SailGP has announced the winners of the second Focus Area of its industry-leading Impact League – Emirates GBR SailGP Team – as the home-team and defending Impact League champions get set for an epic weekend of racing in Portsmouth, July 19-20.
A global first in sport, SailGP’s Impact League tracks and rewards teams not just for their performance on the water, but for their leadership and commitment to positive action off it. The second Impact League Focus Area for 2025 – Accelerating Inclusion – challenged teams to improve social inclusion and address barriers to participation in the sport of sailing.
Emirates GBR, received stellar support for their commitment to developing the next generation of sailing talent, with the judges praising their work as: “a standout, long-term initiative that sets a benchmark for accelerating inclusion in sailing”.
The team formalised and expanded their Young Development Sailor program for inner-city youth and through their partner, Low Carbon, invested $50k+ into inclusion-based educational resources for sport with the 1851 Trust. They have also provided more than 350 on-water training hours, including on the F50 for London teenager Kai Hockley, who was awarded a professional full-time role with the team in July 2024, and recently had his contract extended for the 2026 Season.
Hockley spoke about what the longer term commitment from the team means to him: “Being part of the Emirates GBR SailGP Team has really helped my development both on and off the water. From understanding the boat, how it works, how the foils work, and then also learning from the other athletes – understanding how they’re thinking, taking part in debriefs. Everyone wants the sport of sailing to grow so it needs mass participation – that’s why it’s so important that people from all backgrounds can get involved.”
Northstar Canada placed second in the Focus Area with the launch of FOIL4ALL, a four-day inclusive sailing programme in Halifax with 120+ attendees from the community (aged 18 to 70). The U.S. SailGP Team came in third, providing dozens of underserved youth in Los Angeles and New York with bespoke, introductory sailing lessons with U.S. SailGP Team athletes, in addition to ongoing learning, development and upskilling through the team’s partnership with the RISE Foundation.
The results of the second Focus Area now place Emirates GBR at the top of the overall Impact League standings for the 2025 Season, with Northstar Canada in second and Mubadala Brazil in third place.
The racing returns this weekend, with the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth taking place on July 19-20.
SailGP.com/Portsmouth.
