Thrive was founded in 2020 by two people who'd already spent the best part of two decades watching sport change lives from the inside. Matt and Andy built and ran a sports coaching company together first, working across more than 50 schools in Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire before starting Thrive.

What years of coaching and teaching kept showing them was the same pattern: the children who struggled weren't struggling with the sport itself, they were struggling with confidence, with belonging, with knowing how to handle winning, losing, or simply being part of a team. And the adults around them - teachers, coaches, parents - were often carrying more than anyone talked about.

That's why Thrive exists. Sport is the vehicle, not the destination. We use it to build the confidence, resilience and social skills that carry people well beyond the pitch, the classroom or the training room - because people thrive when they feel supported, connected and confident in themselves.