Sport Revealed As Priority For Local Authorities
Sport England yesterday (1st July) welcomed the news that promoting participation in sport is one of the top 20 priorities for local authorities in England.
The results of a comprehensive shake-up of council targets demonstrates that more than half the new Local Area Agreements (LAAs) now include adult participation in sport as a key priority.
These new LAAs have been negotiated to reflect the issues that really matter to local people.
Sport England is confident that, by prioritising sport, local authorities will make a significant contribution to our new strategic goals of ensuring that a growing number of people play sport and that everyone who takes part has a quality experience.
Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, said:
“Working with local authorities to invest in sport is an important element of our new strategy, so I am delighted that so many councils are prioritising sport.
“We are committed to working in partnership with local authorities, supporting their work around sport and sharing our expertise to ensure that local government’s considerable investment in sport delivers the maximum possible value.”
The partnership between Sport England and local authorities has the strong backing of the Local Government Association.
Councillor Chris White, the LGA spokesperson on sport, said:
“Overall councils spend £1.2bn a year on providing opportunities for people to play sport and get involved in physical activity and invest £450m annually in improving sports facilities.
“Councils, which are the biggest investor in sport, will continue to work very closely with a refocused Sport England in improving sporting activities for local people, in particular through County Sports Partnerships. Many councils have already struck deals with Sport England with new Local Area Agreements and we are confident of the renewed commitment to make a success of improving sporting participation in this way."
Will Tuckley, the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Bexley, said:
“The London Borough of Bexley recognises the key role that sport can play in people’s lives. Sports participation creates so many opportunities; not only providing obvious health benefits, but also less tangible benefits associated with community cohesion and personal achievement, through, for example, helping to develop community networks, providing positive activities for young people and creating competitive opportunities.
“Above all, it is also an enjoyable pastime! For these reasons, Bexley has included the sports target within the borough’s Local Area Agreement, in recognition of Bexley’s commitment to increasing sporting opportunities for our residents.”
03-07-08 @ 09:55
Two New Directors to Lead Sport England's Engagement with National Governing Bodies of Sport
Sport England today announced the appointment of two Directors who will lead the organisation’s work with National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs), a relationship that sits at the heart of Sport England’s new strategy.
NGBs are a critical partner in delivering Sport England’s Strategy 2008 – 11, which aims to get more people playing and enjoying sport and to help those with talent get to the very top.
Phil Smith joins Sport England from the Football Association where he has been Head of Public Affairs since 2003. Having been involved in amateur football for many years as a player and volunteer, his professional career with the FA began in 1996 as the General Secretary of the County FA in Manchester.
Lisa O’Keefe’s appointment is an internal promotion. Most recently, Lisa has been Interim Head of National Sport. Previously she was Deputy Regional Director of our South East Region. As well as championing sport in her professional life, Lisa has herself been a sporting champion – representing Scotland at rugby union. She also captained Richmond women’s rugby team for three years and has coached Premiership and regional representative sides.
Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, said:
“We are delighted to have attracted a key player from one of sport’s largest governing bodies to join Sport England. Phil’s knowledge and experience will be a great asset as we put governing bodies at the heart of delivering our new strategy for community sport. Combined with Lisa’s excellent track record within Sport England and the experience she has already gained of leading our new commissioning process for NGBs, I am confident that they offer the best blend of skills for this key area of our work.”
03-07-08 @ 09:45
Active Gloucestershire Business Plan 08/09
Following the meeting of the Active Gloucestershire Board on the 24th April 2008, the Active Gloucestershire Business Plan for 2008 - 09 has been published. Please click here to view.
01-07-08 @ 13:35 (moved from home page)
Playing to Win – A New Era for Sport
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy Burnham, and Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe today set out their vision for sport in a speech to national governing bodies at Lords cricket ground today.
The Government also published a new document setting out their vision for the sport in England. “Playing to win – a new era for sport” sets out the Government’s ambition to become a truly world leading sporting nation, capitalising on the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
It follows the announcement on Friday 6th June of plans to provide free swimming for over 60's and many under 16's as part of the Olympic legacy.
A copy of the speech and pamphlet are available here.
more...
01-07-08 @ 13:32 (moved from home page)
Lottery Consultation Sport England South West are now consulting on potential changes to the way they distribute National Lottery funding. The consultation is aimed at anyone interested in National Lottery funding for sport, including members of the public, Lottery grant beneficiaries and professionals and organisations working within sport. This is your opportunity to influence the way in which they distribute around £45 million a year of National Lottery funding which can make a real difference to the future of sport in England. In particular, they want to use the consultation to understand your views on: - How we use our National Lottery funding in the best way to create a world-leading community sport system
- How to improve the application and award processes
- If there are particular features of the current Community Investment Fund that you value
The consultation is open between Wednesday 25 June and Friday 12 September. Read more and share your views.
