We are investing in 46 national governing
bodies over four years and have agreed clear outcomes for grow,
sustain and excel with each one.
Below are performance summaries for each
governing body, setting out progress 30 months into the funding
period.
Angling
Satisfaction levels within angling have
increased, particularly in the areas of coaching and facilities.
The Angling Development Board (ADB) is focused on increasing the
number of Clubmark clubs and accredited coaches. However, our
local intelligence tells us that the impact of recently-formed
County Angling Action Groups could be increased and links with
other local partners, in particular CSPs, needs to be improved. The
ADB is targeting a date within the next six months for merger with
the Angling Trust (the membership body) and we are encouraging the
governing body to set in place a long-term strategic vision which
focuses on the wider needs of the sport. Close monitoring of the
impact of the merger and progress toward a strategic vision is
required over the next six months.
Archery
Archery GB continues to make good progress
given its resource levels. The NGB has focused on improving its
knowledge and understanding of the sport to help build strong
foundations for future development. Archery GB’s insight and
knowledge of the sport is continually improving and the NGB has a
clearer understanding of priorities moving forward. Key work
over the next 12 months includes the further development of a
facilities strategy for archery, successful engagement with the
existing archery committee network and increasing Archery GB’s
influence in the commercial archery environment.
Athletics
Athletics continues to make solid progress in
the delivery of its whole sport plan. The athletics networks
programme is delivering increased participation in track and field
athletics. Run England is contributing to the continued growth in
running. Coaching remains critical to the development of young
talent within track and field athletics; the recognition that
UKA/England Athletics received for its work in coaching at the
recent Sports Coach UK annual awards is testament to the hard work
and progress that is being made. The award of the 2017 World
Athletics Championships to London gives the sport a strong platform
in the post-2012 sporting landscape.
Badminton
BADMINTON England remains some distance short
of its participation growth target and the flat line trend in
participation over the past 12 months is a concern. There is
evidence that its grassroots programmes are having an impact in
areas where the governing body has a level of control and
influence. The expansion of ‘No Strings Badminton’, together with
the increased adult focus of the Community Badminton Networks has
seen an increase in participation in the areas where this work is
being delivered. The challenge, however, remains for the governing
body to expand the reach and scale of its work if it is to address
the wider decline in participation. The sport has a clear England
Talent Pathway with quality coaching and appropriate competition
opportunities.
Baseball/Softball
BaseballSoftballUK has had a positive six
months since the last review, with another strong period of
delivery. BSUK's influence on the growth of the sports is evident
and there has been a 40% increase in the number of adult teams
playing regularly since 2009 (from 489 to 686). Staff in the
governing body are clear on what they need to do to achieve their
goals and are working hard to develop the products and programmes
to get more people participating, underpinned by a good evaluation
system that enables the organisation to respond to market
trends.
Basketball
Over the past six months, England Basketball
has developed two new informal versions of the game which it feels
will help address the recent decline in participation. This is a
positive step in improving the organisation’s approach to growing
participation within recreational markets, especially within the
16-25 age group. However, England Basketball still needs to
demonstrate that it is up to the job of delivering growth outside
its traditional structures, in a market with significant potential.
The development of measurable, strategic relationships with
external delivery partners will be important for England Basketball
if it is to maximise the resources at its disposal. Qualitative
evidence is now being gathered to demonstrate the effectiveness of
the England talent pathway.
Boccia
The Whole Sport Plan for boccia is now the
responsibility of the newly established Boccia England. This
organisation has worked hard to improve its governance and received
a ‘Green’ rating for its 2011 self-assurance submission. The
governing body is developing a relatively new sport system and is
focusing on providing resources to support those volunteers who
currently deliver the sport. Boccia England has made progress over
the last six months establishing and beginning to populate a clear
talent pathway. It is important that this momentum is not lost with
the handover to a new CEO.
Bowls
The newly established Bowls Development
Alliance has responded to the challenge to develop the sport of
bowls, however, participation remains significantly below baseline
and the declining trend is a concern. The governing body’s
capacity has increased significantly, with a number of new
appointments who are starting to accelerate delivery in targeted
geographical areas. A key strategic area for development over
the next six months is health and inactivity; this area offers
a significant opportunity for the Bowls Development Alliance to
diversify its funding sources and to enhance links at a local
level.
Boxing
The Amateur Boxing Association of England is
exceeding its 2013 participation target, with particularly strong
growth in the North West and London, where Boxing Development
Officers are in post. The organisation has worked hard over the
last six months to develop a growth strategy which clearly defines
its target markets. In particular, the organisation is now focused
on competitive boxing and boxing for fitness, and is currently
piloting a new fitness programme. The organisation has
reviewed its talent development activities over the last six months
and plans to accelerate this work.
