A new report, delivered by Brunel University, reveals that cost is the main barrier preventing increased participation in sport.

The ‘Building a Participation Legacy’ study highlights affordable access to sport as being the vital key to delivering a genuine legacy from the London 2012 Games.

The research study points out that the most disadvantaged members of the 2012 generation, youths from impoverished urban areas such as Newport, Pendle and the Olympic Borough of Newham, are less likely to participate in sport where a cost is involved or there is a need to travel beyond their local neighbourhood.

Commissioned by StreetGames and Coca-Cola Foundation, the two-year study was carried out on more than 3,000 young people across the UK in five disadvantaged neighbourhoods (in Newham, Newcastle, Birmingham, Pendle and Newport).

The report outlines the main factors that help young people engage in sport, which include the style of sports coaching. Young people favoured informal and 'fun-focussed' sports coaching styles encouraging them to take up and stay in sport.

Offering incentives and rewards helped to create a strong sense of belonging to a sports group and encouraged more regular participation and retention over time. These included free t-shirts, membership cards and merchandise, and 'once in a lifetime' trips to major sporting events.

Delivering sport locally - on the communities' 'doorsteps' - helped to make any cost of participation, such as travel to sport sessions, more affordable.

It was found that including young people in the planning of sport sessions is fundamental to them becoming properly engaged fostering a sense of both ownership and belonging.

A key finding of the report is that sports coaches are crucial for developing young people personally and socially, and for realising their true potential outside of sport.

Coaches were seen as role models for t3he young people and were rated as more effective in getting participants active than teachers, family or friends.

Dr Laura Hills, senior lecturer in youth sport and the research team lead at Brunel University, said: "StreetGames is successfully providing sporting opportunities for disadvantaged young people many of whom have little engagement with physical activity in other contexts.

"Providing free or very cheap sessions is crucial as even raising the cost of a sport session above £1 in the areas sampled would stop an individual from participating. That's why partnerships like this are so important."

The Building a Participation Legacy report has been publicly released by Coca-Cola Great Britain and StreetGames to show 'what works' in creating a sporting legacy of increased participation and activity for young people following the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Jane Ashworth, CEO StreetGames, said: "Cost, activity outside school and engaging young people in planning are just a few of the examples drawn out by the report and StreetGames will work to ensure that these and the other findings are built upon and embraced amongst our network of Doorstep Sport deliverers.

"StreetGames changes sport, communities and lives, but this would not be possible without the support of organisations like Coca-Cola Great Britain. With this in mind we are delighted that Coca-Cola Great Britain has extended our partnership until 2015 and we will use the findings of 'Building a Participation Legacy' to ensure that more youngsters living in our most deprived communities have access to sport and all the benefits this brings."