Responding to the latest figures, Lisa Wainwright, CEO of the Sport and Recreation Alliance said: “The results of this report were somewhat expected due to the incredibly tough conditions that have been imposed on the sector across the start of lockdown.
“It demonstrates the immense challenges that our members have had to face in unlocking physical activity and providing opportunities for the nation to battle back and remain physically and mentally healthy during the pandemic.
“The fact that over the last few months we have witnessed activity levels slowly increasing again across many sports is testament to the exceptional hard work and determination that the sector has put in place to overcome the barriers of this disruption.
“An area of concern is the disproportionate effect that lockdown has had on certain groups. Disabled people, those with long-term health conditions, people aged over 70 and people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups for whom fewer opportunities already exist, have found it increasingly difficult to get active”
“This serves as a reminder as to why community clubs and organised structures are so vital in the delivery of grassroots sport and recreation activity to every city, town and village in the country.
“They are the lifeblood of our nation and this report shows that when they are unable to serve their community, activity levels plummet. At the start of lockdown, three million people were less active.
“This is why, alongside ukactive and over 160 sport and recreation organisations, we have written to the Prime Minister and asked him to protect the future of community sport with a Sports Recovery Fund as part of the #SaveOurSports campaign.
“With the support of government and working with our partners in the sector, we are confident that the incredible resilience shown by our members will continue and we will be able to return to the positive progression in activity levels shown before the pandemic.”
Read the full Active Lives Survey report here.
Here is an end-of-week wrap on some key workstreams we’re undertaking for you, our members, that we want to bring to your attention. It covers a number of important pieces of information for consideration or action.
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Read the statement from Sport and Recreation Alliance CEO, Lisa Wainwright MBE.
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International Women’s Day serves as a reminder of the importance of gender equality, not just in society at large, but in all sectors, including sport and recreation. While progress has been made in many areas, there remains a glaring need for greater representation of women in leadership roles, particularly on boards and as chairs of sports organisations.
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