Steve Kerslake.
When I first met Steve, he described himself as a “glorified groundworker turned charity entrepreneur”. Not a natural progression for most groundworkers, but I bet I still have your attention. So, keep reading with me.
Steve founded his charity in 2016 when he spotted a massive knowledge gap around mental and physical health in the construction industry. But, Steve found something more. He noticed how much love the industry had for the sport. And how sporting culture has positively impacted other industries like the military & police forces.
When it comes to sports, construction firms love to sponsor or buy executive suites at sports stadiums. They love the live experience and the people that gather around that live experience. A few drinks, a good game, a few business cards…it’s fun and ROI positive. But, Steve spotted something more.
Enter, Construction Sport.
In a nutshell, Construction Sport aims to develop a culture based on sport within the construction sector. And they are tackling two key problems; labour shortage & suicide issues. Currently, they are two workers per day committing suicide in our industry. A statistic Steve is determined to stop.
Building teams, both on-site and in a sporting environment, Construction Sport will not only attract tomorrow’s workforce but will also give the current workforce the opportunity to address their mental and physical health in a positive way.
“We don’t need to be lectured about statistics in a classroom, we just need to be given opportunities to have some downtime.” – Steve says.