S&PA Professional Magazine Winter 2024_25 by CIMSPA

Muscling in on MSK pain

ISSUE 56 WINTER 2024/25

ACTIVE SOULS

Ditching oﬃce footwear fasttracks move to more activity

24 September 2025 Connecting the Dots

A must-attend event for sport and physical activity sector professionals

Are you a manager or aspiring manager?

Take the micro-credential learning pathway

Practical Work around your lifestyle

Affordable Payment plan available

Stackable Personalise your education journey

Join us from February 2025 for the module:

Principles of Sport & Physical Activity Management and Marketing

“We

They both get more from a Swim England qualiﬁcation

Conﬁdent, enthusiastic Swim England trained teachers pass on that conﬁdence and skill to the ones they teach: everybody wins.

The courses can be taken at any of our 24 Approved Training Centres, who between them have 320 sites across the UK.

The courses offer the latest technical and teaching content, with a focus on in-pool training. Train with the national governing body for swimming.

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DeeDee Doke

New year collaboration

appy 2025! It’s a quarter of a century since the promise oﬀered by a new millennium dawned around our world. Twenty-ﬁve years later, few places across the globe feel peaceful or stable. But a new year gives us all renewed opportunity to create better circumstances for ourselves, those near and dear to us, and for others in our communities, be they geographic or bound together by common interests and goals.

An example of new year’s promise in 2025 is the rising dawn of the Swimming Alliance, a collective of organisations that want to speak

A new dawn rises for the sector to work together

with a single voice on issues affecting pools, water safety, workforce and equal access to swimming education and activity. If the impact of energy prices on local pools is not a sufficiently difficult challenge for the Alliance to work through, consider the work they will need to do to battle the realities beneath recent headlines around the lack of cleanliness and safety for outdoor swimmers in open waters.

None of this work is for the faint-hearted, but under the leadership of Alliance chair Debbie Kaye, this noteworthy collaboration should keep swimming and water

safety near the top of leisure issues for the recently-elected government. Put the doldrums of grey winter behind you, breathe in the fresh air wherever you are, and aim for a collaborative, progressive 12 months as we launch our next 25 years.

EDITORIAL

Editor DeeDee Doke

Assistant editor Patrick

Appleton

Designer Will Williams

Production editor

Vanessa Townsend

Contributors Dean Gurden,

Rachel Masker, Sue Weekes, Roisin Woolnough

Picture editor Akin Falope

Publishing director

Aaron Nicholls

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020 7880 6230

sandpaprof@redactive.co.uk

PRODUCTION

Production director

Jane Easterman

Senior production executive

Rachel Young

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CIMSPA ENQUIRIES

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S&PANews

A round-up of the latest developments in the industry

NEW GUIDANCE FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

CIMSPA is working with mental health charity Mind to develop new guidance on ensuring sport and physical activity is a tool to help the nation stay well both mentally and physically.

The aim is to embed mental health awareness within the sport and physical activity profession, to make it as essential as safeguarding and ﬁrst-aid to the sector. Launch is hoped for in the ﬁrst quarter of 2025.

Also, Mind aims to support the health and mental health sector to embed

physical activity in its practices, alongside such tools as medication and talking therapy.

Physical activity can help lower levels of depression risk, “and it should be one of the ﬁrst tools that we talk about when we go to our doctors, particularly [for clients] with mild, moderate depression and anxiety, and so it has a real role to play,” said Hayley Jarvis, head of physical activity at Mind.

Over the last six months, the two organisations have been working

together to explore what good practice looks like in various settings – be it hearing from PTs, coaches or even rambling groups – to understand how mental health is addressed within physical activity groups.

Among the professional organisations that have contributed to the discussions are the Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals.

“What we’ve been trying to do is pull together a guidance report that looks at this in terms of what does it mean in terms of being person-centred in those diﬀerent environments. Obviously, we’re not expecting a walk leader of a general walking group, to have in-depth knowledge about mental health, but to have some of the basic fundamentals,” Jarvis said.

“Being person-centred is checking what skills, knowledge and experience is needed at the diﬀerent levels, and then what support is needed for the practitioners, and we’re pulling that together into guidance that we really hope our partners in the system, organisations like CIMSPA, ukactive, Sport England and the Royal Colleges will endorse, and we’ll launch a full report next spring, and go on to release tools to further support people.”

CIMSPA is currently working with a range of stakeholders to co-design a professional standard which training in relation to mental health can be endorsed against.

“We’re working alongside Mind, the Centre for Mental Health, Sport and Physical Activity Research at Edge Hill University and DOCIAsport to create the standard which we’re looking to launch either in conjunction with, or just after the safe and eﬀective practice guidance,” said Ben Hulson, regional manager and wellbeing lead at CIMSPA.

Additional reporting by Patrick Appleton

ONE SWIM

ENGLAND LAUNCHED TO DELIVER ON COMMITMENT TO CHANGE

Swim England has published a new strategy, which it says will deliver on its commitment to change.

Shaped with the help of the aquatics community, One Swim England sets out the national governing body’s vision –‘Great experiences in water. For all. For life’ – and a mission to ‘lead and serve an aquatics community to enable safe, enjoyable and successful experiences’. It has four main values – we include, we are ambitious, we collaborate and we do what’s right – and 18 goals, which set out the organisation’s roadmap for the future.

The strategy has been created following insight received from the Vision and Values Roadshows, a nationwide tour attended by volunteers, parents, event organisers, county and regional representatives. Their feedback – and observations contained in the Listening Report – has informed One Swim England.

Andy Salmon, Swim England CEO, said

cultural change and collaboration ran through the strategy like a ‘golden thread’, thanks to views from the Swim England community.

“One Swim England represents a signiﬁ cant milestone for us as an organisation and, I hope, the whole of the aquatics community,” he said.

“The strategy signals a clear intent to support lifelong participation, making an even stronger case for the many health beneﬁ ts associated with swimming. By being more collaborative and outcome-focused, we look forward to what can be achieved in partnership with other organisations with aligned objectives and values.

“At the foundation of One Swim England is a set of deeply rooted values that serve as the guiding principles that will shape our every move and every diﬃ cult decision. They reﬂ ect what truly matters to the aquatics community.”

MESSAGE FROM CIMSPA CEO

Professional recognition sits at the heart of our strategy, ‘Releasing the Power of our Profession’, and we’ve been working hard to put the building blocks in place to make status and recognition a reality for the S&PA workforce.

Natasha Eason explains how the Training Academy for Sport and Physical Activity supports the sector with high-quality education and training that meets the needs of employers, professionals and the public (p14).

We also explore the new Sport and Physical Activity Workforce Observatory, ahead of its launch in 2025. Phill Wright and Steve Osborne explain how this UK-wide hub will centralise workforcerelated research for more informed decision-making across the sector (p12).

Both of these initiatives will ensure we have the right people, in the right place, with the right skills – and will help the S&PA workforce get professional recognition from both the public and allied professions, particularly health.

This leads us to the professional status awards, which also launch in 2025, to oﬀer recognition to those who invest in their careers. Composing ﬁve core levels of professional status, they provide formal recognition of a professional’s knowledge, skills and experience in a way that is acknowledged by the public, and critically, by our colleagues in the health sector.

We are on the cusp of seizing an opportunity to be part of the prevention strategy in healthcare. Thanks to these initiatives, we will not only have the skills, but also the professional status and recognition to realise this opportunity.

TARA DILLON ON BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME FOR OUR PROFESSION

ACTIVE STANDARD SET TO UNIFY AND RAISE STANDARD OF S&PA SECTOR

The Active Standard was oﬃcially launched on 20 November by ukactive, signalling a huge step forward in the shared mission to enhance standards at ﬁtness and leisure facilities across the UK.

Also known as ‘TAS’, the standard has been designed for all operators regardless of sub-sector and comes free of charge as part of ukactive membership.

TAS is a baseline certiﬁcation aligned with the industry’s existing standard

schemes, FitCert and Quest, and provides an opportunity for operators to demonstrate their quality and compliance with UK law, therefore building consumer trust and improving reputation and resilience.

As part of the development, ukactive has been working closely with partners Sport England, CIMSPA, Right Directions (which delivers Quest), and EuropeActive and NEN (which together deliver the European FITcert Scheme).

“The Active Standard has an important role in ensuring that participants in physical activity have a positive, safe and enjoyable experience,” said Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA.

“At CIMSPA, we have been delighted to contribute to the development of TAS, connecting it to the sector workforce professional standards. TAS provides a strong foundation for greater recognition of the role that operators and their teams have in

the active wellbeing of our nation.

“It will help our talented and dedicated workforce by recognising employers that have demonstrated quality and compliance, and by increasing consumer conﬁdence in the facilities, services and professionals that they engage with.”

To achieve TAS, operator members are assessed by a third-party assessment body against a strict criteria covering requirements for health & safety compliance, professional standards, safeguarding measures and data protection. Certiﬁcation lasts three years before re-assessment is required to ensure standards are maintained.

The standard will complement both Quest and FitCert, providing a new entry route and pathway through the standards world for many operators, while reinforcing the commitment of those further along in their journey.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “Demand for our sector’s services is growing rapidly as more people across the UK and Europe prioritise physical activity for their health and wellbeing. We are delighted to introduce The Active Standard as a major new beneﬁt of ukactive membership which will act as a gateway for more operators to show they are taking the right steps to achieving excellence.”

Plans for the standard were ﬁrst announced at the Active Uprising Conference in 2020, where Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson set out a commitment from ukactive to drive improvement and professionalism across the sector.

Development of TAS syllabus has been supported by ukactive’s Standards and Legislation committee, which has helped scrutinise the criteria.

