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Workforce

To ensure people who are engaged in sport and physical activity have the best possible experience, the workforce must be recruited, developed and supported in the right way.

At a glance

Making the difference

A volunteer makes all the difference. We know through our research that volunteering benefits both the volunteer and the person receiving the support, with it positively linked with mental wellbeing and both individual and community development. So whether it’s serving refreshments, coaching a player or assisting disabled people to take part, the sport and physical activity sector needs people to give their time.

Rugby players have team huddle

Volunteering in an Active Nation

Our vision for Volunteering in an Active Nation is as relevant for volunteers as for those taking part in sport and physical activity. We want everyone in England regardless of age, background or level of ability to feel able to take part.

We’re working together with community organisations, sports clubs, local authorities and volunteer groups to:

  • Invest in improving the volunteer experience to make it more enjoyable and meaningful
  • Bring in more people from under-represented groups to make volunteering in sport and physical activity more diverse
  • Work with new partners as well as existing ones to build a more diverse audience.

Download our Volunteering strategy by clicking on the link below.

By investing in volunteering, measuring the benefits (to volunteers as well as the community), and using the knowledge we gain to create a more rewarding volunteering experience, we’ll be able to tap into even more of the country’s vast volunteering potential. Click here to read more about our Uniting the Movement strategy.

Coaching in an Active Nation

In November 2016 we launched our Coaching in an Active Nation plan, which is designed to support coaches who work with people who already have a regular sporting habit, as well as those taking their first steps to becoming more physically active.

Currently, coaching largely supports the people who already have a regular sporting habit. These people are important, and improving their experience is key. But for the first time, we also want to unleash the power of coaching for everyone taking their first steps to becoming more physically active, so that they too can benefit from the support that good coaches provide.

Working in an Active Nation

We know that the professional workforce - paid professionals who are employed or self-employed either full-time or part-time - has a major role to play in delivering the aspirations and targets of our Uniting the Movement strategy.

To help support the key factors highlighted in the government’s Sporting Future strategy, we’ve developed a plan to give the more than 400,000 people who work in the sport and physical activity sector in England the best possible support.

Working in an Active Nation’s vision is that everyone working in sport and activity feels confident, valued and supported. This strengthening of the workforce would make it more able to give the best possible experience for the people who are – or who want to be – active.

Read more about these objectives and the way they’ll be achieved by reading our professional workforce page.

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