them engaged in the game. This partnership builds on Lycamobile's commitment both to cricket and to connecting communities: together we can further broaden the reach of the game, bringing its many benefits to many more young people in some of our most deprived communities".

"We have always had strong ties to cricket with our sponsorship of Surrey County Cricket Club and UK Test Match Grounds", said Subaskaran Allirajah, Chairman of Lycamobile, "so to support Chance to Shine and their 'Street' programme is a perfect synergy for us. Lycamobile's mission is to keep communities connected wherever they are in the world which is at the core of the Chance to Shine work - something we are very proud to be associated with".

Chance to Shine Street won 'The Play Award at the Children & Young People Now Awards in 2012. The initiative has reached nearly 40,000 young people since 2008 and, working closely with local county cricket boards, will bring cricket to a further 3,000 participants in 2015.

To find out more about Chance to Shine Street, visit chancetoshine.org/street.