25-06-08 @ 15:40
Free swimming high on MPs' agendas as further details revealed
The Government's Free Swimming plans caused much debate in Westminster. The Culture Secretary's announcement has still left MPs with plenty of further questions.
Read here about how the scheme will take shape.
25-06-08 @ 15:30
Active Gloucestershire Website Survey Results
The new Active Gloucestershire website: www.activegloucestershire.org was launched in June 2007. The website has all the latest news on sport and physical activity opportunities in Gloucestershire, as well as information on Active Gloucestershire - what we do and how we can help people to:
Be Healthy Be Involved The new website has raised the profile of Active Gloucestershire and promotes how we work together with a variety of different organisations and individuals to get Gloucestershire active and involved.
The website is one of the key ways in which Active Gloucestershire is working to improve its communications and customer services. The new website makes it easier to find the information, services and resources. The website was designed to communicate Active Gloucestershire's vision of "Making Gloucestershire a Physically Active and Successful Sporting County", by helping the population of Gloucestershire to be more involved - whether it's participating, volunteering, coaching or officiating.
Following its launch new sections have been added to the website including a database of clubs in Gloucestershire and a disability sport section, as well as information on child protection and equity.
In a recent survey by Leisure-net Solutions of all the Count Sports Partnerships in the South West, on behalf of Sport England, the website was ranked a close second to Active Devon in terms of overall impact.
The report also included a survey of website users on their satisfaction rating of the county sports partnership’s websites.
The results were extremely encouraging and reflect the resource and investment in the Active Gloucestershire website.
During the next 12 months the Communications, Marketing & Events Team will be developing the website further to encourage more visits and more registered users. The Leisure-net report highlighted that information on clubs, facilities, sports and fitness will drive users to the website.
The expansion of the Club Database section of the website will be key, as will be a comprehensive and accurate Events section. We will also look at introducing vehicles such as RSS feeds, discussion forums, blogs, book-marking facilities for social networking sites etc to push the Active Gloucestershire website to the top of search results for sport and physical activity in Gloucestershire.
08-05-08 @ 16:30
Every Day Swim report calls for less red tape
An independent interim report on the Amateur Swimming Association’s (ASA) Everyday Swim programme has called for a reduction in bureaucracy to encourage participation in the sport.
The report highlights the need for greater engagement from national and local partners to cut “red tape” and challenge well established policies and practices to “better accommodate the needs and aspirations of the 86 per cent of people who do not swim”.
Kate Sargant, swimming activity manager at ASA, said: “The report clearly sets out the challenges for the industry going forward to working with colleagues to ensure that everyone involved plays their part and reaps the rewards of greater participation levels.”
The findings from the report will now be used to shape the delivery of the Everyday Swim project, which will run until December 2008.
ASA chief executive, David Sparkes, said: “There is still much to be done if we are to change the way in which the industry works but we have shown that this can be achieved.”
06-05-08 @ 14:00
Update on Sport England's Active People Survey
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has recently made a change to National Indicator 8 (NI8). NI8 measures the percentage of the adult population aged 16 and above in a local area, who participate in sport and active recreation, at moderate intensity, for at least 30 minutes on at least 12 days out of the last 4 weeks (equivalent to 30 minutes on 3 or more days a week).
The change is that certain light intensity sports for those aged 65 and over have been included in the Active People Survey.Those sports are yoga, pilates, indoor and outdoor bowls, archery and croquet. These light intensity activities have been included for those aged 65 years and over as they place a degree of physical demand on older participants and in turn provide health benefits for that age group.
Click here for more details on the revised targets and the reasoning behind them. It has been agreed that these will be used in the refresh of the LAA.
For more information on NI8 please click here.
Active Gloucestershire Business Plan 08/09
Following the meeting of the Active Gloucestershire Board on the 24th April 2008, the Active Gloucestershire Business Plan for 2008 - 09 has been published. Please click here to view.
Inclusion Works Out - Inclusive Fitness Week 2008
24th-30th April 2008 will see the first ever Inclusive Fitness Week place the inclusive physical activity agenda firmly at the forefront of both fitness providers’ and disabled people’s minds, providing as many people as possible with the opportunity to try a new activity, embark upon a new fitness goal or simply to understand that exercise really can and should be for everyone.
