Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport Written Evidence


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 clear—ie 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 categories—adult 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 England—advertising 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 this—with 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 facilities—booking 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 able—badminton 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 level—the 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 available—school-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 programmes—for 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 population—it 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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