New sports strategy will \"maximise sport as a force for good\" according to Minister

Following on from her initial post-election public appearance and talk about the strategy at the Alliance’s Sports Summit earlier in the year, the Minister for Sport repeated her pledge that the strategy would join up with all pillars of society, from public health to education, for the benefit of all.

Speaking about the response to the strategy consultation, Crouch said, “We are pleased with how the sports sector and the public have engaged with it. My inbox has been full of enthusiastic responses.”

“As those who have read our consultation will know, we have not been looking at just participation alone. For too long, success in sport has been based only on two crude measurements: participation and medals. The strategy of course includes these but will also look at maximising sport as a force for good. It will look at the overall value of sport and what it can bring to the wider community - including improving health, inequality and educational outcomes.”

There was also recognition that the success of elite athletes stems from support at a grassroots level. On this matter Crouch said, “Every sport is built on the back of a growing grassroots network supported by a bedrock of volunteers. We need to continue to support but also promote the grassroots to make every sport accessible to every person, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation or disability.”

The current problems being suffered at Fifa also caught the Minister’s attention and she talked about the need for good governance to be promoted within all sports. She said, “Everyone in sport has a role to play in ensuring good governance, particularly the leading administrators and influencers in this room. We must ensure that through collaboration and sharing best practice, we all work towards bringing positive outcomes for sport.”

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