Immigration has become one of the biggest issues of our time and it is rare for a day to go by without it hitting the headlines.

According to Migration Watch UK, the UK population has increased by an average of around 400,000 a year since 2000 and currently stands at nearly 65 million. The ONS estimates the UK population is expected to reach 70 million by 2027, on the current assumption of 185,000 a year, although in 2014 net migration was more than this at 312,000.

The greater the number of arrivals, the greater the importance of integration, both to counter problems which can arise through social exclusion, but also to build strong communities where all ethnic groups mix and play a part. Sport can be a useful tool in this respect: non-verbal communication and shared experience can overcome language barriers – you don’t need words to celebrate a goal – plus sport can be a great leveller and a great way to get to know people.

Despite this, initiatives using sport to integrate immigrant communities are still thin on the ground, partly because sports providers have been slow to drive them forward and also because funding has been limited. For example, inclusive martial arts provider Sanjuro had to discontinue a programme for victims of torture because the funding stream stopped.

In recognition of the fact that funding to integrate refugees and asylum seekers is limited, a consortium of funders has just launched The New Beginnings Fund. Administered by The London Community Forum, it will support local groups working to welcome refugees and asylum seekers into communities.

Funding is obviously important to make widescale change, but programmes don’t have to cost the earth in order to make a difference. Harbour Football Club in Swindon is just one example of how even small projects can be effective, if driven by an energetic individual.

Toby Green started the club when he saw refugees playing football on a piece of grass. Having experienced the isolation of living abroad and then making friends through playing football, he was keen to extend a welcome. “There’s been a lot of negativity around the refugee crisis and I wanted to show there are people who welcome migrants into the community,” he says.

“A local business gave me funding to hire an artificial pitch for two hours each Sunday and I persuaded some coaches to give their time to help run the sessions.

“A local football club donated the balls and boots. Most of them didn’t have the right clothes and one guy wore shoes you’d wear to a job interview.”

With people donating time and kit, this has been an inexpensive scheme to set up and Green says it is something which sports clubs and leisure centres could easily offer in their off-peak hours.

Around 15-20 people come along each week and are all abilities: some have never played before and don’t know the rules, others quickly progress into local teams playing in the Sunday league, making new friends and becoming part of the community.

Also based on football, the Devon-based charity Plymouth Hope was started in 2009 by David Feindouno with the aim of promoting social inclusion.

Feindouno says the programme has three aims: to get people to exercise regularly (these are hard-to-reach groups who have very limited incomes), create a platform for immigrants to make friends and to use football as an integration tool as people progress to the local league.

The initiative has gone from strength to strength, winning support from national charities like Sported and Children in Need. The team has joined a football league, added youth activities to the programme and volunteers visit local primary schools to talk about racial awareness.

However, Feindouno says it has been difficult to find funding as the concept is difficult to convey in grant applications. “We are using sport to change behaviour: many of the people we help have behavioural issues, but conforming to the rules and discipline of a sport helps them manage their emotions,” he says. “Many people don’t understand the benefits which sport has and so it can be hard to persuade people to give funding to allow people to play football.”

Feindouno says sports clubs and leisure centres could help the cause by allowing groups such as Plymouth Hope to use facilities at a discount. “Our volunteers work hard to raise money and it goes quickly on hiring facilities,” he says.

As sports and health and fitness providers are tasked with getting everyone active, and often struggle to engage with hard-to-reach groups such as these, it makes sense for them to team up with groups like Plymouth Hope and Harbour Football Club. Inititiatives like these may not add to the bottom line, but they do use sport to create a better society and engage communities.