SportEngland_AR_17_18

While we are not directly involved with
high-performance work, we do work
extensively with the talent system and
want to support it to ensure there are
appropriate positive practices and
cultures in place. We also require the
organisations we invest in adhere to
appropriate standards of conduct and
with due regard to athletes’ physical
and mental health and welfare.
We continued investing in the Talented
Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS),
which helps around 400 athletes
continue their sporting development
alongside their education. Selected
athletes receive a small cash grant
as well as sports science and
performance lifestyle services.
We also began providing these aspiring
athletes with mental health support
alongside the medical insurance which
has been part of TASS for some time.
It is important that mental wellbeing
receives parity and the same care
and sensitivity as physical injuries,
including adequate support and, where
necessary, treatment and rehab.
Elsewhere, we continued to support
SportsAid, which in 2017-18 allocated
grants averaging over £1,000 to 1,093
talented athletes.
Our £4m investment into Team
England for the 2018 Commonwealth
Games – along with money raised from
sponsorship – meant athletes could
benefit from a training camp in the Gold
Coast, and funded the equipment and
support services critical to their training
as they looked to turn their potential
into medal success.
We continue to work closely with
colleagues at UK Sport to ensure
that our collective investments in the
high-performance sport system are
as aligned and efficient as possible.
In simple terms, in those sports
where UK Sport also invests, we
invest in systems supporting athletes
in England with potential. Once they
transition to UK programmes (in theory,
eight years from the podium), UK Sport
takes over responsibility for investment
in success.
It is helpful that UK Sport and Sport
England occupy the same London
building. We want to maximise our
effectiveness by wherever possible
sharing information and approaches
and building on the work of UK
Sport. In 2017-18, our work focused
on establishing common metrics to
assess the effectiveness of talent
programmes and aligning our efforts
in talent-leadership and coachdevelopment
programmes.
Encouraging shared services
We have worked with NGBs and other
partners based in or near SportPark
in Loughborough to identify efficiency
savings and other benefits that can
be achieved through sharing services.
We have identified several areas where
this is possible, working for example
with the Sport and Recreation Alliance
to provide sector support for initial
compliance with the General Data
Protection Regulation. We will be
further investigating shared services
in safeguarding, which is consistently
raised as an area which would benefit
from a joint approach.
THE AIMS OF THE
HELPING THE ACTIVE
STAY ACTIVE WHEN
LIFE CHANGES FUND
KEEP ACTIVE
PEOPLE ACTIVE
FOCUS ON LIFE CHANGES
– HELP PEOPLE FIND THE
NEXT ACTIVITY THAT
MEETS THEIR NEW NEEDS
SUPPORT THOSE
MORE PRONE TO DROP
OUT (E.G. LOWER
SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROUPS,
WOMEN, AND THOSE
WITH A DISABILITY).
Several organisations made
successful applications to
this fund in 2017, including
Leonard Cheshire Disability,
which is working with 450 active
people who have recently been
diagnosed with a disability.
Another is Nouveau Wellbeing
Community Interest Company,
which explores ways to reduce
the number of women who stop
being physically active when they
become pregnant.
Such projects should provide
useful learnings that can be
shared widely.
The gym may be
convenient but
can be quite dull
The 5k charity
run (2003)
was fun but
the marathon
training (2006)
was tough
Mountain bike for Sam’s
40th. Muddy fun with
mates at the weekend
CRICKET
FOOTBALL
GYM
RUNNING
CYCLING
performance analysis 25