Inclusive Fitness Week 2008, brings together Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) Accredited Facilities and the fitness industry as a whole to ask the question, why aren’t more disabled people participating in physical activity than do so at present?
In 2006, Sport England conducted the largest ever survey of people’s physical activity participation habits and disturbingly identified that only 8.8% of disabled people are physically active compared to 21% of the adult population. The IFI through its network of accredited facilities provides a route to address this issue, providing opportunities for disabled people to exercise in a truly inclusive environment.
The IFI has been working with the fitness sector since 2001, supporting facilities to offer an inclusive provision, addressing issues related to building access, the provision of inclusive fitness equipment, staff training and the marketing message delivered by the fitness industry. In doing so, the IFI has accredited 183 facilities across England to date with a further 200 to be in place in the next 12 months.
Inclusive Fitness Week provides a dual focus. To bring together facilities that are currently accredited through the IFI to provide events and activities that will target disabled people and raise awareness of the opportunities available to them; and secondly to issue a call to action to the industry as a whole raising the importance of an inclusive provision, both in the context of legislative obligation and long term commercial viability, after all disabled people conservatively represent 20% of the population.
Sue Catton, The IFI’s National Director stated,
“The IFI in partnership with a large number of fitness providers has made tremendous strides to ensure that disabled people have a greater opportunity than ever before to get fit in an inclusive environment, without the traditional barriers to participation. Inclusive Fitness Week will place this agenda firmly in the mainstream, increasing opportunity and raising awareness of how the fitness industry really can address a number of societal challenges in a truly inclusive context.”
Accredited IFI Mark facilities will be staging over 100 events and activities throughout the week, across the country encouraging disabled people to try the facilities on offer. (further information, www.inclusivefitness.org).
In addition the IFI has convened a high-level breakfast meeting to discuss the future of inclusive fitness provision. To be chaired by Richard Caborn, confirmed attendees include, Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister For Sport, Jenny Price, Chief Executive, Sport England, Anne Cutcliffe, Vice Chair, British Paralympic Association, Dr. Nicola Brewer, Chief Executive, Commision for Equality and Human Rights, Liz Sayce, Chief Executive, RADAR and Mark Downes, Head of Olympic Legacy, London Development Authority. The meeting will take place in Westminster.
Richard Caborn, Senior Advisor to the Fitness Industry Association,
"Being positive about inclusion is not just about creating accessible buildings; it is about a way of operating, a culture that is intrinsic to every business practice, and an industry that is willing to meet head on the barriers that exist for some sections of our community. I congratulate the IFI on the major strides it has taken to support the development of an inclusive fitness industry to date. I look forward to seeing the impact increase throughout the Home Countries, creating an Olympic and Paralympic legacy of 1,000 IFI Mark facilities by 2012."
Since its inception, the IFI has proved that disabled people want to use fitness facilities, and that it is realistically attainable for facilities to create inclusive environments to facilitate this. In doing so the fitness industry opens its doors to around 20% of the population, that vast majority of which have never set foot in a gym before.
The demand is there, the business case speaks for itself, now the fitness industry must continue to develop its services to make sure that the whole population, irrespective of ability, geography or experience, feel confident entering the facilities close to them.
22-04-08 @ 16:10
Sport Participation on the Up
The number of adults* across England who regularly participate in sport and active recreation has increased, with the 55s and over showing the biggest growth spurt, a Sport England survey reveals.
Early results of Sport England’s second year of The Active People Survey show that the number of adults, aged 16 plus, participating in 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport or active recreation three times a week, has increased by 359,423.
This is a 0.7 per cent increase from 19.0% in the period mid September 2005 to mid December 2005 to 19.7% in the period mid September 2007 to mid December 2007.
It was the 55s and over who contributed the biggest leap in participation in sport and active recreation, with a 1.3 per cent increase, from 10.9% to 12.2%.
During the same period, men’s participation in sport and active recreation increased by 1.1 per cent, from 21.5% to 22.6%. There was no significant change in women’s sport participation.
Across England 34 sports have seen a significant growth in the proportion of people who have participated in their sport**. The biggest increases were in people going to the gym followed by playing football (outdoor) and road running***.
- Going to the gym increased by 0.7 per cent, from 9.9% to 10.6% of the adult population in England
- The number of adults participating in football (outdoor) increased by 0.6 per cent from 4.8% to 5.4%
- And the figure for adults participating in road running increased by 0.5%, from 2.2% to 2.7%.
