Careers

About Us

Access Sport is a national charity with a vision that no one should be excluded from the transformational benefits of community sport. We are on a mission to make inclusion the norm in community sport by tackling the access barriers faced by disadvantaged and disabled young people.  

We do this by training, equipping, and supporting community sports clubs, organisations, and volunteers to provide inclusive programmes, unleashing their potential to transform the lives of underserved young people in their local communities. This work is either place based, Changing Places, or sport focussed, Changing Sports. All the clubs we support are invited to join our Inclusive Club Network.  

In 2023/24 Access Sport engaged over 20,000 disadvantaged and disabled young people, with strong representation from ethnically diverse communities, girls, and previously inactive young people.  Films showcasing our work can be found on our YouTube channel. These include a recent film about Access Sport, our multi-sport festival in Bristol, our partnership with Nuffield Health in Greater Manchester and our 20th Anniversary film. 

Our 2022-2027 growth strategy, Stand for Inclusion, which provides further details about our work and future development plans can be found here Access Sport Growth Strategy. 

About The Role

As part of our Trustee succession planning, we are actively seeking new trustees to join the organisation. There could not be a more exciting time to join the Board of Trustees and support the charity.

We value diversity of perspective and lived experience and we welcome applications from all backgrounds and fields, from those who have previous direct experience of Board level governance and those who do not. The role is unpaid but immensely rewarding in terms of the positive impact of our work on young people’s lives.

Our vision is that nobody should be excluded from the transformational benefits of inclusive sport.

The role 
The Access Sport Trustee role can be summarised as follows:

• This is a voluntary (unpaid) role, however, we do pay all reasonable costs incurred as part of the role.
• You will serve a four-year term, with an option for a second term of four years by mutual agreement.
• You will actively participate in four board meetings each year, which will be held in London and can be attended in person or online. We strongly encourage new Trustees to attend some of the Board meetings in person in order to meet other Trustees and the Senior Leadership Team.
• In addition, you will lead, assist and/ or participate in one of our committees or working groups (including Finance & Audit, Income Generation, Nominations, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion), which currently meet online.
• If appropriate, you may also be asked to join one of our local fundraising Steering Groups in Bristol, Manchester, and Oxford.
• The total time commitment is an average of 1 day a month.

Trustee qualities, skills, and experience
The Charities Act 2011 defines charity trustees as the people responsible under the charity’s governing document for controlling the administration and management of the charity. Within Access Sport, they are known collectively as the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees agrees the business plan, budget, as well as performance and impact targets, on an annual basis. It monitors the
charity’s performance and is responsible for the management of risk and compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements. The general qualities, skills and experience expected of Trustees include:

• A commitment to the organisation.
• A commitment to equal opportunities and the promotion of diversity.
• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.
• Strategic vision.
• Good, independent judgement.
• An ability to think creatively.
• A willingness to speak their mind.
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of trusteeship.
• An ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
• An ability to challenge current thinking, the method of governance and management of the organisation in a constructive manner.
• Ability to evaluate and interpret management information and other data/evidence.
• A commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

In addition, we are currently seeking trustees that demonstrate a specific knowledge and experience in at least one of the following areas:

• Business experience.
• Income generation and fundraising.

Although previous experience at Board level in other public or private organisations is desirable, we encourage those without such experience to apply. Appropriate training and support will be provided.

Further Information

A diverse and representative Board of Trustees
Access Sport believes that a diverse board that is representative of the communities we support and includes different perspectives, skills, ages, genders, cultures, and ethnicities, can support more effective decision making, guidance and risk management.

50% of the Board consider themselves to have lived experience of low socio-economic groups, 30% are from ethnically diverse communities and 10% have experienced being at risk of educational exclusion and crime. 40% of the Board are female.

We also have a diverse Youth Board that represents the young people we support and plays a critical role in informing our development work. Yet we do not stand still.

Our Board and Management Team aim to make Access Sport a sector leader with respect to diversity, inclusion, and representation of the communities we serve. It is for this reason that we welcome and actively encourage applications from people with lived experience of disability and/ or living in poverty.

We also encourage applications from across our network of Changing Places work in particular Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Oxford and Sheffield. 

 

How to apply 

Step 1
If you are interested in becoming a Trustee and have the skills and experience to support and help further develop our organisation, we invite you to contact us to discuss the role and answer questions you might have. Please tell us if there is anything we can do to ensure our application process is accessible to you. Please contact: Sue Wheeler, Director of Administration Careers@AccessSport.org.uk

Closing date: 31 March 2025

Step 2
Should you decide to proceed with an application for the role, please provide a current CV and a supporting statement illustrating your fit for this role against the criteria and experience sought, and crucially, your motivation for applying for the role. This can be provided in document, video, or audio format and sent to Sue Wheeler, details above. We will also ask you to complete an Equal Opportunities Form and provide two referees - who will not be contacted without your prior knowledge and consent.

Step 3
Shortlisted candidates will then be interviewed virtually by members of our Nominations Committee. We plan to interview w/c 7 April 2025. Following interviews, the Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. We aim to complete the Trustee recruitment process by 31 May 2025.

Apply for role

Closing date: 31st March 2025