Canoeing
The British Canoe Union continues to make good
progress and is on track to achieve its commissioned outcomes.
Participation at accredited clubs and centres continues to increase
as does BCU membership. The governing body is developing a better
understanding of its informal market and aims to launch the
expanded ‘Go Canoeing’ programme in April 2012. ‘Go Canoeing’ will
help the British Canoe Union to develop stronger relationships with
suppliers, wholesalers and other providers within canoeing and this
has been well received by these partners. The England Talent
programme is running well and delivering results well ahead of the
targets set.
Cricket
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has
been working over the last twelve months to develop a greater
understanding of the demand for cricket and the impact that planned
delivery will have on regular sustained participation. Growth in
participation has been much slower than expected and the ECB agreed
to a voluntary reduction of existing funding levels alongside a
more realistic target. It is critical that the ECB remains entirely
focused on delivery and demonstrates an ability to drive
significant increases in participation. Our confidence in the ECB’s
ability to achieve this revised target has been greatly enhanced by
the fact that an adult participation indicator has now been
included in the County Cricket Board Improvement Planning Process.
A dedicated team is in place and the most recent Active People
Survey results give reason for optimism. Beyond the participation
agenda, the ECB continues to strengthen the talent pathway for
girls and young disabled players, with county boards playing an
increasingly important role.
Cycling
British Cycling remains a top-performing
governing body which continues to develop and enhance delivery on
the basis of consumer insight. However, the recent dip in
participation is a concern and the overall trend suggests a flat
line in growth within the sport. The ‘Skyride’ and associated ‘Led
ride’ programmes have continued to present a wide range of
opportunities for people to cycle at an appropriate level and the
focus for 2012 will be to improve the retention rate of
existing cyclists and expand opportunities for new participants.
The ‘Go Ride’ programme continues to provide a range of
high-quality coaching and competitive opportunities for young
people and allows them to move into club cycling and the lower
levels of the England Talent Pathway and the deployment of Regional
Events Officers continues to increase participation in competitive
cycle sport across all disciplines.
Equestrian
The British Equestrian Federation operates in
a complex environment with 18 member bodies, all with varying
capacities. Keeping them all focused on a common purpose is crucial
to their successful delivery, as they seek to address declining
participation numbers. The British Equestrian Federation has made
positive strides establishing local networks of riding clubs,
centres and businesses under their consumer-facing brand, ‘Hoof’.
This is part of its attempt to simplify the sport, and the launch
of the ‘Hoof’ web portal early in 2012 will be a significant
milestone. The federation has also continued to improve its talent
development programme, with a clearer focus on the talented young
riders and less duplication with member body programmes.
Fencing
British Fencing continues to undergo a period
of considerable change. The new 'Green, Grow, Gold' strategy has
been adopted by the Board and is now at the heart of British
Fencing activity. The emphasis that has been placed on governance
has been recognised through a 'green' rating in the recent
governance assurance process. This is an important step forward for
British Fencing and has rightly been a major priority. Work is
still required to improve the clarity of the organisation’s plans
to grow the sport, whilst a fine tuning of the England Talent
Development Programme is also required.
Football
The Football Association (FA) is not on track
to achieve its four-year target for growing participation. This is
a concern and is due largely to the loss of players between the
ages of 16 and 19. The FA’s refreshed National Game Strategy
embraces flexible formats of the game to get more people playing. A
network of ‘Get into Football’ officers are proving successful in
generating more football teams, the ‘Just Play’ progamme in
partnership with Mars has expanded to 190 centres across the
country, and a new partnership with Vauxhall will focus on
retaining players aged between 14 and 19. The FA has clear
disability and women’s talent pathways in place.
Goalball
Following a number of resignations from the
governing body in February 2011, good progress has been made to
stabilise Goalball UK. Key to this has been the appointment of an
Executive Chairman who has brought substantial momentum and focus.
Whilst there is still considerable work remaining and further
improvements to be made, Goalball UK is no longer viewed as a high
governance risk. Goalball UK has appointed a National Development
Officer, who is providing much-needed delivery capacity.
Golf
The England Golf Partnership has made
significant progress over the last six months. A new strategy
for growth is in place and it is essential that these plans are
accelerated to help address the decline in participation. The
English Golf Union and the English Women’s Golf Association have
voted to merge; this is great news for golf and demonstrates the
sport’s commitment to opening the game up to all participants.
Whilst there should be minimal disruption to the development team,
the EGP and partner organisations will be closely monitored to
ensure that delivery momentum is maintained during the restructure
of the sport. The England Talent Pathway continues to develop, with
the introduction of county academies broadening access for young
players by connecting junior participation to community golf.
