Memorandum submitted by Badminton England
AUDITING
The auditing process to establish baseline data
needs to be improved to provide significant and reliable statistics,
this needs planning and funding. Increasing participation at a
local level could be addressed by more providing even more reliable
stream of Community Sports Coaches if targets are to be met.
Recommendation
1. The whole concept (CSCS) could do with
refining so that implementation is more clearie deploying
multi-skilled coaches before a training programme was in place
may perhaps seem like the cart before the horse.
PESSCL
VOLUNTEERING
BADMINTON England currently has a dynamic programme
that is addressing the recruitment, retention and rewarding of
volunteers in line with our redefined strategy, by
Advertising the benefits of volunteering
Attending World Class Events
Celebrating the Yonex (our sponsor)
Volunteer of the Year Award (two categoriesadult and young
person)
BADMINTON England dedicate a full
page for volunteering in the badminton magazine
BADMINTON England has included a
club volunteer co-ordinator as an element in the Club Accreditation
Scheme (Silver Clubmark)
Promote leadership awards (CSLA &
JSLA)
BISI (Badminton into Schools Initiative)
Officials awards to recognise 14+ volunteers
Volunteer Pathway identified
Training resources under review
We believe are baseline data knowledge is not
robust but will be addressing this through re-registration for
our membership later in the year.
Recommendations
1. To further support the PESSCL programme
by ensuring clubs nationally are accredited, LEAs, LA facilities
and Operations Management need to offer a stronger lead by confirming
the benefits for clubs to engage more vigorously on the programme.
This lead needs to come from DCMS.
2. We have invested in our volunteers' programme,
but further funding to help clubs recruit and train, particularly
young volunteers, could be an asset. 2005 is the Year of the Volunteer
but the ability to celebrate and support this initiative is not
possible witout funding support from DCMS/Sport Englandadvertising
it alone is not likely to energise others.
PARTICIPATION
Adults from BEM communities
Focussed programmes, that target these groups
are still too infrequent, and positive incentives to provide for
them remain too few. Active Sports does not seem to have delivered
against these targets as was first anticipated. BADMINTON England
recognises that it has a great capacity to engage with these communities
given the high quality and number of successful elite athletes
that play the game from Eastern countries. We do intend to pilot
some work to address this and will look to engage Women especially
from these communities. Yet again investing resources is an issue,
and needs more training in order to raise awareness properly.
Sharing good practice from other successful schemes would greatly
assist in this process. Too few from these communities are currently
involved with sport despite the success as role models that some
female athletes provide. Even within the WSP funding such programmes
for many sports may not be seen as a priority. Too much info in
newspapers and on the TV focuses on too few sports. BADMINTON
England would be keen to learn where female ethnic groups currently
exist to that some direct contact could be made.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Stronger lead from DCMS to assist in
programme delivery.
2. Clearer proforma/action plans to assist
with delivery of such programmes.
3. Produce more info where female ethnic
groups operate and who leads them.
4. More funding to promote thiswith
an officer appointed across interested sports to take a lead.
5. DCMS/Sport England to influence TV Broadcastings
and journalists to widen their horizons beyond the Big Four Sports.
PARTICIPATION
Adults
Whilst much of the current focus is on young
people (Active Sports Programmes almost exclusively) investment
in adults has been limited, unless it is a by-product of something
else. Badminton, like tennis has an initial problem with facilitiesbooking
them in Leisure Centres is not easy they as so often given
over to five-a-side football, which defeats the concept of equity
versus a commercial/business plan and choices within a community.
A club can quickly become at capacity with numbers/court ratio.
Provision should be made for social sport players as well as those
who are recognised as ablebadminton clubs often do not
have the capacity to accept social players whose standards are
perceived as too low. Whilst NGBs now have an opportunity to write
a four-year plan, funding is not guaranteed and this position
cannot comfortably relate to forward planning with any confidence.
To achieve the targets as set out in Game Plan will fail unless
there is a more coherent, comprehensive integrated manner of working
across the different sectors. A greater recognition that some
social players may only be interested in playing at their levelthe
option of winning/losing may not be the focus. Those of us who
are involved in sport believe that sport is a competitive animal,
but for some this may not be the case and yet there seems little
proactive support for such "players".
Recommendations
1. Balance of sporting provision within
any community that relates to desire and interest.
2. Research into how many facilities could
be availableschool-halls, church halls etc (specific to
badminton).
3. Building partnerships to sustain programmes
that were introduced through Lottery, but have now been withdrawn.
4. Ensuring that a full business plan is
in place before encouraging activity to ensure that it is sustainable
and not just of the moment.
5. More holiday programmesfor children
and parents/carers.
6. Better marketing policies for building
capacity in centres.
7. Wycombe Badminton Club is adjacent to
the out of town shopping complex by Junction 4 (M40)need
to create a sponsorship relationship with those shops to get shoppers
into the centre (a recommendation for a possible new initiative).
8. Invest in more facilities in public places
(parks).
9. More and better marketing of opportunities
for adults to participate.
10. Research the needs (gap in needs) in
a single community and provide for that need.
11. Have clearer pathways to link sport
with the other agendas that will create a healthier populationit
is all too ad hoc.
12. Develop a programme that is aimed at
a family culture of taking part in sport focussing on Leisure
Centres and Community Centres whereby fun is the focus disguising
the competitive element (This could attract/appeal those adults
who do not feel overtly competitive).
SUMMARY OVERVIEW
Whilst to many who are already highly involved
in sport and recognise the positive benefits that sport gives
to those who take part, from mental health and well-being to building
of self esteem and social skills, the investment in sport in England
and the UK at grassroots does not seem to match this recognition.
So much more could be achieved, to the nation's benefit, with
better and improved programmes/initiatives that emerge out of
thorough consultation with those who operate at this level and
for whom these programmes/initiatives are intended, and are prepared
by those who are steeped in knowledge and not simply self advancement.
29 March 2005
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