[For top 10 sports participation results see table below.]
Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, said:
“I am delighted that the latest results show participation in sport is moving in the right direction. It is a tribute to the innovative thinking and hard work of the sports sector that more and more people are motivated to take part.
“With such a wide variety of sports available to people varying from taekwondo to rock climbing we believe we will encourage more women and girls to take part. Sport England has recently invested £1million into The FA to help increase the numbers of women and girls taking part in football.”
Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe MP said:
"It is encouraging that sports participation is on the rise across a whole range of sports. The over 55s are showing that you're never too old to take up sport and get active. It is testament to the hard work of sport providers in encouraging people to do just that. Of course there is still more that can be done and I would like to see more women getting out there and finding the sport for them."
For reference:
* Adults classed as those 16 years of age and over and all statistics relate to England only.
** A person who has taken part in a particular sport once within the last four weeks is counted as a participant in that sport.
**Figures are rounded to the nearest 0.1 decimal place.
Population figures are based on ONS mid 2005 and 2006 estimates.
The statistics are from Active People Survey 2 (APS2) first quarter results for mid September 2007 to mid December 2007. They are compared to equivalent results from Active People Survey 1 (APS1), figures for mid September 2005 to mid December 2005. The time between the two sets of data is 2 years.
Sport England commissioned Ipsos MORI, the independent research company, to conduct the Active People Survey. The Active People Survey 1 was carried out between mid October 2005 and mid October 2006. The survey was conducted by telephone using Random Digit Dialling (RDD) to generate a sample of telephone numbers. One respondent is randomly selected from the eligible household. At least 1,000 interviews were achieved across every Local Authority in England (except Isles of Scilly and City of London). A total of 363,724 adults aged 16 and over were surveyed over the period.
Active People Survey 2, also being conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Sport England commenced in mid October 2007 and will run continuously for 12 months until mid October 2008. The survey is being conducted by telephone, using RDD to generate sample. The survey will deliver a total of 500 interviews with adults aged 16+ per Local Authority in England.
Continues…
ACTIVE PEOPLE SURVEY: Table of increases in sports participation of adults in England, Active People Survey 1, Quarter 1 to Active People Survey 2, Quarter 1.
| Position | Sport/ activity | Increase in participation (per cent) |
| 1 | Going to the gym | 0.7 |
| 2 | Outdoor football, including 5 and 6 a side | 0.6 |
| 3 | Road running | 0.5 |
| 4= | Keep fit | 0.4 |
| 4= | Conditioning activities including circuit training | 0.4 |
| 4= | Cross country and beach running | 0.4 |
| 4= | Weight training | 0.4 |
| 5= | Pilates | 0.3 |
| 5= | Aerobics | 0.3 |
| 6= | Rowing | 0.2 |
| 6= | Indoor football, including 5 and 6 a side | 0.2 |
| 6= | Basketball | 0.2 |
Participation is defined as adults who have participated at least once in the sport in the previous four weeks.
22-04-08 @ 12:37
Introducing Richard Crowe and the Cultural Olympiad in the South West: Countdown to the Launch
Richard Crowe (richard.crowe@culturesouthwest.org.uk) has just taken up his post as the region’s 2012 Creative Programmer and has been plunged straight into the launch of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, so we thought it a good moment to describe what is about to happen.
RED LETTER DAY - MARCH 11:
As promised in the Open Skies document, published on the Culture South West website in November 2007, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) have now published the full protocol for engaging with the Olympiad. Further details can be found at http://www.london2012.com/
2008FUSE2012 - MARCH 27 & 28:
This two day residential gathering takes place at Dillington House in Somerset. The aim of the two days is to create new partnerships and consortia to develop existing project ideas and find new ones to populate the Cultural Olympiad in the South West in the first 12-18 months. The formula worked well in January when it was trialled on a smaller scale, over one day, at the National Sailing Academy in Weymouth & Portland, as part of efforts to identify the region’s first Olympiad project, which it is hoped will be funded by the Legacy Trust UK. The gathering will bring together a unique mix of creative individuals with project ideas, agencies experienced at delivering projects on the ground and a range of stakeholders and funders from across both the region and the cultural sector.
There are still a few places left on 2008FUSE2012. Contact Richard for a booking form and further information if you are interested. If you cannot make this one it is planned to hold a FUSE event every year up until 2011 to ensure everyone has an opportunity to join in.
