Stoke-on-trent sport and physical activity strategy 2009-2016

• Providing training and advice to clubs and other community groups suchas residents associations;• Assisting with securing grants and other funding;• Helping with effective business and sports development planning.23. Clubs have the potential to be a vital component in the delivery of sport andactive recreation, and are an effective way of providing new opportunities tonew people, and in helping to reduce the dropout after school age byteenagers. However, the network of clubs across the City is patchy. Footballappears to have a good network of teams, but these are seldom organisedinto clubs that have sufficient critical mass to organise development of thesport. The successful gymnastics club in Burslem is a good example of howsignificant a club can be in developing sport.24. Unfortunately, many other sports are limited or weak in their club structure,but this is common in deprived areas. The proposal from Government tosupport multi-sport clubs in primary schools provides an important startingpoint, and the good practice developed by multi-sport community clubs for allages needs to be built upon as this Strategy is implemented.25. The development of the sporting infrastructure to strengthen the playerpathways between school sport and club/community based activity istherefore a high priority. Both clubs and sports development outreach workhave a significant role, in achieving the objectives of the PE and SportsStrategy for Young People (PESSYP).26. The resources to assist clubs are necessarily finite and will need to beprioritised. As well as seeking to support club development in the mostdeprived areas, <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent City Council and its partners will need tocommit resources that will encourage self-development by clubs, and will beseeking an active partnership with clubs on projects and schemes.27. <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent City Council is therefore working with Sport AcrossStaffordshire and <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent (SASSOT) to implement the partnership’sworkforce development strategy. The courses currently offered to clubs arewide-ranging, from first aid and equity coaching, to Volunteer Centre genericsupport courses for improving the volunteers’ skill base.Outreach28. This theme includes:• Reaching the community through outreach from traditional sports venuesand work delivered within community settings (this must extend beyondjust provision for young people and address the needs of residents of allNortoft Partnerships Ltd <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent Page | 44Sport & Physical Activity Strategy 2009 – 2016October 2009