From January 2025, the ﬁrst wave of member operators to enter the certiﬁcation process will be contacted by ukactive to begin their journey.

WOMEN’S SPORT IN THE UK BOOSTED BY INVESTMENT

The UK government plans to ensure the nation is the top global destination for investment in women’s sport.

As part of a pledge to drive investment in elite clubs and leagues across the country, the scheme will prioritise development, commercial growth and ﬁnancial sustainability.

Sponsorship and investment are also key to increasing visibility and inspiring young female athletes to ensure greater talent pathways are created to allow others to develop a career in sport, and also the physical activity sector.

Launched in late October by investment minister Poppy Gustafsson, the 2024-25 Women’s Sport Investment Accelerator

scheme will bring over 20 elite leagues, competitions and teams across nine diﬀerent sports together with investors and industry experts to help them secure transformational investment and sponsorships.

“Women’s sport has been growing rapidly in recent years and we are committed to supporting its expansion, from the grassroots to elite level,” said minister for sport Stephanie Peacock.

“As sports minister, I want to see as many women and girls as possible enjoy sport and physical activity, and this scheme will be instrumental in securing investment to grow the sector even further.”

DIGITAL FUTURES 2024 SHOWS STEADY PROGRESS

in day-to-day operations (up 3% from 2023 ), with more saying they plan to use AI in the future.

Overall, the average score for digital maturity and eﬀectiveness among the surveyed UK organisations was 51% – an increase of 4% from 2023.

Sport England and ukactive have released the Digital Futures 2024 report, marking a successful fourth year of consultation.

The report provides a measure of how the UK sport and physical activity sector, including ﬁtness and leisure operators, S&PA non-governmental bodies (NGBs), active partnerships, sports clubs and other providers are embracing digital and looking ahead to their future growth.

The 2024 edition saw 117 eligible UK ﬁtness, leisure and sport organisations take part, representing 1,600 sites and around 4m members nationwide. Indeed, 295 companies have completed

the consultation since its inaugural publication in 2021.

Dave Gerrish, strategic lead for digital at ukactive, said: “The fourth year of our Digital Futures programme shows the steady progress our sector has made in using digital eﬀectively. As we enter the next phase of the programme, we’re starting to see the beneﬁts for operators using the insights from the consultation and index tool to enhance their digital maturity and consequent growth in their operations and services.”

Tracking trends in the sector’s digital adoption, the current report shows an increase in the number of organisations using the latest artiﬁcial intelligence (AI)

The Digital Maturity and Eﬀectiveness Index describes this level (40-59%) as ‘Digital Experimenter’, typically meaning that operators are making great strides forward but missing the investment, goal alignment and rapid advances to yield a strong performance.

Four operators reached ‘Digital Leader’ status, the pinnacle of digital maturity and eﬀectiveness, with one reaching a score of 90%.

The largest improvement was seen in data and insights, which rose by 5% after a decline in 2023. Data sources are set to grow due to emerging technology such as AI.

Greater insight was shown on the ﬁtness and leisure sector’s transition to the cloud, with 68% of organisations using cloud-based leisure management systems and 100% considering updates or changes within the next 12 months, laying the foundations for emerging tech interoperability.

The report recommends that operators continue to focus on developing a comprehensive digital strategy aligned with their overall business goals.

Many organisations still fail to prioritise digital, with the report’s authors recommending that 2024 participants follow those that have engaged in the programme since inception, of which 63% have a comprehensive strategy.

The report was supported by ukactive Strategic Partners, Gladstone, EGYM and Technogym, and its contribution partners, Leisure Labs, Xn Leisure, PerfectGym, Zoom Media, Keepme and Endurance Zone.

BLUEPRINT FOR HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Leaders from across the health sector have come together to agree a new approach to embed physical activity into health and care systems.

The event at the end of November, ‘Designing a Blueprint for Physical Activity within Integrated Care Systems (ICS)’, was hosted by ukactive at the Sheﬃeld Olympic Legacy Community Stadium (right). The gathering was the ﬁrst step to establish a blueprint for the ideal relationship between the NHS and the physical activity sector.

Senior leaders from the NHS, government, the physical activity sector, Active Partnerships and system suppliers met to establish a comprehensive approach to embedding physical activity into ICS health strategies.

Aligning with the government’s planned ‘three shifts’ – from treatment to prevention, hospital to community, and analogue to digital – a draft blueprint was discussed and interrogated to identify how the physical activity sector can best support the NHS to drive prevention.

Mike Farrar, chair of ukactive, said:

“By working in partnership, our sectors can inform the government’s 10-year vision for the NHS, support growth in the economy through reducing sickness absence and longer-term can help to address economic inactivity. The journey has already begun, and our sector is committed to supporting the NHS in its mission to shift its approach from sickness to prevention.”

Physical activity has a major role to play in addressing economic activity, long-term health conditions and reducing NHS waiting lists. Evidence

NORTH WALES SET FOR NEXT GEN FITNESS

Alliance Leisure has delivered the next generation of ﬁtness experiences at Prestatyn Leisure Centre to transform physical education for local children and boost community engagement.

The digital ﬁtness experiences include the ﬁrst Prama immersive group exercise studio in North Wales, as well as the country’s inaugural interactive squash court.

Oﬀering a dynamic and engaging environment where sound, lights, ﬂoors

and walls come to life, the Prama studio will provide a sensory experience for the centre’s junior ﬁtness programme.

The interactive squash experience enhances the traditional game to appeal to a new generation of players by using laser projectors, motion sensors and responsive sensors to track the ball. Players can choose from a diverse range of games designed to enhance key skills such as hand-eye coordination, speed, strength and reaction time.

shows physical activity is essential to help prevent a variety of chronic conditions, while the sector generates more than £10.5bn in wider savings to the health and social care system in England.

The event represented an important next step in the conversation around how to recognise this clear evidence by creating the operating environment necessary for the seamless integration of physical activity into the health system, at a time when the government is designing its 10-year NHS health plan.

Delivered through the UK Leisure Framework, which is owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd (DLL), the project also includes a Clip and Climb climbing experience to expand DLL’s portfolio of family-friendly adventures. Alongside the new digital fitness experiences, the centre also offers a DLL ‘Refuel station’ featuring Costa Coffee and provides a relaxing area for members to unwind and socialise after their activities.

DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHT WILL REVOLUTIONISE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

The new Sport and Physical Activity Workforce Observatory will help shape the future of the sector’s workforce, ensuring it remains adaptable, resilient and ready for the challenges ahead

The Sport and Physical Activity Workforce Observatory is a UK-wide research hub focused on the sport and physical activity workforce, which is being launched as part of CIMSPA’s strategy, ‘Releasing the Power of our

physical activity workforce, the Observatory will generate insights so we can anticipate changes and challenges and plan accordingly, ensuring our workforce remains sustainable and prepared for the future,” explains CIMSPA’s head of insight, Phill Wright, CIMSPA’s lead for the Observatory.

Responding to the sector’s growth over the past decade, which has seen a 50% rise in businesses and 25% workforce expansion, the Observatory will revolutionise how the S&PA sector looks at workforce planning and development, says Steve Osborne, principal lecturer professional & workforce development, Cardiﬀ Metropolitan University and chair of the Observatory Advisory Board.

“If you take away the people, our sector simply doesn’t function, yet strategic decision-making about our workforce hasn’t been as informed as it could be. The Observatory will change that by providing data-driven insights that steer more informed, evidence-based decisions, rather than relying on opinion or guesswork. This will help us ensure we have the right people, in the right place, with the right skills.”

The Observatory has four core components: a digital platform housing workforce Profession’. It aims to centralise workforce-related research, providing data and insights for informed decisionmaking across the sector.

“By providing the latest real-world data and research into the UK sport and

research; a research community fostering shared practices; a governance framework of industry and academic experts; and benchmarks to ensure future research is conducted in a compatible way.

CENTRALISING WORKFORCE INTELLIGENCE

From the census and labour force surveys to career and higher education statistics, there’s already a vast amount of workforce data available but it’s scattered and disjointed. The Observatory aims to harmonise this information, identifying gaps in knowledge and where it can focus further research eﬀorts.

“We also have the opportunity to generate data beyond these sources from individuals working in the sector. This will help us understand what people think about their careers and learn about their aspirations. By linking the data we have with what we need, we can have systemic impact,” says Osborne.

Funded by UK Innovate and guided by an Advisory Board of academics and research experts across the UK, the Observatory will bridge the gap between industry and academia ensuring data is robust, meaningful and beneﬁcial to the sector. Above all, it will make sure information is accessible.

“Around 91% of employers are SMEs, which means most jobs are within small businesses. Many of these businesses lack the resources or capacity for workforce analysis or data-driven decision-making. We’re developing a community of best practice to support these businesses, helping them to leverage data for more eﬀective decisionmaking. By sharing insights and creating a space for collaboration, we can help SMEs improve their workforce strategies,” says Wright.

The Observatory is building a data system to add to CIMSPA’s existing Data

There has been a rise of 50% new businesses over the past decade, and the Observatory hopes to revolutionise how the sport and physical activity sector approaches workforce planning and development

Lens platform, which will centralise workforce intelligence and allow for engagement across diﬀerent employer sizes and academic interests. Ultimately, it’s about creating a community where everyone can share best practice and beneﬁt from the data, says Osborne.

“We will look at pockets of best practice to understand how they work. What succeeds in London might not work in rural Wales, but we can learn the underlying mechanics of success and apply those lessons elsewhere.”

