The Value of Sport – International collaboration

In addition to the technical form and content of the Monitor it is also intended that it will act as a catalyst for the development of a community of researchers. To fulfil this role the Monitor (and the co-ordinator in co-operation with UK Sport and Sport England) will seek to:

• Promote greater co-operation between researchers and agencies interested in promoting the benefits of sport within the UK and internationally.
• Provide a focal point for researchers and sports administrators to express their views and discuss topical issues concerned with the value of sport.
• List relevant future events such as seminars and conferences

The international network

In order to ensure that the Monitor is up-to-date and alert to relevant research developments across the world, a network of international partners is being developed around the project. These partners include both the policy making community and research community. The role of partners will include:

• Sharing developments and thinking on strategic policy and effective practice
• Identifying new research that falls within the scope of the Monitor
• Identifying, and providing a link to, academics from within their own country having an expertise in one or more of the subject areas covered by the Monitor
• Providing a source of advice on issues which may arise concerning the content of the Monitor – for example, the validation of new references or the nature of the overview reports that we intend to publish from time to time.

The concept of the Value of Sport Monitor was developed out of a meeting of national sports organisations at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and has been brought to fruition by Sport England and UK Sport working in conjunction with Professor Fred Coalter and colleagues at the University of Stirling. Since 2004 Sport England and UKSport have been working closely with the Australian Sports Commission to extend the network of policy makers and researchers and widen the international relevance and impact of the Monitor.

The Australian Sports Commission has taken the lead on organising the first meeting of ‘The Value of Sport Research Forum’ in Canberra in April 2005. All partner organisations currently involved in the Monitor are keen to expand the international network of policy makers and academics in seeking to build a stronger evidence base on the benefits of sport and extend the use of evidence to inform decision-making in policy and practice.