Components of a successful project

A successful project will address the barriers to participation, for example, by offering childcare solutions, being affordable, taking place at an appropriate time and in a suitable location and ensuring that participants feel comfortable in their environment.

A successful project will grow participation in sport amongst either women in disadvantaged communities or women caring for children under 16. There will be a clear plan for how sporting participation will be sustained and the projects will be replicable.

A successful project for this themed round will:

• Involve consultation with the targeted participants about what they want. For example, whether women caring for children under 16 want activities that they can participate in with their children and families or in a group on their own
• Involve a range of strong local partnerships, with both sporting and non-sporting organisations
• Be marketed appropriately to stimulate interest and engagement from the target groups
• Provide a social and supportive environment, for example through mentoring and group and ancillary activities
• Provide a welcoming environment which encourages repeat attendance
• Be affordable for prospective participants. Subsidised admission should be part of a clear sustainable business plan
• Be innovative – adapting existing approaches to meet the particular needs of these groups as much as completely new ideas.

A successful project for this themed round may also:

• Involve adjusting the traditional format of a sport to ensure it appeals to the particular target groups
• Provide opportunities for training to empower participants to lead activities and sustain participation.

Examples of projects for this theme

In developing your project it might be helpful to refer to past sports participation projects that have been successful in appealing to women.

Young mums

A Southampton City Council project focusing on 18-25 year old mothers, providing entry-level sporting activities through tapping into pre-existing networks for young mums. A workshop was devised which covered many areas including creating a balanced diet and compleating gentle exercise. A key aim was to give these new mums the opportunity to try out basic exercises in a non-competitive environment.

Mum off the sideline (Return to Netball)

Return to Sport projects, such as the one that developed around Turves Green Little League Netball, use the sports participation of children to enthuse mothers into returning to a familiar sporting activity that they might once have participated in, for example at school. The Turves Green project was initiated by the participants themselves;

Jogging networks

Joggingbuddies, the Paisley jogging network, runs a scheme called Mams’n’Prams focused on entry level activity for mums but designed to enable them to bring their baby along with them. The social aspects of this project are as important as getting fit.

Sport Action Zones

The Sport Action Zone in Barrow in Furness successfully increased participation amongst women and those from lower socio-economic groups. Key factors included consultation with potential participants, the variety of activities available and the sense of ownership that participants had over the programme. More information on the learning from the Sport Action Zone programme is available.