ELEVATING PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

The insights provided by the Observatory will help inform professional standards to align qualiﬁcation, education programmes and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses with local needs and health priorities. This data-driven approach will allow the sector to address workforce shortages in critical areas, ensuring that employees are equipped with the skills needed for success.

“If you take away the people, our sector simply doesn’t function, yet strategic decision-making about our workforce hasn’t been as informed as it could be. The Observatory will change that”

Steve Osborne, chair of the Observatory Advisory Board

The Observatory will make sure professional standards are evidence based and informed by market intelligence. And, by focusing on hard statistical information like workforce trends as well as soft workforce intelligence, such as employer perspectives, it aims to gather unique insights on things like job satisfaction, workforce challenge and career ambitions.

“For example, we want to understand not just how many personal trainers there are, but also their employment situation and whether they have the entrepreneurial skills needed for self-employment. This kind of data is currently lacking, but it’s essential for making informed decisions,” says Wright.

TAKING THE LONG VIEW

Due to fully launch in 2025, this is just the start of a long-term project. Ultimately, the ambition is to capture a holistic view of the workforce –everything from the number of lifeguards needed to how the workforce impacts health outcomes – to ensure the sector is prepared for the future.

“We want to better understand the relationship between the workforce and participation in sport and physical activity. Are we contributing to the NHS by reducing the burden of long-term conditions? Are we playing a preventive role in public health? These are the questions we’ll be able to answer as the Observatory develops,” says Wright.

“It could take 10 years or more to fully realise our vision. This is about creating a highly credible, trusted workforce that can adapt to future challenges. I often describe it as switching on the headlights for the sector. We’re a moving entity, and the Observatory will allow us to see where we’re going, who’s onboard and what the future holds.”

For more information, visit https://www.cimspa.co.uk/insight

INVESTING IN TALENT TO UNLOCK THE SECTOR’S POTENTIAL

Launched in 2024, the Training Academy for Sport and Physical Activity is having an impact already. Natasha Eason, associate director, National Training Academy, explains

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TRENDS YOU’VE SEEN SO FAR?

The Training Academy is designed by the sector, for the sector. It provides a single window shop for relevant training, oﬀering multiple ways for people to access training. Our ultimate goal is to make it easier for people to enter the sector and progress their career within it. We also want to highlight the best training providers and courses, ensuring that training meets demand.

One of the biggest trends we’ve noticed since launching this summer is the demand for inclusivity-focused courses. For example, one of our most popular courses recently is a chair-based exercise programme delivered in person. We’re also seeing strong demand for face-to-face learning, but ﬂexibility is key, so we’re oﬀering learning options that people can access at a place and time that suits them.

HOW IS THE ACADEMY HELPING TO ADDRESS THE SECTOR’S SKILLS GAPS?

Everything we do is driven by the needs of employers and the sector’s workforce. We are engaging with employers across the UK to understand the skills they need to keep their existing employees happy and competent in their roles as well as their future workforce requirements. All courses hosted within the Academy are demand driven. Once we’ve identiﬁed the skills gaps, we work with our training provider partners to supply the relevant training and education, in the right format and location, to meet those employers’ needs.

The chair-based exercise training mentioned above was driven by employers who saw a need for inclusive activities in their local area. The impact has been signiﬁcant. Not only has it upskilled staﬀ to aid workforce retention, but it has delivered training

exactly where it’s needed to help address local inequalities and encourage new groups of people to get active. It’s a great example of how the Academy beneﬁts employers, individuals, education providers and ultimately consumers and communities.

HOW WILL THIS AID RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION?

Our goal is to make the sector an attractive and viable career choice while helping employers meet their business needs. There’s a lot of talk about recruitment in our sector, which is important, but we also need to focus on retaining the great workforce we already have. By providing access to the highest quality-assured CPD and training, in one place that is endorsed against our sector’s professional standards, the Academy supports professionals through their career journey, ensuring they continue to develop and stay engaged in the sector.

We know that certain roles like lifeguards and swimming teachers tend to have higher turnover. As a sector, we’re focusing on creating career pathways for these positions. The Academy will show the additional training available for these roles – for example, working with inactive populations – which can help with both

“As well as recruiting new talent, it’s also about supporting those already in the sector, giving them opportunities to develop so they can get the professional status they deserve”

recruitment and retention. As well as recruiting new talent, it’s also about supporting those already working in the sector, giving them opportunities to develop so they can get the professional status they deserve, all while supporting employers to develop a people plan to develop their own workforce.

HOW IS THE ACADEMY ENSURING HIGH QUALITY TRAINING?

Quality is at the heart of what we do. All training providers who partner with us are quality assured. They receive a rating of 1 to 3 stars ‘Enhancing’ based on the quality of their education, learner journey experience and marketing and communication. Only providers with the highest rating –3-star ‘Enhancing’ – are invited to be part of the Academy, where we select courses based on demand. We don’t overwhelm users with thousands of courses; we’re taking a phased approach to ensure relevance.

For those providers with less than 3 stars, we oﬀer support through action plans to help them improve. This process is designed to help our partners develop and grow. Training providers will go through this QA process every year to keep standards high, a move which has been welcomed by our partners who want to diﬀerentiate themselves and ultimately provide the best experience for the learner.

HOW ARE YOU WORKING WITH EDUCATION PARTNERS?

We’re collaborating with our higher and further education partners, as well as apprenticeship providers, to ensure that their curricula reﬂects what the sector needs. It’s important to align programmes with our sector professional standards so learners can smoothly transition from education to the workforce. We’re rolling out our quality assurance framework to education partners this academic year

to make sure learners are getting the best possible experience while also protecting the integrity of professional standards.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE TRAINING IS AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE?

We are seeing that people want to invest in their own training, but it can be a challenge to do so. We’re working with partners like the Department for Work and Pensions to explore funding options for training, as well as local skills accountability boards, to scope out opportunities to bring funding into local areas to support training. Additionally, we’re promoting the use of quality training providers to ensure that individuals are spending their money wisely. We’ve had conversations with people who’ve invested in courses that didn’t meet their expectations. We want to protect them from that risk by oﬀering high-quality, vetted training through the Academy.

ARE THE NEW MICROCREDENTIALS PART OF THE ACADEMY?

The new micro-credentials initiative is an off shoot of the Academy. Over the last four to five years, we’ve seen a growing desire for flexible learning options, whether in person or online. Micro-credentials essentially break down degree programmes into smaller, more manageable modules to allow people to gain formal qualifications at their own pace. Offering more flexibility and affordability, they are another example of how we are supporting people throughout their careers.

To ﬁnd out more visit the Training Academy for Sport and Physical Activity at www.trainingacademyspa.co.uk

HOW TO SOLVE THE ‘OWNERSHIP’ CONUNDRUM

In the last in her leadership series, Catherine Baker, founder of Sport and Beyond, and author of Staying the Distance, explains how ownership is both a privilege and a responsibility

‘Devolving ownership’ and ‘empowering your people’ have been key themes in the ﬁelds of leadership and performance over the last decade or so. Indeed, one of my most-used mantras when working with senior leaders is ‘Involve people – if they help plan the battle, they won’t battle the plan’.

An article in last year’s Harvard Business Review on empowering employees to make decisions stated: “Autonomy is a hallmark of an innovative culture. The ability to make decisions for yourself enhances

motivation, which in turn contributes to higher levels of performance and well-being. It also gives leaders more time to focus on the most signiﬁcant and complex decisions and explore new sources of value creation.”

This helps explain why leadership has been steadily moving since the beginning of this century from old-style ‘command and control’ to a new focus on ‘direction and clarity.’

However, as with any signiﬁcant change, it isn’t always easy to put into

practice. You’ve often got to shift inbuilt habits, and inbuilt beliefs, both from an individual and an organisational perspective. And you also have to make sure that both your people and your organisation are set up correctly to cope with, and leverage, a new focus on ownership and empowerment.

Let’s take a look at two case studies that can help us better understand this.

NORWEGIAN SKIERS

I ﬁrst came across this story in Owen Slot’s book The Talent Lab: the secrets of sustaining and creating success

The 2006 Winter Olympics were a disaster for Norway’s cross-country ski team. Used to ﬁnishing top of the cross country medal table, they came only seventh. Their response was to put together a crack team to understand what had changed. The information and data they discovered was distilled down into the ultimate success manual, a book called Den Norske Langrennsboka (the Norwegian Book of Cross-Country Skiing). And the result of all this work? A signiﬁcant turnaround in the team’s fortunes; by 2015 the team won nine of the 12 golds in the cross-country events of the world championships in Falun.

In the spirit of crossnation sharing and collaboration, the Norwegian

experts entertained a small group of British Olympic coaches who had come to discover some of the secrets of their performance in this discipline. One of the things they learnt was this: the cross-country training regime requires a lot of training and a lot of long distances with 80% of the work performed solo, away from the eyes of the coaches. Meaning that the crosscountry coaches have to let their athletes go and just trust them. Now, in the Norwegian system, every young athlete is required to record a training diary. Not only does this provide a signiﬁcant database and feedback system for the national federation, it also means that the young athletes are encouraged to understand and interpret

“A cross-country training regime requires a lot of long distances with 80% of the work performed solo. It means cross-country coaches have to trust their athletes”

their own training data. As Slot says, because they eﬀectively self-train, the athletes are encouraged, as far as possible, to self-coach. Slot goes on to say that there is evidence that one discriminatory factor between those who are and who are not successful in their ability to do this, is the extent to which they take ownership.

I think this goes to the heart of the issue. We know that allowing a level of ownership in the workplace can drive motivation and

better outcomes. But with this ownership must come a willingness and desire to take the consequences.

