What will we be doing?
Building on, and at times connecting with, the work being undertaken within the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion priority area, we will be introducing a cross organisational approach to developing a more inclusive sport system in Wales. Using insight, we will create messaging to explain what is needed to create an inclusive sport system and why it is so important. We will use this messaging to influence provision in athlete development, education and community sport settings and guide coach and wider workforce development opportunities. We will continue to support partners and realign our Institute resources to better enable athlete development opportunities.
Why is this area of work so important?
We want sport to be inclusive to all and to provide a great experience for everyone. We want all young people to have the opportunity to enjoy sport and to be able to progress, helping to develop the skills needed to reach their potential and continuing their positive relationship with sport and physical activity for the rest of their lives. We need to work together to ensure that every part of the sport system is aligned so that it is as easy as possible for people in Wales to have an enjoyable experience that meets their needs throughout their lives.
What do we know about this area of work?
- In 2015 the IOC evaluated the current state of science and practice of youth athlete development and presented recommendations for developing healthy, resilient and capable youth athletes, while providing opportunities for all levels of sport participation and success. Read the full statement here.
- Sport New Zealand share their learnings on developing positive environments for athletes in this Balance is better film.
- The consequences of inactivity are life changing, as explained here.
What are we already doing?
- Providing support and challenge to partners who currently provide athlete development opportunities and exploring opportunities for other partners.
- Realigning the resource of the Sport Wales Institute, away from individual athlete support and towards supporting athlete development opportunities
- Collating current athlete experiences and developing a framework to better understand what is needed to create thriving environments
- Developing and refining our messaging around athlete development
- Developing opportunities for athletes to develop essential life skills e.g. the athlete kitchen
Examples of new work we are going to be doing over the next 3-6 months:
- Develop our messaging so that we can clearly articulate what we mean by an inclusive sport system and why it matters
- Identify where within the sport system we can have most impact and how we can best enable change
- Develop content for Birmingham 2022 and beyond to highlight the importance of an inclusive sport system with a particular focus on performance
- Gain insight across the sport system and beyond to guide our work including identifying key enablers and barriers to sporting progression, data from across sports highlighting current athlete experiences and the School Sport Survey
- Use the new approach to community investments to enable clubs and organisations to understand and create the environments that are a fundamental part of an inclusive sport system.
How can I find out more?
- There will be regular updates on this work in staff communications and opportunities to hear more about specific projects via drop-in sessions.
- We want to test the new areas of work with staff and partners as we go so, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to input
- Existing work looking at athlete development is being led by Cath Shearer. Please contact Cath with any questions on this.