Memorandum submitted by Sportsmatch (England)
1. INTRODUCTION
TO SPORTSMATCH
Sportsmatch is the Government's business sponsorship
incentive scheme for grass roots sport, funded by DCMS through
Sport England and administered by the Institute of Sports Sponsorship.
Since 1992 Sportsmatch has encouraged more than 5,500 companies
to invest in community sports activities to promote participation
and improve skills. More than £40 million of Sportsmatch
funds have "matched" investment of £49 million
from the private sector to support 5,200 programmes run by national
governing bodies, clubs, schools and other organisations providing
sustainable sporting experience across 78 different sports. Activities
co-funded by Sportsmatch and sponsors have provided tangible social,
educational and health as well as sporting benefits.
2. PRIORITIES
FOR SPORTSMATCH
Since its inception Sportsmatch has followed
DCMS and Sport England priorities for funding into sport, placing
particular emphasis on promoting the scheme's benefits to attract
applications from priority groups, including: youth sport, women's
and girl's sport, sport for the disabled, projects for ethnic
minorities and activities centred on areas of urban and rural
deprivation. Emphasis has been placed on activities exclusively
for those in these groups and also on programmes which include
those from priority groups in a fully inclusive and integrated
way.
3. EXPERIENCE
WITH WOMEN'S
SPORT
Of 442 Sportsmatch awards made in 2005-06 (value:
£3.348 million), 297 were for activities for both male and
female participants, 43 were for exclusively female participants.
These figures have increased steadily since 2000-01 when, of 350
awards, 180 were for male/female activities and 20 exclusively
for females. The total value of awards made has also increased
commensurately. The leading sports showing an increase in applications
for female participation have been rugby union, rugby league and
cricket.
4. EXPERIENCE
WITH WOMEN'S
FOOTBALL
In 2000-01, 45 awards were made to bodies providing
football activities (predominantly coaching) involving women and
girls. Of these 37 were for integrated male/female programmes
and 8 for female only projects.
In 2005-06, 55 awards were made to bodies providing
football activities involving women and girls. Of these 44 were
for integrated programmes and 11 for female-exclusive activities.
However, although the number of awards to women's
football has increased marginally, the total value of these awards
fell from £759,000 in 2000-01 to £490,000 in 2005-06—certainly
disproportionately to those for other leading sports.
5. ATTRACTING
SPONSORS TO
WOMEN'S
FOOTBALL
Traditionally it has been difficult for women's
sport to attract sponsorship at a senior level and a lack of serious
media coverage (both nationally and locally) has been cited as
the prime reason for this. However, at grassroots level, the Sportsmatch
experience has been that sponsors who wish to support their local
communities through sport do not, in most cases, differentiate
between men and women's sport. Their requirement is to support
activities which are well organised and which make a useful contribution
to the communities. Indeed, when sponsors are considering investment
into youth sport they often stipulate that the programmes should
involve both boys and girls.
For information, a wide range of business sectors
have supported club activities receiving Sportsmatch awards and,
in the women's football area, these have included:
— John Lewis Partnership (Birmingham
City Ladies FC).
— Arnott Commercial Insurance
(Lumley Ladies FC).
— Cassidy Group (Coventry City
Ladies FC).
— Ocktcorn Ltd (Worcester City
Ladies FC).
6. CONCLUSIONS
Awards made to (and applications received from)
women's sport—both exclusive and integrated—have increased
significantly in recent years.
Whilst awards made to (and applications received
from) women's football have increased they have not kept pace
with those from other leading sports.
Despite limited media coverage of women's sport,
commercial sponsors have shown interest in investing in this area
of grassroots sport.
There is no reason to believe that grassroots
football should be any less attractive to sponsors than other
leading sports.
30 May 2006
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