HANDOVER - AUGUST 24:
On Sunday August 24th, when the mayor of Beijing hands the Olympic flag to the mayor of London at the conclusion of the Beijing Olympic Games, the UK will officially become the host nation for the Olympic Games and we will start the countdown to 2012.
On this day LOCOG would like the whole of the UK to mark the start of this once in a lifetime opportunity and join in the celebration. This is a great excuse for a party (especially as the following day is Bank Holiday Monday). More details of how this might be done nationally and at a regional level will follow shortly but, in the meantime, if you have plans for an event on this day or would like to suggest ways in which we might all celebrate the occasion, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Richard.
UK SCHOOL GAMES - AUGUST 28 to 31:
The UK School Games 2008, hosted by Bath and Bristol, falls directly between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and offers a great opportunity to show off the Olympiad theme in the South West – the animation and humanisation of public space.
Over the next four and a half years, Richard aims to bring the region’s city centres, parks and gardens, public rights of way, river banks, cycle paths, national parks, beaches and waterways into startling and vibrant life! The idea is to make connections between our fantastic coastline and our superb landscape, our beautiful cities and our unique rural towns and villages and, of course, the diverse populations that inhabit them.
The 360 programme planned around the UK Youth Games in Bristol and Bath will offer us a glimpse of how this aim might roll out between now and 2012. Potentially, a great start to our celebrations in the South West!
LAUNCH - SEPTEMBER 26 to28:
The Cultural Olympiad will officially launch on the weekend of 26-28th September. The overarching theme of the weekend is that culture in the UK is open for business.
It aims to encourage as many cultural and sporting venues as is possible to open their doors to new visitors, so they can find out what they have to offer and try something new. This will include theatres, gardens, museums, stadiums, gyms, sports clubs, libraries and heritage sites, but might also include private gardens, private collections and places of interest where the public don’t usually go...
It is also an opportunity to highlight some of the big events that will be happening in the region over this weekend including the fabulous Inside Out event planned for Portland and the Steeplechase weekend in Langport. There will be many more events planned so please do let us Richard about yours!
WHERE TO FROM HERE...?
By the end of 2008, there should be between five and ten branded Olympiad projects in the region and the number will grow as we go through 2009 and 2010 toward the Games in 2012.
It is hoped that that many more will arise through the FUSE2012 events over the next 4 years, and that more will spring up around major regional events like Darwin 200 and RESCUE 2010 (the lifesaving world championships in Newquay).
There are many ways of engaging with the Olympiad programme and Richard hopes to hear from everyone who has a really good idea for a project that is inspired by London 2012.
11-03-08 @ 17:45
Regional Launch of the 2012 Training Camp Guide at Hartpury College
On the 3rd March Hartpury College hosted the regional launch of the London Organising Committee (Locog) Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.
Following an assessment process that amounted to an audit of high-quality facilities throughout the UK over 600 facilities will appear in the Guide which will be published at the Beijing Games. They were assessed against strict technical criteria such as the ability to offer high quality sports training facilities, experience of hosting elite teams, comfortable but affordable accommodation, the ability to offer appropriate catering, good transport links, access to a good hospital, and good sports science facilities.
The Guide contains sporting facilities right across the UK which will give teams and individual athletes a great selection of venues from which they can choose to prepare for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Facilities included range from well-known major sporting hubs, universities and independent schools, community facilities, and sport specific clubs.
The Guide will now be circulated to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Paralympic Committees (NPCs). These organisations will then decide where they base themselves or where to send individual athletes to prepare and acclimatise for London 2012. Facilities featured in the Guide now have to market their facilities directly to NOCs and NPCs.
In the South West, 60 venues are included, covering all sports to feature during the 2012 Olympic Games. Gloucestershire has secured 9 possible venues, catering for 12 sports and is now very firmly on the 2012 map.
| Venue | Sports | Bidding Agent |
| Cheltenham College | Table Tennis | Gloucestershire Consortium |
| Cheltenham Ladies College | Fencing | Cheltenham Ladies College |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | Equestrian | Cheltenham Racecourse |
| Forest of Dean Gymnastics and Fitness Centre | Artistic Gymnastics | Forest of Dean Gymnastics and Fitness Centre |
| GL1 Gloucester Leisure Centre | Artistic Gymnastics | Gloucestershire Consortium |
| Hartpury College | Equestrian | Hartpury College |
| leisure@cheltenham | Wrestling | leisure@cheltenham |
| Prince of Wales Stadium | Athletics | Gloucestershire Consoortium |
| University of Gloucestershire | Athletics; Rhythmic Gymnastics; Table Tennis; Triathlon | Gloucestershire Consoortium |
Guy Lavender, South West director for the 2012 Games, said: "We are delighted so many venues in our region are included in the Guide. As the host for the 2012 sailing, the Guide gives us another excellent opportunity to showcase the wealth of facilities in the South West and continue to meet our legacy aims for the region from 2012."