Ownership is both a privilege and a responsibility. For the budding Norwegian skiers coming through the ranks, it’s not just those who are not prepared to take ownership of their training that you want to worry about. It’s also those who are happy to be given ownership and control, yet are not prepared to take responsibility for the outcomes. What you really want is those who relish the

ownership, as well as the responsibility – and are prepared to be accountable for the outcomes, rather than passing the buck back onto the coaching staﬀ.

THE NETFLIX PRACTICE

In order for this transfer of ownership to happen successfully however, your people must be proficient and have the required skillsets. So you need to build the right organisational capability. In her book Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility, Patty McCord, co-creator of the famous Netflix culture deck, and chief talent officer there from 1998-2012, emphasised the importance of anchoring freedom and responsibility with capability. She shares her approach to helping

teams address challenges ahead of them.

The starting point is to imagine six months from now, you have the most amazing team you have ever assembled. The next step is to write down what the team will be accomplishing in six months’ time that it’s not accomplishing now. Next (and this is where the real magic starts), think about how things are being done diﬀerently from the way they are currently done. Are people working more cross-functionally? Doing more collaborative problemsolving? Have they developed greater project management skillsets? And the next step? You will have guessed it. McCord asks: in order for those diﬀerent things to be happening, what would people need to know how to do? What kind of skills and experiences would it take for the team to operate in the way you’re describing and accomplish the things you’ll need to do in that future?

And this is the problem that many organisations make: they devolve ownership without making sure their people have the skills to use it properly. Without making sure the right systems and processes are in place to facilitate it. So what will you do to make sure you get this right?

Staying the Distance by Catherine

Baker

is published by Bloomsbury Business

Using insight from Quest, Sport England’s continuous improvement tool, and data from Active Insight to improve our understanding of the motivations behind inactivity, facilities can take action to improve their member journey and build an active and engaged membership community.

The top 10 Quest sites in 2023 had an average NPS [net promoter score] of 39, almost 90% higher than the sector average, suggesting organisations fully embracing and embedding the framework are better prepared, and are surpassing customer expectations.

Sarah Lobo, head of external accreditations at Right Directions, which manages Quest on behalf of Sport England, explains: “If we look at areas of Quest that generally perform better than others, such as Exercise Referral or Swimming Lessons, it’s pretty easy to see why; exceptional customer service is deeply immersed in every aspect.

“For instance, people on exercise

SLEEPERS TO KEEPERS

The question of why people pay for a ﬁtness membership but don’t use it has perplexed health club operators and market analysts for decades

referral with a long-term health condition receive the gold standard; a very detailed, prescribed service with consistent communication. When it comes to swimming lessons, most operators are really clear on the product and customer service standard. Parents receive detailed welcome information explaining what time to arrive, who the teacher is, what they need to bring and what to expect on their ﬁrst visit. They’ll often have access to a digital platform listing the skills taught and required to achieve the next level.

“Organisations should explore how they can replicate that best practice across other areas of the business – it could make all the diﬀerence to people new to exercise, who may be nervous, not sure what to expect and needing additional handholding until they’re comfortable.”

When Active Insight survey respondents were asked to select the top three things they value about their

leisure centre membership, 23% selected supportive and eﬀective onboarding, 23% said encouragement and 22% cited the availability of staﬀ, while 24% said making friends, 11% chose programme review and 10% said the reception team.

In fact, data from Active Insight’s consumer insight panel shows that, while 39% of lapsed members who hadn’t attended for more than three months said they felt supported when they ﬁrst joined, 18% of those would have liked more and 19% had no support at all and would have liked it.

Lobo believes customers could benefit from improved information about what’s included in the package. She explains: “Advertising £29.99 a month doesn't tell me whether the fitness instructors are qualified, if I’ll get a free welcome meeting to discuss my needs, an induction, a tour of the facility, free updates, group exercise taster sessions or access to a wellness app to track progress. Operators need to demonstrate added value, not just sell on price.

“This means the ﬁrst visit is even more important. If I join online and just turn up with no onboarding process or bespoke programming, it’s likely that I’ll drop out sooner. Swimming lessons’ consistently high Quest scores show this is where we've got it right.

“Some people stop attending because they expect to get ﬁt in just a few visits. But it’s not going to happen overnight,

“If I join online and just turn up with no onboarding process or bespoke programming it’s likely that I’ll drop out sooner”

into the gym, carry out a bespoke needs analysis, set them up with a programme and try out the machines.

“But if you’re unlucky you may get Melanie, who’s really busy and not in a great mood. She just does the basic, pointing to the changing rooms, saying you’ll need a pound coin for the lockers.

so include case studies on your website of members telling their story to help set realistic expectations and goals.

“Another example: no one says I’m joining the gym because I’m lonely. But if your case studies demonstrate a social, family-friendly atmosphere, it embeds that message as a unique selling point.”

Quest also recommends operators create a written customer service standard for all staﬀ to follow. This could include every new member being given a tour, shown how to download the app, told how to book classes, being oﬀered a programme, given the option of their body stats being taken etc.

“In my view, everyone should be greeted by Amy, for example, who loves ﬁtness and will give them a personal tour of the building, tell them how the lockers work, help them download the app and show them how to book classes,” says Lobo. “She’ll take them

“If your customer service journey is written down and staﬀ have received training they will notice when Wendy, who joined a week ago, hasn’t booked her induction. If you’re tracking new customers’ visit patterns and whether they’re taking advantage of your products and services it’s much harder for them to cancel or become sleepers.”

According to Lobo, some of the best performing Quest sites have a customerfacing pathway and a digital pathway, so every joiner gets a welcome email, followed by an email a week later asking if they’ve downloaded the app, enjoyed their first visit, would like to book some help. Four weeks later another automatic email will ask how their first month’s gone – rate us out of five – and based on that score they will be put on different automatic email pathways.

By uncovering patterns and behaviours contributing to member inactivity and learning from Quest modules that excel, operators can create strategies to encourage a more engaged member community, turning sleepers into active participants.

What members value about leisure centre membership

Sarah Lobo, head of external accreditations at Right Directions

MSK HUBS

WATCH YOUR BACK!

Specialised hubs that use leisure centre pools to help patients treat their chronic back pain is a new initiative that is gathering momentum

By Rachel Masker

MSK HUBS AGENDA

If you suﬀer from musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, a pilot to test the potential of gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres could be the answer to your persistent back pain, arthritis or pain from knee and hip replacements.

The pilot formed part of an industrial research project funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the government’s Healthy Ageing Challenge, to investigate the feasibility of using gyms and leisure centres to reduce the burden on the healthcare system by supporting people to manage their conditions through exercise in a community-based setting.

So imagine stepping into your local pool – not just for a swim but to start an AI-powered exercise plan designed to relieve arthritis or chronic back pain. No need for a hospital visit or physiotherapist – just you, the water and a waterproof tablet-based app as your personal instructor.

The report by the ukactive Research Institute suggests leisure centres, pools and gyms could soon transform into ‘MSK Hubs’ providing rehabilitation for millions with MSK conditions. This initiative comes amid growing demand for treatment, clinician shortages and limited access to hydrotherapy pools.

Pilot

The research pilot involved 15 leisure operators across 94 venues and delivered 11,785 physical activity sessions to 1,631 participants from April 2022 to March 2024. In the UK, more than 20m people (nearly a third of the population) suﬀer from MSK conditions, the leading cause of disability.

Ultimately, the aim is empowering older adults to manage their own bone, joint or muscle conditions through sustained exercise in a community setting. The goal? To help people age well – and ease pressure on the NHS.

This health hub model was tested in a two-year, £1.4m pilot study as a potential blueprint for the fitness sector. Older adults with MSK and other chronic conditions used bespoke computer tablets powered by Good Boost, an AI-driven app offering therapeutic aquatic exercise programmes tailored to individual needs. Real people, in the form of leisure centre staff, still played a key role, from face-to-face encouragement to leading ESCAPE-pain – a group rehab programme for chronic knee, hip or back pain. The research pilot involved 15 leisure operators across 94

venues and delivered 11,785 physical activity sessions to 1,631 participants from April 2022 to March 2024.

The report, ‘Transforming gyms into community MSK Hubs: mobilising the UK leisure sector to deliver inclusive, personalised and gamiﬁed health services for older adults with MSK conditions’, concludes: “Gyms and leisure centres are suitable non-medical settings to support people with MSK conditions.” Now ukactive, the trade body for the sport and physical activity sector which led the research, is urging government to fund a national rollout of MSK hubs, aligning with broader reforms to shift healthcare out of hospitals into the community.

In the UK, more than 20m people –nearly a third of the population – suﬀer from MSK conditions, the leading cause of disability. These conditions account

MSK HUBS

for 30% of GP consultations and 30m lost workdays every year, according to the NHS website. Waiting lists for treatment for MSK problems have grown by 27% since January last year.

David Vaux, therapies and exercise lead at Arthritis Action, acknowledges the value AI can bring. “An AI app is unlikely to ever replace a human clinician,” he said, “however, it can certainly complement their work and be of real beneﬁt to a person with an MSK condition if they are unable to see a clinician.”

ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN PERSONALISED CARE

The AI-guided Good Boost app was co-founded by registered osteopath Ben Wilkins who had the idea of using public pools for MSK therapy after seeing patients waiting for hip and knee

replacements in Oxford struggle with land-based exercises. “Most of these patients didn’t meet the criteria for NHS hydrotherapy, and with the closest private hydrotherapy pool being nearly 90 miles away, it sparked the idea of how to better utilise existing public pools for MSK rehabilitation and therapeutic exercise,” says Wilkins.