Gymnastics
Overall participation has been flat for two
years, due largely to a significant decline in trampolining
participation. This needs to be addressed if British Gymnastics is
to increase overall participation. British Gymnastics is currently
revising its strategic and operational plans and these should make
a fundamental difference to the governing body’s operations. Its
workforce has been restructured to better execute the new plans, a
process which is now almost complete. British Gymnastics is
investing significant time and effort in supporting its clubs to
explore asset transfer opportunities to take ownership of their own
facilities, which could be positive for the sport.
Handball
England Handball has continued to build on the
progress it has made over the first two years of investment. It has
developed targeted action plans in priority locations that will
help to make the most effective use of its resources. It has been
able to clearly articulate its aims and objectives for these areas
which is significantly improving co-ordination in the sport. The
opportunities offered by the Change 4 Life Sports Club programme
have given the governing body the ability to train new leaders and
coaches, leading to an increase in delivery on the ground.
Hockey
The England Hockey Board is not on track to
achieve its four-year growth target and there is a concerning
decline in participation. In response, the governing body has
realigned financial and human resources to drive its growth
strategy, including a restructure of its regional network. The
England Hockey Board has recognised the need to modernise the game
and provide opportunities for participation outside the formal club
structure. ‘Rush Hockey’ and ‘Back to Hockey’ will both potentially
play an important role in helping to increase participation by
supplying informal formats of the game. EHB has a clear and robust
talent pathway and is now engaged in further developing the quality
within it, via enhanced player profiles and coach development
programmes.
Judo
British Judo recognises that it is not on
track to deliver its growth target and is now reviewing its plans
to get more people playing the sport. Further work is required to
improve the governance arrangements within the governing body. The
England Talent Pathway has good connectivity with clubs and junior
programmes at a community level. Young English cadet players have
been successful in European competition and progressed onto the
British development squad.
Lacrosse
English Lacrosse remains a good example of a
relatively small governing body with clear, targeted plans to
expand its sport from a limited participation base. Following
a strong performance, English Lacrosse has received additional
investment to deliver a new product, ‘INTO Lacrosse’ which will
target the informal sports market and provide a range of
competitive and social playing opportunities for students leaving
university. The governing body has also had success in its work to
improve links between schools and clubs and to engage young people
in volunteering.
Modern Pentathlon
Since the arrival of a new chief executive in
April, Pentathlon GB has focused on developing a clarity of purpose
owned by the whole organisation, and underpinned by more robust
operational standards for staff and volunteers. The governing body
has made positive progress clarifying the principles of its England
Talent Pool programme and has started to deliver more consistently
across the three regions where the programme is running. Membership
numbers have continued to grow, and Modern Pentathlon is
considering ways to better sustain participation in sport.
Implementing the new vision and ensuring it is delivered by all
staff remains key to future success.
Mountaineering
The British Mountaineering Council is on track
to exceed its four year target for growing participation in the
sport. The roll-out of resources to support operators of indoor
climbing walls has been a key part of the governing body’s strategy
over the last 12 months. The focus for the next six months is to
ensure that this activity continues to promote and support the
delivery of opportunities for climbers to participate in a variety
of settings. The British Mountaineering Council has established and
mapped a clear talent pathway and should now look to enhance the
quality of programmes within each tier.
Movement and Dance
Exercise Movement and Dance Partnership is
delivering its funded programme well, has a clear strategy for
getting more people involved and is on track to achieve its growth
target as a result. A focus on teacher training over the next six
months is expected to have a significant impact. Among the
priorities for the coming year will be work to better define the
role that exercise, movement and dance has in the sporting
landscape.
Netball
England Netball continues to deliver. Its
strong focus on the consumer is leading to increased participation
and an improved quality of experience for those playing the sport.
England Netball’s ability to deliver locally via partners is
excellent and, with a range of interesting products, it is
anticipated that the strong performance of the sport will continue.
Sport England supports the talent pathway for young players at all
levels as well as the England senior women’s squad. The latter
exceeded expectations by winning the World Netball Series Fastnet
at the end of November, rounding off another excellent six months
for the sport.
Orienteering
The changes made to the British Orienteering
Federation’s development team over the past twelve months are
beginning to impact on delivery. Its Community Orienteering
programme is growing as the governing body prioritises its
engagement with local delivery agents and focus clubs. The
governing body believes that this will have an impact on its Active
People figures over the next six months. It has also made good
progress mapping a clear talent pathway and developing athlete
profiles for the key tiers of its programme.
