Active Communities
Research Report 9: Joint Working in Sport and Neighbourhood Renewal
In August 2003, consultancy group SQW was appointed by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit to undertake a study into the nature of joint working between sports organisations and those promoting neighbourhood renewal. The findings could be viewed to identify ways to increase the incidence and the effectiveness of this joint working.
Title: Research Report 9: Joint Working in Sport and Neighbourhood Renewal
Author: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Series: Research Report 9
Date published: June 2004
Number of pages: 60
Study Objectives
The specific research objectives defined at the outset were as follows:
To identify the key decision-makers in the worlds of neighbourhood renewal and sport who can influence the role of sport in neighbourhood renewal
To clarify what sorts of joint working are likely to add value in promoting neighbourhood renewal objectives
To establish the present nature and extent of joint working (including the aims, nature and funding of those activities)
To identify the barriers to effective joint working and possible ways of overcoming these to better secure neighbourhood objectives through sport.
Joint Working
The study has explored decision-making at the national, regional, local and neighbourhood levels, and looked for joint working in 3 different ways:
Agendas – to what extent do the renewal and sports agendas interrelate in terms of intention, objectives and strategies?
Networks – to what extent do the renewal and sports networks of decision-makers interrelate, and where?
Activities – to what extent do the various funding streams support activities that will secure renewal benefits from sport?
Research process
Neighbourhood renewal and sport each have their structures, decision-makers and specialist funding streams. Where these 2 functions meet, organisations can work together work together to promote the role of sport in neighbourhood renewal.
The study has focused on:
grassroots community sporting activities in England
decision making from national to neighbourhood level.
The research for this study has been based upon:
a review of relevant research
consultations with national bodies and Government departments
8 case studies of different deprived areas within England, drawn from the 88 most deprived authorities.
The 8 case studies were selected to highlight the experience between deprived areas and sport involvement. The selection was made to reflect regional diversity, and to include areas of known joint working.
Each case study included the study of a specific neighbourhood and decision-making at a regional level. This approach was chosen in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how sports and regeneration organisations work together.
The 8 case studies covered were:
Newham, London | East Manchester, North West |
Bristol, South West | Birmingham, West Midlands |
Newcastle, North East | Bradford, Yorkshire and the Humber |
Wear Valley, North East | Nottingham, East Midlands |
In each of the case studies, the study interviewed:
Regional level –representatives from Sport England Regional Office, Regional Government Office, etc
Local level –representatives of the local authority's leisure department, education department, neighbourhood renewal team, etc
Neighbourhood level – stakeholders in a particular deprived neighbourhood, including a regeneration partnership, a local school headteacher, a sports club / leisure centre manager, etc.
Organisation Roles
It is important to establish clear roles of neighbourhood renewal and sports organisations. It would not be appropriate for neighbourhood renewal to duplicate the work of Sport England, which has the primary responsibility for raising participation in sport (including deprived areas). Therefore:
Neighbourhood renewal teams should support the work of Sport England, and mainstream providers, in raising participation in deprived areas, and particularly amongst disadvantaged groups.
Neighbourhood renewal teams should work with Sport England to develop and pilot new ways of realising the wider value of sport by assisting disadvantaged groups to achieve renewal outcomes – better health, higher aspirations, lower crime, etc.
Sport Structures
The sport structuring in England is complex. Sport England, as an agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, provides strategic leadership for sport, but works alongside many national institutes, Governing Bodies, partnerships and other local organisations.
The structure can identify:
Local authorities being the main source of funding for sporting facilities and opportunities at a grassroots level.
Schools becoming increasingly important providers of sporting facilities both for their own use, and for wider community use.
The introduction of the Lottery (1994) providing a significant increase in the amount of capital investment in sport in the last decade, though funds are currently decreasing.
Government funding of sport (and schools) increasing significantly since 2000.
112 recognised sports in the UK, with 300 governing bodies. Much of the organised sporting activity covered by this is delivered by a network of approximately 110,000 amateur sports clubs in the UK, largely supported by volunteers and local fundraising, and mostly voluntary / private sector owned and run.
Benefits of sports participation
Personal
Aiding a full / meaningful life
Ensuring health
Helping stress management
Enhancing self-esteem/image
Offering greater balance / achievement / life satisfaction
Play and human development
Better academic performance
Improved social and organisational skills
Social
Strengthening communities
Reducing alienation/ loneliness / antisocial behaviour
Promoting ethnic/cultural harmony
Strengthening families
Community involvement / ownership / empowerment
Improving access for disabled / disadvantaged
Promoting community pride/ Protection for latch-key children
Ethical behaviour models (cheating/drugs/violence)
Economic
Cost-effective health prevention
Greater fitness for more productive workforces
Small sums / large economic returns
Attracting new / growing businesses
Reducing cost of vandalism / crime
Catalyst for tourism
Funding environmental protection
Creation of jobs
Environmental
Protecting environments
Increasing property values
Ensuring a sustainable environment
Rehabilitating environments/ community awareness
National
International influence/representation
Integration/cultural cohesion
Pride
Trade balance/national marketing
Click here to download: Research Report 9: Joint Working in Sport and Neighbourhood Renewal
Last update: Tuesday, July 22, 2008