Extensive details of the facilities will appear on a dedicated website showcasing the quality and variety of options throughout the UK which will help NOCs/NPCs decide where to train. The national tourism agency, VisitBritain, is developing this new website with LOCOG and will bring its experience of marketing destinations and tourism products to international audiences.
The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is also able to offer a financial award of up to £25,000 to NOCs/NPCs to help encourage teams to base themselves in the UK. LOCOG has an allocation from its privately raised budget for this process and believes this will be an incentive for NOCs / NPCs to base themselves in the UK.
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee, commented: "We said that we wanted the London Games to be for athletes, and the facilities listed in this Guide will really help overseas athletes prepare well. It also provides a great opportunity for towns throughout the UK to get involved in our plans. The process we have been through shows a great spread of high quality facilities throughout the UK that can be used by elite level athletes. The new website will continue to be an asset to keep an up-to-date log of the elite facilities we have across the UK."
Tessa Jowell, Olympics Minister, said: "The strength and diversity of our sporting infrastructure is demonstrated by so many high quality facilities having met the strict criteria to be included in this Guide. This is a real opportunity for communities across the UK to capitalise on the benefits that hosting 2012 offers. There are no guarantees of success just by making it into the Guide. There will be fierce competition to host foreign teams and individuals, and now it is for every nation and region, every venue, to sell itself internationally."
Thoughts are now turning to what next. Whilst it is excellent to have the recognition as a training camp venue going forward the real challenge is to make sure that the bidding agents get teams to choose Gloucestershire as their base to train in what will be a highly competitive market. To help kick start this Team South West are organising a training day on the 20th May for a representative from each bidding agent in order to develop and support a co-ordinated approach to identifying and targeting teams to come to the region.
11-03-08 @ 17:32
Improvements in the Quality of Local Sports Facilities and Playing Pitches have Risen
The Audit Commission today reported that 28 out of 153* councils received a four star rating (the highest rating) for culture, which includes sport.
Improvements in the quality of local sports facilities and playing pitches have risen in a number of local councils since December 2006. There is now 25 per cent more sports facilities with official marks of quality assurance. Furthermore, the number of people in England living within easy reach of a range of quality facilities* has increased by 3.6million from last year.
Overall, the 2007 Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) results indicate that the majority of councils are delivering a high level of service to local people, with four out of five offering a three or four star standard.
For your local council score visit the Audit Commission website.
http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/cpa/stcc/stccscores.asp
* Includes upper tier councils only such as County Councils, Metropolitans, Boroughs and Unitary Councils. It does not include District Councils.
* % of the population that are within 20 minutes travel time (urban - walking; rural - driving) of a range of 3 different sports facility types, at least one of which has achieved a quality mark
10-03-08 @ 10:42
£30m Investment in Cricket Facilities and Training
A £30m investment in cricket facilities and training will be made available for clubs throughout England and Wales – the largest investment to date.
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s five-year strategy incorporates a £14m grant to 2,000 community clubs and a doubling of interest-free loans to community clubs to £10m, as well as £5m to help county venues achieve model status by 2011.
Facilities will be further improved via a £9m grant for the installation of international standard floodlighting at all county headquarter grounds and £6m towards Lord’s style drainage at all international venues with a subsequent roll out to all counties.
Investment in training will include a 50 per cent subsidy to 10,000 coaches qualifying in Levels 1 and 2 and those converting to Levels 3 and 4; annual scholarships to allow 36 young English cricketers to benefit from playing in overseas conditions; and coaching contracts for players in the country’s women’s teams in support of the existing Chance to Shine programme, which will also receive a doubling of funding to enhance cricket in schools.
Chief executive David Collier said: “In 2007 participation levels grew by a remarkable 27 per cent overall and 45 per cent in the women’s game. At the same time Chance to Shine has captured the imagination of schools and children throughout the country, so investment in facilities must be a key priority if these gains in participation levels are to be sustainable.
“The plan invests in county club facilities at all levels to create model venues at each headquarter venue and floodlit cricket will allow one-day matches, in particular 50-over cricket, to be played in spectators’ leisure time.”
10-03-08 @ 10:10