Rounders
Rounders England has made a step change in the
last six months, helped by market insight from the Women’s Sport
and Fitness Foundation. It is using this to clarify which consumers
to target in order to grow the sport with the help of a substantial
marketing and PR programme. The appointment of a new Development
and Competitions Director has had a significant impact on delivery,
and extended the number of County Sport Partnerships being
commissioned to deliver rounders. Participation numbers have
remained static, and core developments like a participation pathway
and adult activators award should move this relatively small
governing body to a new level of performance.
Rowing
British Rowing has had a positive six months
but need to continue to accelerate delivery. The development of
regional participation plans has been fundamental to increasing
confidence in British Rowing’s ability to grow participation. The
last six months has seen a further acceleration of the Explore
Rowing programme, especially Learn to Row. The programme has
enabled British Rowing to start working with water sports centres
and youth organisations which provide routes into the sport.
Rugby League
The Rugby Football League has radically
changed its approach to grassroots delivery in order to increase
regular and sustained participation. The transfer of the community
game to the summer has been a challenge but most leagues and clubs
have agreed to this change. The development of a new Tough Rugby
League product has been impressive, but the delivery of sufficient
growth in participation numbers remains a significant challenge for
the governing body. The provision of support and opportunities for
young players with talent continues; there is a clear pathway in
place and further work is planned to develop profiles outlining
standards for talented players.
Rugby Union
The Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) plan for
sustaining and increasing participation across all four variants of
the game (15-a-side, touch, tag and seven-a-side), and the emerging
focus on the quality of the rugby experience, has continued to take
shape over the past six months. The RFU’s common purpose of
‘strengthening our clubs and growing the game in communities around
them’ is starting to impact on the RFU delivery teams, helping to
ensure some consistency of delivery. Sport England supports the
talent pathway for young female players and the elite women’s
programme, both of which are making good progress. This progress
has been made during what has been an extremely difficult six
months, following the departure of its CEO and a series of high
profile and damaging disagreements within the sport. The RFU has
some major governance challenges coming out of the Slaughter and
May review. The introduction of these changes must be managed
carefully to ensure delivery momentum in the community game is not
lost.
Sailing
The RYA has seen a significant decline in
regular adult participation. To address this, it has focused upon
turning market insight into effective, meaningful tools for sailing
clubs, centres and marinas to use at a practical level. However,
there still remain significant barriers to entry for this sport in
challenging economic times. A new board structure is being
introduced, and staff within the governing body are now engaging
more effectively with County Sport Partnerships. Adult
participation plans are in place covering the yachting, dinghy and
windsurfing sectors, and the RYA remains one of the best governing
bodies with regards to young people’s participation and
volunteering programmes. The RYA continues to deliver well on the
talent development side in a challenging period, with cost, time
and academic pressures for young people on the training
programme.
Shooting
Shooting has made significant progress in the
past six months and this rate of progress needs to be maintained.
The original award to Great Britain Target Shooting Federation has
now been moved to a revamped British Shooting. British Shooting has
a new independent Chairman, and a clear remit that has been agreed
by its member bodies. A large amount of work is still required to
formalise the structure of British Shooting and to agree a longer
term strategy to work in partnership with the other shooting
bodies. Delivery of activity is underway with a disability shooting
project and discipline-specific activities in full-bore, small-bore
and clay target. Work on improving provision within the talent
pathway will begin in December 2011.
Snowsports
Snowsport England is a small but capable
governing body. Its focused investment at a small number of
facilities and clubs in England is a sensible approach given its
limited capacity. Snowsport England has launched ‘Go Ski Go Board’
as its main programme to increase participation, initially at focus
facilities and then across the whole of England. As a result,
Snowsport England can be confident of having an impact on
participation within England.
Squash and Racketball
The last six months has seen England Squash
and Racketball continue to develop a more sophisticated
understanding of the squash market and a more coherent approach to
growing the sport. Efforts are focused on local authority leisure
centres in order to increase participation and protect squash
courts from closure. Evidence of the impact of this strategy will
be required at the start of the New Year to prove this approach is
working. The sport receives Sport England investment both for
talent development and its elite programme. A strong talent and
performance programme continues to deliver at an elite level.
England currently has the world men’s number one and two ranked
players and the women’s second and third ranked players.
Swimming
Swimming participation has been in a steady
decline and the ASA is a long way short of its growth target for
adult participation. Over the past six months it has intensified
its work with local authority pools and is providing knowledge and
information on consumer insight, understanding the local market,
pool programming and upskilling the aquatic workforce to help
efforts increase adult participation. A significant increase in
pace and activity with pool operators is essential if the current
decline is to be reversed. The ASA continues to meet its annual
targets for talent development across all aquatic disciplines and
within Paralympic groups.
