Sport England allocates £40m for children and families
Adam Offord
Friday, May 20, 2016
Sport England has set aside £40m over the next five years to offer new opportunities for families with children to get active and play sport together, it has been announced.
The Towards an Active Nation Strategy 2016-2021 reveals that Sport England, which has had its remit extended to cover children from the age of five rather than those aged 14 and older, will "engage families and children’s wider support network to influence behaviours at an early age".
Meanwhile, specialist training will be provided to at least two teachers in every secondary school in England by 2020, with the aim of improving experiences of children in school and increasing the focus on supporting inactive children and students to take up sport and exercise.
The organisation will also look to ensure there is a good sports and activity offer before and after the school day by supporting “satellite clubs” and exploring opportunities offered by the government's proposed extension of the school day.
In total, around £40m has been allocated into projects that offer new opportunities for families with children to get active and play sport, out of a combined £250m set aside for the strategy.
??Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, said: “Week in, week out, sport and activity plays an important role in the lives of millions of people in England. This strategy sets out how Sport England will continue to support them.
?“Customers – the people who play sport and are active or who might be in future – will be at the heart of everything we do. It’s by putting them first that we’ll be best able to build a more active nation.”??
The new strategy also outlines plans to tackle inactivity among under-represented groups including girls and women, people from lower socio-economic groups, disabled people and people from particular ethnic groups.??
“We will ensure that much of our work is tailored to the needs of these groups,” the strategy statement said.
Responding to the strategy, Ian Stephens, chair of the Local Government Association’s culture, tourism and sport board, said: "With increasing financial pressures on health budgets and the crisis around rising obesity, the role that sport and physical activity can play in addressing these challenges is immense and I welcome the sport strategy's focus on getting more people active.?
"Sedentary lifestyles are a contributing factor to the child obesity crisis we are facing. Unless we act now, the number of obese adults in the country is forecast to soar by a staggering 73 per cent to 26 million people over the next 20 years.
"That is why offering training to at least two teachers in every secondary school in England to help them better meet the needs of all children, irrespective of their level of sporting ability is also well-timed.”
??Jane Ashworth, chief executive of StreetGames, took to Linkedin, praising the strategy as the “most inclusive ever”.
“We know how delivering sport in the right style, at the right time, for the right price, in the right place and by the right people, can all change people’s lives for the better,” she said.
??Ali Oliver, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Efforts to increase physical activity levels must begin from an early age.
?“When young people grow up with physical activity as part of their daily life, there is a far greater chance of them continuing to be active as they move into adulthood. ??
“We also know that active children enjoy better health and wellbeing, perform better academically and develop a range of life skills.”?