Initially, Wilkins used simple laminated exercise cards. Positive comments from participants encouraged him to expand to a second pool, eventually turning to technology to scale-up. With pro-bono support from developers, the Good Boost app for older joint health was born.

To keep participants motivated, the app includes gamiﬁcation features, such as setting goals like ‘running’ a virtual marathon by calculating the calorie equivalents of all participants in a group session.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND ROLE OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Building conﬁdence is key to transforming leisure centres into MSK health hubs. While people recognise the beneﬁts of exercise – pain, fear and anxiety often keep them away from

“An AI app is unlikely to ever replace a human clinician, but it can certainly complement their work and be of real beneﬁt to a person with an MSK condition if they are unable to see a clinician”

MEMBERSHIP

Case study: Spotlight on Scarborough Sports Village

Scarborough Sports Village, operated by Everyone Active, saw about 50% of MSK Hub participants become members, highlighting how targeted health initiatives can drive membership growth.

The venue’s MSK Hub included all elements of the programme –ESCAPE-pain, Good Boost sessions and Arthritis Action community chat group. The centre used a triage approach maximising existing GP referral routes and using an in-house exercise referral instructor to guide individuals with MSK needs into the programme, while posters and social media posts encouraged self-referrals.

Participants started with ESCAPEpain programme, providing peer support that fostered engagement. Self-referral to Good Boost followed, starting with a 30-minute induction to introduce participants to tablets, instructors and facilities. A scheduled hour after each Good Boost session encouraged participation in the arthritis chat group.

Priced aﬀordably at £48 for 12 weeks, the programme included free trials of other groups, such as senior ﬁtness and chair-based classes, introducing individuals early to other exercise options, which encouraged membership after completing the MSK Hub programme.

AGENDA

MSK HUBS

MSK HUBS

Implementation

To eﬀectively implement MSK hubs, the report’s recommendations include:

• Operational blueprint: Develop a blueprint deﬁning the minimum requirements for an MSK hub alongside targeted marketing strategies and ways to foster partnerships with the health sector, The 2025 launch of ‘The Active Standard’ certiﬁcation from ukactive will support quality assurance.

• Workforce upskilling: Oﬀer training programmes to equip staﬀ with the skills necessary for MSK hub services, recognising their role as part of the public health workforce.

places like gyms or swimming pools, explains Wilkins. To create a less intimidating environment, venues were encouraged to host arthritis chat groups, helping participants feel included, share their experiences and ease into exercise.

Arthritis Action oﬀered staﬀ training to facilitate these peer support groups, including an overview of MSK conditions. Trained Level 3 exercise-onreferral instructors delivered the NICE-approved, ESCAPE-pain programme, which combines educational discussion, for example on pain management, with circuit style exercises.

During the pilot, each venue had the ﬂexibility to choose which elements of the programme to implement. This meant the MSK hubs varied from site to site – there was no standard model. Of the 94 participating centres, 72 delivered Good Boost, while 19 ran ESCAPE-pain programmes and 29 hosted Arthritis Action support groups. However, these numbers may be under-estimates due to early technical issues, notes the report.

Dedicated project managers:

Invest in a project co-ordinator to oversee service delivery and internal communications, ensuring MSK hubs aren’t overlooked in multi-use venues. The programme needs buy-in from senior leadership to succeed.

• Integrate with health: Focus on strengthening partnerships with hospitals, GPs, social care providers and community organisations to ensure MSK hubs are part of the local healthcare system. Lack of referral pathways hinders patient participation, reducing the programme’s reach and impact.

Data collected from September 2022 to December 2023 showed participants attended on average seven sessions over seven weeks. Average and maximum pain scores didn’t change at six weeks and 12 weeks compared to baseline, but

44% reported a 15% improvement (minimally clinically important diﬀerence) to achieve a noticeable reduction in pain.

The pilot project attracted signiﬁcantly more women than men (81% vs 19%). Kenny Butler, strategic lead for health and wellbeing at ukactive, explains: “Primarily we were looking to engage those who experience greater health inequalities, such as females, which is why there may have been greater engagement.”

Wilkins notes aqua aerobics is often seen as a female activity and Good Boost is working to engage more men. That said, women are more likely to suﬀer arthritis than men. The programme also drew a predominately white and more aﬄuent demographic, highlighting the need for more targeted outreach.

The MSK model in the pilot was designed and jointly provided by ukactive, Good Boost, Orthopaedic Research UK, ESCAPE-pain and Arthritis Action.

PARTNERSHIP WITH HEALTH AND FUTURE OF MSK HUBS

People seeking treatment for conditions like arthritis or back pain could self-refer directly into the MSK hub pilot. They could also be referred through their primary healthcare provider. Most participants learnt about the programme through their leisure centre (46%), followed by GP or physio referrals (18%).

Asked how partnerships between healthcare and ﬁtness providers were established, Butler says there was no blanket approach – and success largely depended on existing links: “Leisure operators and sites that had pre-existing relationships, for example running GP referral programmes like cardiac rehab or exercise on referral, found it easier to engage their local healthcare partnerships. It was noted that the project team needed to provide more support to leisure operators regarding how to build these relationships.”

Following the pilot, many operators have continued to oﬀer some aspects of the MSK programme. According to Butler, the business case will likely vary from site to site: “Unfortunately, we do not have access to information regarding the commercial impact of the overall project.”

Wilkins stresses a core goal from the start was for MSK hubs to be selffunding. “Many grant-funded physical activity and exercise programmes stop at the end of the funding. To achieve a long-term change in the delivery of community self-management services, it’s critical they are designed to be self-sustaining.” Leisure centres can benefit from a steady influx of new customers, who could become members and pay for other classes and activities, he says. The initiative comes at a time when many leisure operators are looking to enhance their active wellbeing offer.

Meanwhile, ukactive is calling for government funding to roll out MSK

for people with MSK conditions.

“With most of our sessions oﬀered as group classes, there is the huge beneﬁt of peer support”

hubs nationwide. Mike Farrar, chair of ukactive, says: “MSK conditions are putting an increasing burden on our nation’s health and our economy, with millions suﬀering unnecessary pain and many prevented from working or even doing simple everyday tasks.

“The results of this pilot mean the government has a readymade blueprint to reduce the pressure on the NHS and at the same time improve economic productivity by using gyms and leisure centres to deliver personalised support

“Our sector should have a lead role in reducing the UK’s pain and this model has the potential to be replicated to support those with other long-term health conditions too.

“We are ready to work with the government to deploy our sector’s facilities and expertise to get the UK moving again.”

Similar GP exercise referral programmes are often funded by local authorities, notes Butler. With government support, these hubs could help not only millions with MSK conditions but also other long-term health conditions, embedding into NHS commissioning pathways as a free-atthe-point-of-use service. Expanding this promising pilot could empower many more people to exercise, alleviate pain and reduce pressure on the NHS, those behind it say.

COLLABORATION

SWIMMING ALLIANCE

POOLING THE RESOURCES

Collaboration among swimming organisations has stepped up a notch with the UK’s recently launched Swimming Alliance

The recently launched Swimming Alliance has pledged to help the UK become a more equitable place for all to enjoy the beneﬁts of swimming.

That single, overall goal is a daunting, multi-faceted challenge in the face of numerous alarming facts. For instance, Swim England reports:

● Since 2010, more than three times the number of publicly accessible pools have been lost in the most deprived parts of the country (169) compared to the richest (49).

● A recent survey of council chief executives by the Cultural & Leisure Oﬃcers Association (CLOA) revealed that over 50% of local authorities need to make further cuts to their leisure budgets in the current year.

● Energy costs associated with pool operations drive signiﬁcant expense for local authorities. New/refurbished pools can be much more sustainable, both economically and environmentally than older pools. Unfortunately, around 1,200 currently operational pools are over 40 years of age.

● 482 pools have been lost to the public since 2010, with these losses disproportionately aﬀecting the poorest areas of the country. Over half of the publicly available water space lost in that time has been lost since 2020.

And that’s not all. According to the Black Swimming Association:

● 85% of black British children leave primary school unable to swim

● 80+% of Asian children also leave

primary school unable to swim

● 71% of white British children leave primary school unable to swim.

“We’ve got huge issues that are facing swimming, whether we’re looking at increased cost in energy prices, or closure of pools or issues with open water,” acknowledges Danielle Obe, interim CEO of the BSA and vice chair of the Swimming Alliance. “It takes more than one organisation to tackle these issues. And the reason for having the Swimming Alliance, which I think is absolutely brilliant, is the coming together of industry leaders, speaking with one voice, one objective. Our strengths lie in working together as one voice to be able to tackle the new issues that are facing swimming right now.”

Groups joining forces within the Swimming Alliance – launched in June 2024 at the Elevate conference – include the BSA, Swim England, the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA), the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) and CIMSPA. The collective was initiated in 2021 by Sport England to bring the swimming leadership together to explore ways of connecting, and working in a uniﬁed way to tackle common issues on a range of concerns. For instance, swimming is not only a refreshing way to exercise physically and mentally, it’s an essential life skill. The various parties have embraced the concept.

“I think by working together on this kind of collaboration of people from an industry that hadn’t really worked together that well previously, this feels like a ﬁrst,” says Debbie Kaye, alliance chair and former CLOA chair.

Thank you for helping with our vision for great experiences in water. For all. For life.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to our

7,500 learn-to-swim providers

24 approved training centres

292 licenced educators

405 swim school members

947 affiliated clubs

8,228 coaches

45,000+ swimming teacher roles

Together we teach 1.8 million children each year, giving them a lifesaving skill and enabling lifelong enjoyment of the water. There are endless opportunities to do more together.

Find out more about our new strategy, One Swim England.

