National Strategy
Sport at a National Level
The Government's new Sports Policy, Game Plan (http://www.number-10.gov.uk/su/sport/report/01.htm ) demands that organisations involved in the development of sport work towards the following two main aims:
- a major increase in participation in sport and physical activity, primarily because of the significant health benefits and to reduce the growing costs of inactivity
- a sustainable improvement in success in international competition, particularly in the sports which matter most to the public, primarily because of the "feelgood factor" associated with winning
4 recommendations are identified in order to achieve this:
- Grassroots Participation : a wide range of initiatives are needed, with a focus on economically disadvantaged groups, in particular young people (the focus of much current policy), women and older people. These need to tackle all the barriers to participation (such as lack of time, cost, information or motivation), as well as failures in provision (poor coaches or facilities)
- High Performance Sport : there needs to be a better prioritisation of which sports are funded at the highest level; better development of talented sportsmen and women to help them reach that level; with funding streams and service delivery more focused on customer needs
- Mega Sporting Events : there should be a more cautious approach to hosting these events. A set process for government involvement, including a clear assessment of the benefits is needed
- Delivery : organisational reform and determining exactly what works is needed before the Government considers further increases to its investment in sport. Less money should go to bureaucrats and more to the end user. Public, private and voluntary sectors need to work together better towards a common goal