Community Sport: in it for the long run is an online resource aimed at helping local authorities prepare and plan for the challenges and opportunities they face.
We have designed it around four fundamental questions local authorities are asking about community sport:
For each question, we have summarised the evidence you need to provide and drawn together lists of new and existing tools and guidance to help you find it. We have also provided case studies to help demonstrate how some councils have tackled particular issues and used Sport England tools and services to help them do so.
This resource will continue to evolve as tools are updated, new tools are created, and new evidence and learning become available.
Tools & Resources Handbook
Click here to access a workbook produced for local authorities providing information on Sport England’s tools and resources. The Fact Sheets give an overview of each tool – what it is and does; if there is a cost; and signposts to further information.
Challenges and opportunities
We recognise the importance of creating opportunities for people to enjoy and play sport. That's our job. We also recognise that for many of our partners, sport needs to mean much more.
Investment in sport is often driven by the wider benefits sport brings to communities and individuals - improving health and community safety, increasing skills, employment and economic growth, and providing new opportunities for children and young people.
Our role is to work with local authorities and other partners to help realise these benefits.
We know that achieving a sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralymic Games provides us with added impetus, and a once in a life time opportunity, to work together to ensure people of all ages and abilities have the opportunity to play and enjoy sport.
But we also know the rules of the game are changing.
Local authorities are the single biggest supporter of community sport and currently investing over £1bn every year through sport development activities, facilities and supporting local sporting clubs and organisations.
We know this investment is under close scrutiny with savings needing to be made and that future investment will have to work harder than ever before – achieving more and better services with less resources.
Alongside this is a fresh drive for localism, promoting greater accountability for service delivery and improvement and giving more flexibility and responsibility for delivery to both local authorities and their communities.
This presents further challenges as well as exciting opportunities for thinking innovatively about how services are delivered.
Community Sport:in it for the long run is an online resource primarily aimed at local authorities to help you prepare and plan for community sport in light of these challenges and opportunities ahead.