Sports Management Q2 2012 - Leisure Opportunities

findings were as follows: Increased importance of sport:The data from the before and aftersurveys highlighted that after takingpart in the Sport Unlimited programme,29 per cent of the respondents felt thatsport was of greater importance thanbefore they had taken part in theactivity sessions. Inspiration:In total,41.7 per cent of participantsstated that as a result of the SportUnlimited sessions they felt inspiredand were more likely to attend a clubthan if they had not taken part in theprogramme. Sustained participation:More than 50 per cent of the 1,122 peoplethat took part in our tracking survey weretaking part in more activity than prior totheir involvement in Sport Unlimited.SIRC also conducted a survey ofmore than 250 programme deliverers(representing more than 40,000participants), which combined both actualand estimated data. The data showedthat 22 per cent of participants werejoining clubs after their initial sessions.Considering just the actual data (for12,536 participants) the percentagejoining a club was higher at 29 percent. Add to this the young people whocontinued participating by other lessformal means and the sustain target of33 per cent is likely to have been met.How success was achievedFive critical success factors wereidentified before and during theprogramme. These were: Joined up deliveryPartnership working, shared goals andcohesively linking young people’s plansinto other aspects of the five-hour offer Student voiceFinding out what young peoplewant, where and how, and using thisintelligence to improve the provision Activities FrameworkProviding a wide menu of opportunities,which extend beyond conventionalactivities SignpostingPromoting opportunities to youngpeople and signposting and supportingparticipants into ‘exit routes’ from theprogramme into other opportunities SustainabilityEnsuring that all funded projects hadclear plans for how participation wouldbe sustainedChildren and young people were consulted about what activities they wanted to doSuccessful variations inactivity choice included:dance and cheerleading)(i.e. concept2 rowing)of sports (i.e. freestyle tennis)(i.e. climbing)activities were delivered alongsidetraditional sportsJoined-up deliveryThere was wide representation of nonsportpartners cohesively planning andincorporating various sporting projects andactivities into their delivery, such as theRurban project – delivered by Herts SportsPartnership, Child UK and Pro-Action.Rurban gave youth clubs in the areaa new lease of life by utilising qualifiedsports coaches to deliver multi-sports activitysessions. An array of new opportunitiesand activities were offered environmentswhere previously an informal game offootball was the only sport on offer.Partnership working with NGBswas extremely innovative with severalgoverning bodies offering hybrid andadapted versions of sports to meetthe needs of semi-sporty young peoplefor example fit rugby – in partnershipwith the Rugby Football Union (RFU)in Tees Valley.This project provided intensive fitnessbasedsessions, which incorporated drillsand skills presented via fun games.Student VoiceCommunity Sports Partnerships (CSPs)committed to ensuring that young peoplein their regions were consulted with andlistened to. This consultation not onlyhelped to engage young people in activitybut also helped to retain young people,as they were taking part in activities thatthey really wanted to do. Sport Unlimitedhas demonstrated that gathering evidenceof demand and what young people wantis essential to enable a strategic approachto planning and programming.The top 10 sports overall are shownbelow however our consultationshighlighted significant variationsbetween genders, local areas andamong different age groups, reinforcingthe need for local data in order toshape local delivery.SIRC supported four CSPs to conduct adetailed consultation during year one ofSport Unlimited. Within these CSPs thepercentage of people retained increasedfrom 73 per cent in year one to 81 perTop 10 Sports that MALES Sports that FEMALESwould like to do more of: would like to do more of:1 Football Ice skating2 Boxing Dance3 BMX Swimming4 Basketball Trampolining5 Archery Horse Riding6 Tennis Gymnastics7 Swimming Badminton8 Table Tennis Skiing9 Cycling Climbing10 Mountain Biking TennisIssue 2 2012 © cybertrek 2012 Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 37