Sports Development
Definition
Sports development can be defined as a programme or intiative that tries to increase participation within sport, which is consequently used as a tool to promote development and peace which is beneficial to the community. It also produces elite athletes to represent the nation.
Aims and Objectives
Sport development has 5 key aims. These are:
1) To build a strong community. Sport development aims to reduce tension across communities by creating positive role models. It also allows the people within the community to bond as they have sport in common.
2) To reduce crime. Another aim of sports development is to decrease crime rates and anti-social behaviour within an area. By creating initiatives that help get offenders off the streets, less crime occurs. In addition to this, anti-social behaviour is reduced as young people do not cause trouble due to a result of boredom.
3) Eliminate barriers preventing minority groups. There are schemes that run that give disadvantaged people the opportunity to regularly participate in physical activity.
4) Provide young people with skills for work and life. Sports development increases the number of young people that stay in education and also improves attendance by providing rewards for attending the institutes.
5) Run schemes that deter the use of drugs and educate about health. By participating in sessions, the participants are improving their physiological health and alongside this, schemes are ran to deter people who are thinking of using drugs.
Priority Groups
One of the main groups that are aimed at to increase participation in sport are young people. Due to the increasing obesity rates, young people are being pushed to participate to help them physiologically, although other social and mental benefits are being made aware of. Over 50's are a priority group because there are more people in this age group than any other. As many people are now working until they are 65, the need for physical activty is more than ever. Many people within this age group are stressed so physcial activity can be seen as a stress reliever. It also benefits their health and helps them socialise. Disabled people are a priority group because of the social benefits sport holds. Many disabled people do not have the opportunity to meet other people in a similar situation, so participating in sport allows them to meet up with others each week. Black and ethnic minority groups are targeted due to them being the lowest percentage group to participate in sport. This means that they are missing out on the vital social, mental, physiological and personal benefits it holds.
Funding
Funding for sports development comes from the governement and The National Lottery. Between them, £518 million money is given to UK Sport who then distribute this money to 47 national governing bodies of sports in the UK. More money is given to sports who have higher participation rates or are performing well on the international stage. Once given to the governing bodies, the money is given to their sport development programmes who use it as they wish in order to increase the numbers who participate in their sport.
Sports Development Continuum
The majority of sports follow a similar pattern to this whereby all participants enter the continuum at foundation level. This is a basic level where participants take part in PE lessons or simply play in the park. When at this stage, development programmes are aimed at primary school children or complete beginners and focus on simple skills and rules which aim to prom
At the participation level of the continuum, participants take part at club level. Development programmes focus on promoting community participation in regularly playing the sport. This is usually mildly competitive and played for the fun of the game. An example of this, is a child in primary school doing gymnastics. They are still learning basic skills and so cannot advance to the next level. An example of this could be a teenage boy playing football for a local sunday league team. He has learnt the basic skills and now focuses on the more advanced skills and basics whilst playing in semi-competitive situations.
At the performance level of the continuum, participants compete at a regional or county level. Here, specific skills and tactics are focused on. Participants at this stage are usually highly dedicated to progressing to the next stage and so spend lots of time practicing. .An example of this is a badmionton player who competes at a regional level. They may play for their county against others and eventually compete in a national tournament.
When a participant reaches the excellence stage of the continuumm, they are participating at the sport on an international or national stage. Performers at this level are usually professional and spend all their time preparing for upcoming championships etc. An example of this is a professional snooker player. They will compete at international snooker tournaments to win money and titles and have a vigorous training schedule to keep at the top of their game.
Purpose - The purpose of the SD continuum is to allow all individuals who participate in some type of sport to be classified and hence show their progression as they improve within the sport.
Appropriateness - The SD is appropriate as it allows target groups and communities to track the progress of the schemes they run. For example, if the number of disabled athletes that reach the excellence stage of the continuum increases then it means that the programmes that have been running have been a success.
Cross Cutting Agendas - In addition to the other reasons, the SD schemes play a role in informing the communities about other problems such as drug use, the importance of education and crime prevention schemes.
Purpose - The purpose of the SD continuum is to allow all individuals who participate in some type of sport to be classified and hence show their progression as they improve within the sport.
Appropriateness - The SD is appropriate as it allows target groups and communities to track the progress of the schemes they run. For example, if the number of disabled athletes that reach the excellence stage of the continuum increases then it means that the programmes that have been running have been a success.
Cross Cutting Agendas - In addition to the other reasons, the SD schemes play a role in informing the communities about other problems such as drug use, the importance of education and crime prevention schemes.
Examples from Sport
World
Class Performance Development Programme
The world
class performance programme is a sports development programme that focuses on
athletes who compete in Olympic, Paralympic or winter Olympic sports. It has 2
distinct programmes within; podium and podium potential.
