10 June 2009
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copy of the Sport England 2008-2011 strategy
Sport England has published a radical new strategy to get more
people playing and enjoying sport and to help those with talent get
to the very top.
The new approach is designed to capitalise on the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented by the London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games, and to use its power to inspire more people
to take part in and succeed in sport.
The strategy commits Sport England to deliver on a series of
demanding targets by 2012/13:
- one million people doing more sport
- a 25% reduction in the number of 16 year olds who drop out of
five key sports
- improved talent development systems in at least 25 sports
- a measurable increase in people’s satisfaction with their
experience of sport – the first time the organisation has set such
a qualitative measure
- a major contribution to the delivery of the five hour sports
offer for children and young people.
Sport England will work closely with the national governing
bodies of sport (NGBs) to deliver the new strategy, and will also
create strong partnerships with local authorities. It will reduce
bureaucracy by combining its multiple funding streams into a single
pot of funding for NGBs, and will be consulting on a new, more
streamlined method of funding wider community projects.
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham
said:
“This major reform of Sport England marks a new era for sport in
this country and will put us on the road to having a world leading
community sport system. We want to encourage people of all
levels and abilities to play sport for life, to reach their full
potential and to remove any barriers in the way of the
talented.
By investing heavily in coaching and the club structure we can
maximise the chances for English sporting success and improve the
quality of the sport experience for all. National governing
bodies will be key to successful delivery and will play a crucial
role in helping us to get one million people doing more sport by
2012. It’ll be a tough challenge but I am confident that
together we can do it."
Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, said:
"My aim was to produce a clear, sharply focussed strategy for
Sport England that would win credibility with our stakeholders and
set high standards for us as an organisation. Grass roots sport
deserves a world leading system, and that is what we are setting
out to deliver.
"I am confident that the Governing Bodies of sport, on
which this strategy is critically dependent, will rise to the
challenge of delivering on participation, talent support and
increased satisfaction within their sports."
Richard Lewis, Executive Chairman Rugby Football League, said:
"We wholly support Sport England's new direction for the future of
sport. In particular, we welcome the clarity of roles with which
Sport England and National Governing Bodies of sport will be
working in the future.
"Entrusting NGBs with more responsibility is a positive step
towards getting the right resources to the right people in sport.
We recognise that with responsibility comes more accountability and
I, for one, look forward to working closely with Sport England to
create a world-class sports system."
Sport England will work with the Youth Sport Trust to deliver
the Government’s 5-hour sport offer and make sure that talented
young people are identified early and nurtured, and with UK Sport
to dovetail with and support the elite programmes they run for our
most talented athletes.
Sue Campbell, Chair of the Youth Sport Trust and UK Sport, said:
“The past few years have seen great strides in the simplification
of the sporting landscape. There is a real determination across the
Youth Sport Trust, Sport England and UK Sport to ensure our
partnership delivers effective, seamless pathways for sporting
opportunity from school to elite. Today’s announcement is a further
step forward in the process, as it shows how Sport England with its
new strategy is now more focused than ever on ensuring that
sporting journey is available to all.
London 2012 offers us a once in a lifetime opportunity to get it
right, to create a structure that allows sportsmen and women to
maximize their potential from the moment they first encounter a
sport – whether that be in their local school, club or ultimately
on the world stage. That is our goal, and that will be the focus of
all of us in helping Sport England to deliver its new
strategy.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
Sport England is a non-departmental public body and National
Lottery distributor. We are committed to creating a world leading
community sports development system and increasing participation in
sport. Sport England's annual budget (lottery and exchequer) is
c£250m.
The target to get one million people doing more sport by 2012-13
includes reaching out to priority groups – women, black and ethnic
minorities, people with disabilities or those from deprived
backgrounds.
The strategy was developed with support from an external
challenge group appointed by the Government. The group was
made up of Richard Lewis (Executive Chairman Rugby Football
League), Steve Grainger (Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust),
Ged Roddy (Vice Chairman of Sport England) and Paul Heron (Deputy
Director of Sport at the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport).
Sport England undertook two rounds of external consultation
earlier this year. We also used workshops to develop our
plans for clubs, coaches and volunteers drawing on advice from
National Governing Bodies and other partners. This has
ensured broad support for our new direction and focus.
Sport England will operate at a strategic level working with and
through national governing bodies drawing in other partners
including local authorities. Sport England will have a strong
national team, regional teams with a tighter focus and will work
with county sport partnerships who will deliver specific
services.