As well as the availability of facilities being a top concern for the alliance, another key item on the collective’s agenda is people – to work with CIMSPA in building and developing the swimming workforce. The pandemic and its community restrictions led to a significant drop in the numbers of swimming teachers, who had to find other occupations when pools were closed for lengthy periods. In 2023, of 73,000 roles available across the aquatics sector, almost 12,000 were vacant, meaning at that time the sector was down by more than 15% on its total workforce (Swim England, STA research). In November 2021, an STA survey identified that swim schools had lost 50% of teachers during Covid-19 to other industries. Organisations are still playing catch-up to recruit, retain and develop the workforce.

Says Kaye: “We need a workforce that’s adequate for the numbers of opportunities that are needed, both within the school arena, but also more widely in the public sector. We must ensure that the workforce is supported, encouraged and retained – that’s critical, and without that, we can’t achieve the opportunity and ambition of what we want swimming to be.”

CIMSPA is helping to shape the plan to keep the swimming sector front of mind in the wider sport and physical activity industry. “I think the work that CIMSPA has done over many years now has been tremendously eﬀective in supporting workforce issues,” Kaye says. “We are looking forward to collaboration on that point.”

Then, says, Obe, “we need to look at how we train or upskill existing workforces or bring in new

workforces”. Crucial to taking those steps is tackling the groups and individuals with the lowest levels of awareness around swimming and water safety. A ‘minus three’ awareness reflects individuals’ “unawareness of what they need to be aware of”, explains Obe. “Minus two is a place where people do not have access to vital water safety, so they’re unaware of vital water safety awareness and education. The minus one might have to do with certain significant barriers that affect certain groups of people.”

She says that understanding the range of awareness illuminates “the visibility of opportunities” people see. “So, if you have pool closures, what if I don’t even know where my local pool is? Does it matter to me whether the pool is open or shut?

“If we start to acknowledge that not everyone’s starting from [a basic

FACTS & FIGURES

Swimming access issues

73% of children in Year 7 are able to swim 25 metres, meaning 357,000 children in Year 7 can’t swim

82% of children from more aﬄuent families can swim 25 metres, which falls to just 35% of children from poorer families

Can swim 25 metres?

• 65% of white children of all ages

• 45% of Asian children

• 41% of black children

91% of children in England ‘like’ or ‘love’ swimming

Source: Swim England

SWIMMING ALLIANCE COLLABORATION

understanding], then we will start to recognise and acknowledge that some of the services we have might not meet the need for those who are the furthest away [from basic understanding], that we need to start looking at [the] workforce slightly diﬀerently, to be more inclusive [of the least aware], not necessarily just from an ethnicity perspective but from where they’re starting their journey. It gives us a tool to measure progress and start to think innovatively on how we make swimming equitably available for all.”

Andy Salmon, CEO of Swim England, recognises that the swimming crisis is not just about shifting mindsets to understand that “swimming and being in the water can produce signiﬁcant mental and physical beneﬁts to the general population”.

Kaye adds: “We don’t represent water sports such as sailing and so on… For the present time, we’re focusing on swimming; the main things we’ve drilled down to focus on are that everybody has the opportunity to swim with conﬁdence and without barriers. So that relates to both the ‘somewhere’

Key goals

1 Increasing learning to swim and participation levels amongst adults and children

2 Tackling the impact of energy prices on pools

3 Increasing the use of swimming for health initiatives as well

4 Ensuring the open water is safe and clean for outdoor swimmers

5 Increasing diversity at all levels of swimming

Source: Swimming Alliance

to swim, whether that is a swimming pool or an open water space that’s uncontaminated and safe, and the opportunity to be able to learn to swim. The ﬁrst thing we want to focus on is opportunity in all its forms.”

Warming to that theme, Kaye says: “The whole issue around access covers the emphasis on equality and making

Navigating the journey

sure that everybody, whoever they are, has an opportunity to swim. I think,” she continues, “swimming has had success in recent years in becoming a more balanced and equitable sport. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I think there is now improved access for people with disabilities, people from minority ethnic communities. Swimming is particularly important and popular for women – more than 500,000 more women than men swim regularly, so that’s about 2.3m women swimming regularly to 1.8m men.”

In summarising a critical result for the Alliance’s mission, Salmon says: “If we continue to build on the great work that’s already been done and make an even stronger case to government to say, ‘Look, if people swim, this is the impact it has on their health, physical and mental, and therefore this is the impact it has on the NHS [National Health Service]’, then there’s a compelling argument for government to invest in swimming pools.”

Additional reporting by Patrick Appleton

The Black Swimming Association (BSA) developed the Community Journey, followin g engagement with sector partners and communities, as a way of visually representing the possible positions of communities (on a number line from -3 to 2) with regar ds to their water safety awareness, knowledge and aquatic participation

-3

Unaware of what they need to know -2 Gain water safety knowledge -1 Become water conﬁdent and overcome aquaphobia

Source: Black Swimming Association

0 Aware of inclusive and accessible aquatic oﬀerings and opportunities

Engage with and participate in learn to swim programmes

Pursue aquatic pathways (eg. workforce opportunities and wider aquatic activities)

SPATEX 2025: THE FUTURE OF WATER LEISURE

The ﬁnal touches are being made before the curtain rises at Coventry Building Society Arena, Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 February 2025

SPATEX is unique in the UK for being able to view all aspects of water leisure under one roof. The free-to-attend show, now entering its 29th year, is designed for those involved in the provision, management and delivery of public and private water leisure services to educational establishments, holiday parks, hotels, as well as builders, architects and speciﬁers.

UNIQUE DISPLAY

See more than 100 exhibiting companies, featuring products for both the commercial and domestic sectors. From the latest innovations in spas, ice baths, steam rooms, swimming pools, wellness facilities, to saunas, children’s play

features, hot tubs, enclosures and all the ancillary equipment. Take advantage of exclusive show oﬀers. A New Product Zone (sponsored by Swimming Pool News) highlights the products that look set to make the headlines in the pool season ahead.

SUSTAINABILITY IS THE KEY

Saving energy will be a key feature of the goods displayed on exhibitors’ stands, such as the latest heat retention spa covers, LED lighting, air source heat pumps, and super insulated one-piece pools and hot tubs.

POOL OF KNOWLEDGE

Energy-saving will also be a major topic in the show’s informative double seminar

programme. SPATEX is widely recognised as providing the best source of free information in the industry and it’s thanks to the tremendous support of a large number of esteemed associations – namely, Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers (ISPE), Swimming Teachers Association (STA), Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS), Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG), Water Management Society (WMSoc), Legionella Control Association (LCA), Institute of Swimming (IoS) and, of course, the British Swimming Pool Federation’s SPATA (Swimming Pool & Allied Trades Association) and BISHTA (British & Irish Spa & Hot Tub Association). Combined, they bring their individual knowledge to create a varied programme of seminars that combines hands-on practical advice

with technical know-how plus, essential health and safety guidance and compliance.

NEW: LET’S TALK COMMERCIAL POOLS

2025 sees the launch of an exciting Pool Plant Theatre. The Institute of Swimming (IOS), in collaboration with the Swimming Teachers Association (STA), Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers (ISPE) and Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS) are planning a series of hands-on workshops, speaker panels, and forum, catering for the speciﬁc needs of the commercial pool operator. There will be four sessions on Tuesday afternoon and four on Wednesday morning. Please see the full programme here: www.spatex.co.uk

EXPERT ADVICE ON TAP

Some things can only be done in person; bring your plans with you – there’s no better place to seek impartial advice from a variety of specialists, and all for free. Please come to the SPATEX Help Desk at the entrance to the Hall if you need pointing in the right direction.

Register now www. spatex.co.uk SPATEX 2025 – Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 February. The Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry CV6 6GE with 2,000 free car parking spaces. For more info: helen@spatex.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1264 358558

RIGHT MOVES

ACTIVITY LEVELS

FROM PAINFUL FEET TO ACTIVE SOULS

As Nancy Sinatra’s famous song could have gone, these feet are made for walking – so why do we put them in footwear that prevents us doing that?

In 2017, Hayley Lever decided she really didn’t like wearing high heels at work, which – like many oﬃcebased businesses – were seen as expected workwear. The CEO and executive lead of Greater Manchester (GM) Moving found them restrictive and uncomfortable. She was fed up with carrying a spare pair of shoes around all the time – trainers in her bag in the oﬃce, heels in her bag when getting to work and back or travelling around Manchester for meetings.

So she and a colleague decided to ditch the heels. They were going to take a stand, wearing trainers in the oﬃce in the future. It would be more

comfortable and less hassle, and would enable them to move about more easily during the working day. And they hoped others would follow suit.

This was the beginning of Active Soles, an initiative that aims to change the way people (and organisations) think about workwear. In particular, it encourages everyone to wear comfortable shoes in the workplace – shoes that help, rather than prevent, them from being active.

Colleagues and employees across Manchester gradually got on board with Active Soles as the word spread. “It was a very informal thing,” says Lever. “We started making the movement visible by using social media, tweeting about it – #ActiveSoles – role modelling it with

By Roisin Woolnough

pictures, trying to get people active in the workplace to inspire and change culture. Bit by bit it rippled out and you started to see people turn up at work, to events and meetings in trainers.” In 2019, Lever even gave a TedX talk on Active Soles.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, also got involved, writing Active Soles into organisational policy and issuing the following message: “You can wear trainers to work, as long as you use them.” In a YouTube video on Active Soles, he also said this: “One of the easiest ways to get moving more into your life or into a busy day is by wearing shoes you can move in.”

Lever says the results have been

fantastic. One colleague now walks an average of 2km more a day, having swapped his brogues for trainers. Many more people get to work on foot, on bike or on public transport, rather than in their car, and they hold walking meetings or go for a walk at lunchtime.

