Statement in Response to Government Consultation 'A New Strategy for Sport'

Adrian Christy, Chair of the National Governing Body CEO Forum whose membership includes 39 NGBs drawn from mass participation, Olympic, non-Olympic and disability sport has today given a welcome to the Government’s consultation ‘A New Strategy for Sport’.

Adrian Christy, Chair of the CEO Forum and CEO of Badminton England said:

"This is a pivotal moment for sport and our members look forward to playing an active and constructive role in this consultation. Over the past decade NGBs have been transformed with the injection of Government and National Lottery money and a much more professional and focussed approach that has seen almost 1 million more people play sport at least once a week over the last decade and a massive increase in the number of sports winning medals on the international stage . Our members are absolutely committed to continued professionalisation, embracing innovation and working with appropriate partners to ensure maximum impact in everything we do.

"One area where we believe change is needed is in how participation is measured so that the whole picture is presented, not just part of it. For example, the current Active People Survey [APS] measurement presents a limited snapshot of participation, as it does not reflect participation among those under the age of 14, and does not make full use of modern technology in its sampling methods.

"It’s counter-intuitive that one of the key groups that were meant to be inspired by London 2012 are not included in the APS. A sport like Hockey has seen a 40% growth in participation among under 16s since 2012, yet this progress is not registered by APS. In 2010, Handball had 25 teams competing in their National Schools Competition – three years on from the Games, that figure has grown to over 900. In my own sport, we have witnessed incredible growth of young people playing in our National Schools Championships which grew from just over 300 players to 35,000; however the vast majority of these young players would not have been captured by the APS model.

"We also want to see an overall vision for sport that aligns central and local Government with NGBs and stakeholders in the sporting landscape, enabling a seamless system from school and community sport through to the podium. It is critical that NGBs remain at the heart of the sports system to enable us to build on the significant progress achieved over the last decade and as demonstrated by ‘State of Play’ research earlier this year."

In March 2014 the CEO Forum unveiled new research by Sheffield Hallam University Sport Industry Research Centre on the state of sport in England. The study, entitled ‘State of Play’, was led by Professor Simon Shibli and demonstrates the impact of the CEO Forum’s 39 NGBs in helping to deliver sport in England in 2014. ‘State of Play’ highlights include:

Over 1.8 million people belong to sports clubs [over 1 million more than the total membership of all UK political parties]

There are over 1.9 million NGB linked volunteers [more than the entire NHS workforce]

NGB linked volunteering was worth £4.9 billion

Almost 3 million sports competitions took place in England

Over 50,000 NGB affiliated clubs exist across England

9.3 million people did at least 30 minutes of sport every week [up by approximately 900,000 since 2005/06]

317 major events were held in England

169 positions were held in international sports administration

Adrian Christy said:

"This research demonstrates the huge impact NGBs are making in the delivery of sport in England at community and elite level, and their growing influence in international sports administration. The fact that over one million more people belong to NGB sports clubs than the combined total of all UK political party membership says much about how much sport matters to the wider population.

"It is also interesting to see the huge scale of sports volunteering in England with over 1.9 million NGB linked volunteers, which is greater than the entire NHS workforce. Their financial contribution was worth almost £5 billion in 2014 with sport being the second largest volunteer sector behind caring for family and friends. CEO Forum NGBs also helped to deliver almost three million sports competitions last year and an increasing number within schools, as well a growing number of British officials holding positions in international sports administration."

A PDF copy of ‘State of Play’ is attached. All research in ‘State of Play’ relates to the calendar year 2014 and reflects the contribution and impact of the 39 NGBs of the CEO Forum.

For more information, please contact:

John Zerafa, VERO: +44 [0] 7813 814 816 / jzerafa@verocom.co.uk

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