2016 - A Sports Odyssey

2015 has been a busy year for the Sport and Recreation Alliance, and the sector as a whole, culminating in the long-awaited publication of the Government’s new sport strategy - Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation.

But as 2015 draws to a close, Emma Wade, Parliamentary Officer, looks forward to what 2016 will hold for the sector.

Implementation of the sport strategy

Government has touted the new strategy as the first of its kind to look beyond participation levels and the number of gold medals won at Olympic and Paralympic Games, and towards a wider understanding of the social value of sport. With 5 high-level outcomes (physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual development, social and community development & economic development) and 23 new key performance indicators (KPIs) to target, the implementation of the sport strategy will be fascinating to watch unfold throughout the year.

Launch of Active Lives survey

The Sport England Active People Survey will be replaced with Active Lives as the primary data source for measuring engagement in sport and physical activity amongst adults. This will capture a broader sense of active engagement and reflect the value of sport in a range of ways, including volunteering and watching sport. During the first half of 2016, Active Lives will be extended to cover Sport England’s new age remit, measuring children’s engagement form the age of 5 years old.

Sport England strategy

Top of many people’s lists of things to watch out for in 2016 will be Sport England’s own new strategy for the next funding cycle, which will explore the arrangements of current funding models against the new Active Lives KPIs. The Alliance is looking forward to taking part in this strategy consultation, which we expect could be launched early in the New Year.

Mandatory governance code

Announced in the sport strategy, UK Sport and Sport England will, along with the other Home Nations’ Sports Councils, agree a new UK Sports Governance Code by September 2016. This new Code will be mandatory for all sports bodies seeking public funding in the next funding period. The Alliance has long promoted its Voluntary Code of Good Governance and is enthusiastic about engaging with government regarding the details of the new Code.

Childhood Obesity Strategy

It is anticipated that the Department of Health will publish plans to tackle childhood obesity in the New Year. Government’s focus on tackling the growing challenges of diabetes and dementia is also expected to feature heavily throughout policy proposals in 2016. The Alliance will continue to promote the benefits of sport and recreation as part of the public health agenda.

Mental health

A key outcome in the new strategy framework, placed alongside and on an equal footing with physical activity, is mental wellbeing. Our work through the?Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation?reflects the drive within the sector around this agenda and highlights the great work that is already going on. Government has called for more evidence to be collected and states that it will work with the new What Works Centre for Wellbeing among other initiatives to fill this gap. The Alliance will continue our work in this area and push for the agenda to move away from gathering more evidence to a greater focus on developing what we know works.

EU referendum

Although the Prime Minister has until 2017 to announce the promised referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union, there is a chance that this event could take place next year. An exit from EU membership would bring huge changes and an inevitable influence on sport, including, but not limited to, issues around match-fixing, good governance, volunteering and education and training.

City and Regional Growth Devolution Deals

Further devolution in 2016 will continue to have a significant impact on how sport and recreation policy is administered at a local level, as transport, economic and health powers are given away. Increased responsibilities, combined with cuts to already restricted local authority budgets, could mean a difficult time ahead for grassroots and community programmes.

Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games

Lastly, two major sporting events that certainly won’t go unnoticed next year and deserve a mention in this blog, are the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games being hosted by Brazil. A chance for the UK’s sporting stars to shine, Rio will also provide much political capital to those in the sector wanting to seize upon the public’s feeling of national pride and unity to create support for a lasting legacy for sport in the UK.

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