Active Soles started in Manchester, but has since spread to other regions in the UK, with several bodies in Wales embracing the concept; Cardiff Met University, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff Council and Actif

North Wales have all introduced it as part of their Move More campaigns.

Active Dorset, Active Cheshire and MSP in Liverpool have also recently joined the movement.

“What we wear changes the way we think and behave,” says Rhys Russell, digital media and marketing oﬃcer at Cardiﬀ Met Sport. “Wearing comfortable shoes means we are more likely to build movement into our day by taking those extra steps, opting for the stairs instead of the lift, standing at

desks instead of sitting, or arranging walking meetings.”

Lever is delighted that Active Soles has gained such traction, particularly as it started with an impromptu chat between two people in an oﬃce one day. “It was just something that grew,” she says. “It wasn’t ever in anyone’s work programme; there was never a budget attached to it or an evaluation of it. It just grew organically through social networks and relationships.”

When Lever and her colleague Rachel Allen (who has since married and changed her surname to Mitchell, and moved to a new role at Greater Manchester Cancer) made that decision to wear trainers to work, they actually weren’t just thinking about themselves. They wanted to send a message to the people around them – that wearing

RIGHT MOVES

ACTIVITY LEVELS

Changing the norm

The Active Soles movement has shown that the small things are sometimes the big things, and changing the way we think, changes the way we feel and behave. Like the ‘expectation’ and cultural norm that professional, successful women wear high heels to work. It is a myth that we have collectively spread, as believers, over generations.

https://shorturl.at/xoXS3

comfortable shoes enables you to be move more during the day. Lever says it all ties in with work around whole systems change, active workplaces and the Good Employment Charter. “How do we design movement back into life?” asks Lever. “If you really want to address the issue of inactivity, you can’t rely on the sport, physical activity and leisure sector alone. You need to think about what’s getting in the way of people moving more.”

The GM Moving strategy is: “Helping people move a little more, making it easier to be active and a natural part of how we all live, travel, work and play in Greater Manchester.”

Lever was also doing a lot of thinking and reading around cultural norms and ideologies, and how they drive behaviour and societal patterns.

Meanwhile, Allen had recently written her Master’s dissertation on the concept of enclothed cognition – the psychological inﬂuence that clothing has on the wearer’s mental state and performance. Together, they were asking the question: “Why do we feel that we need to wear high heels and smart, but uncomfortable shoes to feel professional and be seen as credible leaders in the workplace?”

Michelle Obama famously gave the Queen a hug that broke with royal protocol when they met in 2009. That hug happened after a brief conversation about footwear and the fact that both of their feet were hurting. “Forget that she sometimes wore a diamond crown and that I’d ﬂown to London on the presidential jet; we were just two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes,” Obama later said in her memoir Becoming.

One of the key ﬁndings highlighted in a 2019 report called ‘Understanding inactivity in Greater Manchester’ was that many people assume being more active means taking up strenuous exercise, such as running or going to the gym. And for many inactive people, this is a daunting, unenjoyable and costly prospect. As it says in the report, people often think physical activity requires ‘dedicated time, expertise, ﬁtness and expense’, so they discount it.

Yet people can incorporate exercise and movement into their day and it counts as physical activity – taking the stairs instead of the lift, for example. That’s what Active Soles is about, says Lever. “It is about everyday movement and activity. It doesn’t cost anything, it doesn’t involve gym membership or doing a Tough Mudder. It’s about widening the lens of what we mean by physical activity, going beyond formal, structured, organised sport being exercise.”

In 2019, GM Moving launched its

‘That Counts!’ campaign, the aim of which was to get 2m Greater Manchester residents moving by 2021. More than half a million adults in the area are classed as inactive, meaning that they do less than 30 minutes of activity a week. GM Moving research showed that several barriers were getting in the way of people being more active: not understanding activity guidelines, people feeling too busy to add new activities, the language of sport and exercise not resonating with many, people with health issues feeling unable to physically achieve more "

activity and cost being an issue for people with lower incomes.

Lever says switching shoes can seem like a small step, but it can make a big diﬀerence. Manon Rees-O’Brien, regional director of Actif North Wales, agrees: “We were so inspired by such a simple concept that had the potential to make a big diﬀerence. We raised awareness from June 2023 through social media posts, a blog from me, through conversations and getting other partners to back it too.”

Lever and Allen aren’t the only women to make a stand against high

heels. In 2019, a Japanese woman called Yumi Ishikawa started the #KuToo movement, a movement against high heel policies in Japanese workplaces. A reference to the #MeToo movement and a play on the Japanese words for shoes (kutsu) and pain (kutsuu) – kutsu –Ishikawa has notched up almost 20,000 signatures on a petition to not force women to wear high heels at work. And the Japanese sportswear brand Asics recently released a video called Take a Desk Break, encouraging workers to get more active during the working day. And yes, it features an oﬃce worker wearing a pair of Asics trainers. So ditching uncomfortable shoes in favour of trainers at work has become a worldwide revolution.

It’s about making a small change to make a big diﬀerence

It’s about encouraging you to Move More in your working day

It’s about giving you permission to wear comfortable shoes that you can move in (this could be your trainers, ﬂat shoes, boots – whatever you’re comfortable in that helps you to move more)

It’s about ﬁnding your way to move, every day – walk, wheel, push, we can all ﬁnd a way

It’s about telling people how great you feel by moving and all the beneﬁts you experience

It’s about inviting others to join in

https://www.makeyourmove.org. uk/activesoles/

Hayley Lever (above), CEO of Greater Manchester Moving, and speaking about the issue on stage at the GM Moving Conference

PRODUCT ROUND-UP

HEALTH IS WEALTH

From HIIT bikes, ice rooms, weightlifting to wellness

BY SUE WEEKES

CHIC AND CLASSIC MEETS MODERN TECHNOLOGY

Garmin says the latest version of its smallest smartwatch with GPS, the Lily 2 Active, is ready to wear from “a meeting room to the pickleball court”. It features a timeless design with metal watch case and a hidden display and oﬀers a range of features such as women’s health tracking (including menstrual cycle and pregnancy), energylevel monitoring throughout the day to identify the best times for activity and rest, a morning report with sleep overview and other health stats. There are also new built-in sports apps for tennis, pickleball, indoor cycling and golf. Users can download workouts for strength, HIIT, yoga and more, as well as train for an upcoming race with free adaptive training plans from expert coaches.

Price: £299.99 www.garmin.com

Phantom workouts aim to take rider to the next level

Danish company Body Bike is launching its latest smart training bike featuring advanced technology to elevate the workout experience. The Smart+ Phantom features silent magnetic technology that claims to provide ‘whisper-quiet’ operation and ‘quattro step’ tension control to achieve precise resistance adjustments with four tension levels. It also has a new gear ratio, allowing the rider to transition from highintensity training to dance and endurance and a smart adjustment system to easily tailor bike setup. It oﬀers operators on-board tracking features to stay ahead of maintenance schedules and ensure optimal performance while the Phantom can be customised with four colours: Smart+ Black, Phantom Gray, Forest Green and OceanIX Blue. Tracking gives club managers access to data enabling them to monitor operation time, distance and average watt. The Body Bike app, meanwhile, allows users to track and save performance metrics and monitor and set goals.

Price: TBC www.body-bike.com

STYLISH AFTER SAUNA COOLING

The KLAFS Group is launching the FRIMAS Ice Steam Room that cools down the body after the use of a sauna. It gently releases a ﬁne mist within the cabin, which is set at around 5 deg C and creates a ‘cold sensation’ without directly exposing the body to the elements. The aquatics therapy specialist claims that this gradual immersion into the cold means the body can regulate in a balanced way and adapt to the new setting within 5-10 minutes. It says creating a balancing eﬀect brings body temperatures to an optimal state of relaxation. There are also a number of options such as the Glacier ice wall with ice fog and the Holli ice steam shower, which can be combined with elements such as the Stalagmit and Polaris ice fountains, and Atmosphere – a screen showing nature images.

Price: On application www.guncast.com

COMPETITION AND TRAINING COLLAR ENHANCES LIFTING EXPERIENCE

Strength equipment company Eleiko is announcing the patent-pending Competition Collar, which is certiﬁed by all three strength sports federations: the International Weightlifting Federation, International Powerlifting Federation and World Para Powerlifting. Aiming to enhance the lifting experience, a TPE ring compresses and rotates, securing the connection between the bar ﬂange, plates and collars, which Eleiko says reduces wear, provides a better clamping force, and dampens noise. It explains that the

ENHANCED WELLNESS OFFERINGS

Wexer is partnering with Ark Living to enhance its offerings. The wellness platform includes guided Daily Meditations, which can be integrated into daily routines, guided 10-minute Global Meditations, in which users can immerse themselves in serene landscapes from around the world, and one to 15-minute Daily Affirmations, designed to boost confidence and foster a positive mindset. The offerings, available on the Wexer web player and app, focus on helping people achieve their fullest potential by promoting tranquillity, positivity and inner connection. www.wexer.com

indexed locking lever stays ﬁrmly in place which, together with a slimmer proﬁle and concentrated centre of mass, minimises interference with lifts and sleeve rotation. A new locking lever system distributes the force evenly across the bar sleeve, once again reducing potential wear while knurling on the lever and tightening wheel, combined with sandblasted grip contours, is designed to provide an improved loading experience.