Table Tennis
The strong growth in the number of people
playing table tennis has continued over the past six months; the
English Table Tennis Association is on track to far exceed its
participation growth target for the year. Some of the participation
growth has been driven by the Ping! project and the increase in the
number of commercial providers of recreational table tennis. It
will be important for the governing body to prioritise the delivery
of its Ping! related products, ‘Instant Ping Pong’ and ‘Ping! Your
City’, over the next six to 12 months in partnership with a range
of providers. The governing body has increased the number of
players at the base of the talent pathway, but the programme to
enhance the quality of these players remains
unconvincing. Delivery of the talent development outcomes
appears to be at risk.
Taekwondo
Sport Taekwondo UK has moved extremely quickly
and impressively to deliver its ambitious commitment to establish
an effective England Talent Pathway. Several key elements have been
put in place over the last year including a clearly defined talent
pathway, player profiles and bench-marking camps with Korean cadet
players. There is now a need to develop resources and training for
performance staff linked to the development of player profiles.
Tennis
Tennis participation continues to decline at a
concerning rate, despite an increasing focus in this area and the
accelerated roll-out of the Beacon programme. The LTA needs to
continue to increase the pace and urgency of delivery to reverse
this disappointing decline. The picture within talent development
is more encouraging, with good progress at the lower end of the
England Talent Pathway. An effective and well populated pathway is
in place, supported by a comprehensive and detailed talent
identification programme.
Triathlon
Triathlon England continues to perform well
and is on track to deliver against all of its commissioned
outcomes. The sport is benefiting from an ever-increasing profile
through elite success, television coverage and celebrity
participation. Triathlon stands apart from the traditional sporting
landscape as growth is being driven by events in partnership with
the commercial sector. The strength of the governing body lies in
its ability to influence this sector, which is being bolstered
through its event accreditation programme. The focus on improving
the quality of events and triathlon clubs is a welcomed approach
and a significant factor in sustaining participation. Triathlon
England has clear plans to develop the quality and breadth of its
talent pathway. Delivering these plans is crucial, especially at
Regional Academy level.
Volleyball
Following a continued decline in adult
participation, Volleyball England is not on-track to deliver
its growth target. Volleyball England has improved delivery in
2011, however it is unlikely that its growth plan will have the
scale of impact required. Close monitoring and support for
Volleyball England will be necessary over the next six months.
Volleyball England needs to re-establish momentum behind its talent
development priorities after the departure of the Talent
Manager.
Water Ski and Wakeboard
The last six months has been a challenging
time for British Water Ski & Wakeboard with a number of staff
departures. The governing body has looked upon this as an
opportunity to restructure its organisation, increase its
development capacity and up-skill its administration support. The
organisation continues to deliver on our investment and to have a
strong influence over the whole sport.
Weight Lifting
British Weight Lifting has continued the
significant progress that it has made over the last twelve months,
having developed targeted action plans for specific locations and
focus clubs. The key for the next six to 12 months will be to
implement these plans and to prove that it is capable of delivering
growth in participation outside of its traditional sphere of
influence. The development of new products and packages such
as the Strength & Power Series is a positive step.
Wheelchair Basketball
British Wheelchair Basketball continues to
make good progress and is on track to achieve its commissioned
outcomes. The governing body’s internal measures indicate a growth
in participation and this is reflected by the increase in new
clubs/new sections in existing clubs. Revised and more meaningful
talent development outcomes are now being reported against and work
is underway to establish clear athlete profiles to support talent
development, especially at a regional level. British Wheelchair
Basketball has numerous successful local partnerships and in the
absence of a regional staffing infrastructure, it will need
continued support from local partners such as County Sports
Partnerships to ensure success.
Wheelchair Rugby
Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby has gone
through a significant transformation in the past two years and is
now an efficient and well-managed organisation. There is a real
sense that much has already been achieved over the 09-13 funding
period but a recognition by the governing body that there is still
a long way to go to meet its ambitious strategic outcomes. The
organisation has been very successful at brokering partnerships to
aid its sustainability and support delivery which has been crucial
given the relatively small Sport England investment. Great Britain
Wheelchair Rugby is on track to deliver its commissioned
outcomes.
Wrestling
British Wrestling is continuing to work hard
to improve its governance and structures within the sport. Progress
is reasonably good, however continued attention will be required in
this area for some time to come. Extra funding from Sport England
has been provided to allow British Wrestling to more proactively
support its English clubs to develop; this programme will start in
early 2012. The England Talent Pathway has been developed and
delivery is starting in December 2011.