Price: TBC www.eleiko.com/en-gb

CHANGE YOUR MINDSET, REACH YOUR GOALS

Stephen Bruyant-Langer on helping people achieve their best future – and reach their ﬁtness goals

In today’s world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by uncertainty and anxiety, which can throw people oﬀ achieving their personal goals. But what if, despite the current environment, you and your colleagues could begin to see the future as a chance to make the most of all possibilites? And what if they could achieve their health and ﬁtness goals with a greater sense of purpose?

As an executive coach with decades of experience working with highachieving individuals, I believe people in the sports and physical activity industry can transform their lives by changing their approach to the future.

THE POWER OF MINDSET

Research in neuroscience has shown that our thought patterns can signiﬁcantly impact our brain’s structure and function. Dr Norman Doidge, in his book The Brain That Changes Itself, explains how "

neuroplasticity allows us to rewire our brains through conscious eﬀort and practice. By adopting a more positive outlook, we can literally change our brains to be more resilient and adaptable. As US psychologist Carol Dweck has described, this can be framed as adopting a growth mindset to take on new challenges and learn.

So, how can you help people to harness the power of the mind to influence their future health and fitness achievements? Here are five existential hacks that I hope will help you – and help people you work with make the changes they need to make. (The tips are addressed to you but also can be aimed to include your staff and clients.)

1. THE RIGHT TIME IS NOW

Procrastination often stems from fear or perfectionism. However, waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment can lead to missed opportunities. The ancient Greeks had two words for time: chronos (chronological time) and kairos (the right or opportune moment). In our lives, we need to create our own kairos moments by taking action. So launch that new fitness programme you’ve been putting off starting, have that difficult conversation with a staff member or take that leap of faith. As the saying goes, ‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now’.

2. PRACTISE COURAGE

Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but rather the ability to act despite it. Research has shown that practising courage can lead to increased selfesteem and satisfaction. Like a muscle, courage grows stronger with use. Start small. Set yourself a challenge each day that pushes you slightly out of your comfort zone. It could be as simple as speaking up in a meeting or trying a new activity. Over time, these small acts

of courage will build your conﬁdence to tackle bigger challenges.

3. SHAKE THINGS UP

Routine can be comforting, but it can lead to stagnation. Neuroplasticity, our brain’s ability to form new neural connections, thrives on novelty and challenge. By introducing variety into our lives, we can enhance our cognitive ﬂexibility and creativity.

Try taking a different route to work, rearranging your gym space or spending a day doing things with your non-dominant hand. These small changes can spark new perspectives and ideas. Additionally, consider more significant changes. Travel to new places, immerse yourself in different cultures or take on a project outside your expertise in sports and physical activity. These experiences can broaden your horizons and challenge your assumptions, leading to personal growth and new insights.

4. STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

The mind-body connection is powerful. As you know, regular activity not only improves our physical health but also enhances cognitive function and emotional well-being. A study published in the journal Neurology found that regular exercise in middle age was associated with a reduced risk of dementia later in life. Suggest to your clients to try different physical activities. The key is consistency rather than intensity. Even a daily walk can have significant benefits for their physical and mental health. Physical activity can be a powerful tool for stress management. Remind staff that exercise reduces levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline while stimulating the production of endorphins, which are natural mood elevators.

5. REACH OUT

Many of us feel the need to tackle our problems alone. This solitary approach, however, goes against our nature as social beings. Research has consistently shown that social support is crucial for mental health and wellbeing. A meta-analysis published in the journal Psychological Bulletin found that perceived social support is strongly associated with lower rates of mental health problems and the ability to better cope with stress.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it. If the idea of a face-to-face conversation feels daunting, consider a side-by-side activity. Many people ﬁnd it easier to open up while engaged in a shared task or sport. Whether it’s going for a walk with a friend or working on a project together, these activities can provide a less intense setting for meaningful conversations.

ENJOY THE RIDE AND TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

These existential hacks aren’t meant to be burdensome tasks on a to-do list. Instead, they should be thought of as tools in your kit, ready to be used when needed – both for yourself and your team. The goal is to develop a state of ‘relaxed readiness’ — feeling relaxed, strong and capable of reacting positively to whatever life throws our way.

Remember, a powerful message you can share as sports and physical activity professionals is: the best way out is through. By actively engaging with life, taking risks and believing in your ability to shape your future, you can transform uncertainty from a source of anxiety into a wellspring of possibility.

Stephen Bruyant-Langer, an executive coach and leadership expert, is the author of The Existential Playbook – How to Survive, Live and Thrive

LAST WORD

SPORT AMBASSADOR

Mark Cordeaux, project manager at StreetGames, on changing lives in deprived communities

in the UK

SHINING ON THE STREET

StreetGames has been going since 2007, working with over 1,600 local community organisations across the UK to change young people’s lives for the better through sport. We work with everyone from sports clubs and community groups to housing associations, leisure trusts and local authorities to create positive change in the lives of young people through sport and physical activity.

I love my role here as project manager. I guess I’ve always been active and involved in sport in one way or another. I played rugby league while studying for a business management degree at the University of Sheﬃeld. During this time, I also represented Yorkshire and was part of the Scotland Students Squad for the 2017 Student Rugby League World

Cup in Australia, and the 2018 Four Nations campaign.

I remember back then I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go down the standard graduate route into a big multinational, so I went on to do a Master’s in Sport Management at Sheﬃeld Hallam University. I was probably a bit naive in thinking that I’d then simply walk straight into a job in the sports sector. But thankfully I managed to get a job at Basketball England, where I worked for three and a half years. I started out in its customer service team. I’m not a basketball player and didn’t really know anything about basketball, but it was just nice to get a foot in the door within sport.

But I’m at StreetGames now and I really like how varied my role is, involving many diﬀerent sports. I also work with lots of diﬀerent external partners and funders. For example, I’ve built a really strong relationship with the national cricketing charity Chance to Shine, which gives children the opportunity to play, learn and develop through cricket. As a delivery partner, we commission organisations to deliver cricket in their local communities and I’m the relationship manager for that partnership.

I’m proud to say that StreetGames is the only non-County Cricket Board deliverer of Chance to Shine’s Street Cricket programme. We’re taking cricket to places where it’s not currently being

“I’ve built a really strong relationship with the national cricketing charity Chance to Shine, which gives children the opportunity to play, learn and develop through cricket”

played and giving young people who would never normally play cricket an opportunity to do just that.

Our mantra at StreetGames is ‘doorstep sport’. We advocate for sport, but often not in a traditional way, such as playing cricket at a cricket club. After all, you don’t necessarily need to have a big cricket pitch to play cricket. One of our locally trusted organisations delivers their cricket sessions within the concourse of a stadium. The focus is on engaging young people and providing the activity rather than the surroundings.

It’s also about making young people feel comfortable. So if they are most comfortable a ﬁve-minute walk from their house – for example, their local community space – then that’s where the activity needs to take place.

Our Inspiration campaign is also

Leading the way in swimming lessons

Developed by the recognised national governing body, our programme is at the heart of 80% of swimming lessons across England.

From ﬁrst splash to lifelong love of swimming and beyond

Our programme offers a comprehensive pathway from Pre-School and Stages 1-7 to advanced stages and aquatic sport development.

Supporting our partners

We offer a wide range of resources to provide extra support to those delivering our programme.

Keeping learners motivated Complementary Awards in our programme boost motivation byrewarding achievements and inspiring learners to try new skills.

To ﬁnd out more at swimming.org/swimengland/family

LAST WORD

SPORT AMBASSADOR

something for which I’m proud. We started it in 2022 with three main goals built around spectating, participating and volunteering. The spectating element has deﬁnitely been the most successful. We wanted to give young people the opportunity to attend major sporting events, so we secure tickets through our various partnerships.

For example, we did a summer camp in Birmingham while the Commonwealth Games was happening in 2022. Young people came along to the camp to try different sports and then we also took them off to the Games. The idea is that they become inspired watching something like table tennis and take the sport up. It’s been wonderful getting kids to see what is, for some of them, their first sporting event,

or even the ﬁrst time they’ve left their local community. We had kids in Brent, the home of Wembley, that had never been to the national stadium before.

Last year we managed to secure 6,500 spectating opportunities and helped 250 community organisations to access tickets to major sporting events. And those opportunities are so varied. This year alone, we’ve provided opportunities across about 15 diﬀerent sports, including Major League Baseball.

The biggest challenge we face at StreetGames is probably funding, whether that’s public funding – we’re quite reliant on Sport England – or investment from the private sector. Sport is often seen as a bit of a luxury. It’s a challenge for us to advocate for sport as a health agenda. It’s so obviously good for us and can ease pressure on the NHS. Targeting the most deprived communities in the country and being a voice for them is always challenging, but we like to feel we’ve got our ﬁnger on the pulse of what our audience wants and needs.

What I love about my job is that I get to work with such amazing people. There’s a real collective drive to work towards our goal of providing sport for young people all year round. People here often joke that you never truly leave StreetGames. People might go oﬀ to do other things, but they always seem to be brought back in to work on other things for the organisation. I feel the same. If I ever moved on, I’d still want to connect whatever work I end up doing in sport back to the organisation. It’s also great seeing the impact you’re having. You get

“We wanted to give young people the opportunity to attend major sporting events, so we secure tickets through our various partnerships”

tremendous personal feedback from people. It’s not just about the numbers. I think my biggest achievement was helping to get so many young people to see the last Rugby League World Cup across all the games. I think we brought a whole new audience to the sport.

When I think about my future two words come to mind: progression and growth. Ultimately, I’d like to get to a chief executive position of a sporting body. Whether that’s in my current organisation or elsewhere, one thing I know is I deﬁnitely want to continue working in the sports sector.

Mark

Cordeaux (pictured far left) spoke with Dean Gurden

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