In the
podium programme, athletes with realistic medal winning capabilities at the
next Olympic, Paralympic and Winter Olympic games are given an increase in
funding, allowing them access to greater facilities and professionals. An
example of an athlete who was on this programme prior to the London 2012
Olympic Games was Jessica Ennis. She had access to the EIS in Sheffield and was
also introduced to various nutritionists, psychologists and movement analysists
who helped her achieve gold.
Podium
potential focuses on younger athletes who have realistic podium hopes in future
Olympic Games. These athletes are given coaches and specialist coaches which
will aid their development in order to achieve. Another heptathlete, Katarina
Johnson-Thompson, was previously on the Podium-potential programme. She performed
at the games in London to gain experience for upcoming games in the hope that
in the 2016 games in Rio, she will win a medal.
The WCP
development follows the traditional continuum through the stages although there
is some overlap on the performance and excellence participate in athletics in
PE lessons. If they enjoy participating or are talented, they may represent the
school at a regional level, moving them up to the participation stage. At this
point, the athlete may be selected to perform on the national stage competing
against other promising athletes. This could be classed as the performance
stage, and if they outcompete other performers on a regular basis, they could
be referred to the WCP on the podium-potential programme. The overlap occurs
here. Some athletes on the podium-potential pathway compete for their nation
which would place them at the excellence stage, despite them not yet being on
the podium programme. For example, Katarina Johnson - Thompson competed for
Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics despite being on the podium-potential
programme. The pathway is effective because it has produced many athletes that
have succeeded on the international stage, but on the other hand, the athletes
have to be fully dedicated from as soon as they leave school as they must
train. A criticism of the WCP is that it relies on scouts to see who could be eligible for the programme. This means that some athletes who have potential may slip through the fingers of the scouts and never amount to any athletic achievement.
The FA
Development Programme
For
football in England, the development programme follows the continuum in each
stage. At the foundation stage of the continuum, young participants play
football in PE lessons and the park and focus primarily on simple skills and
the rules of the game. In addition to this, football clubs often run coaching
sessions in schools to encourage young people to move up the continuum and play
for their team if they are talented enough. When an individual begins to play
for a club out of school, they advance to the participation stage of the
continuum. Then, if the performer is good enough, academies from professional
football clubs may notice the individual and ask them to join. By doing this,
the individual is moving to the performance stage of the continuum. At 16 years
old the performer will be offered a scholarship by which they have the
opportunity to get paid at the club and train full time. This gives the player
the opportunity to move into the clubs first team where he could be spotted by
the national team scouts and therefore play for his country. By playing for the
first team and the national team, the performer will have reached the
excellence stage.
In
comparison to the WCP, the football sports development is more straightforward
and has clearer distinct levels in comparison to the WCP where the performance
and excellence levels are very similar. The FA development programme is
effective because it allows athletes, regardless of their background, the
opportunity to reach professional levels however much of this is dependent on
the professional clubs. Many of the clubs nowadays prefer to sign players from
oversees rather than to bring them through their youth system. This reduces the
amount of British players that can play in the first team, meaning they cannot
display their potential as often as they would like. A criticism of the pathway is that due to the football clubs offering 16 year olds scholarships, it prevents them from continuing their education, meaning intelligent individuals may go down the scholarship route in the hope of becoming professionals but not get offered a contract. This will mean that they have wasted 2 years trying to achieve a professional contract when they could have stayed in education to work towards a job.
South
Yorkshire Sainsbury's Sport School Games
The
school sport games follow the sports development continuum exactly. It has 4
distinct levels that help children develop from competing within the school to
competing nationally if they are talented enough. Level 1 is competition within
the school. At Dinnington Comprehensive School, this could be on the school’s
sports day or within PE lessons. If a PE teacher sees potential in a child,
they may advise them to represent the school at an inter-school competition. By
doing this, the child will move up to Level 2. For example, if a child from
Dinnington Comprehensive School can throw the javelin the furthest in his PE
class and came first in the event on the school sports day, a PE teacher may
ask him to represent the school at the 'inters' where the school competes
against Wales High School, Wickersley School and Wath Comprehensive. If the
child manages to win the event whilst competing against the other schools, they
may be chosen to represent the area, in this case Rotherham, at the South
Yorkshire championships, therefore progressing them to Level 3. The winners of
the championships are then invited to compete at the National championships
where they potentially have the opportunity to be spotted by coaches on the WCP
podium-potential programme, enabling them to move up to Level 4.
The South
Yorkshire Sainsbury's Sport School Games is smaller than the other two pathways
in the sense that it is a feeder to the WCP. When at the highest stage of the
South Yorkshire Sainsbury's Sport School Games continuum, the athlete is
competing nationally whereas on the other pathways, the athletes are competing
on an international level. An advantage of this is that it always allows
talented athletes the opportunity to be seen by scouts as they go through
school meaning that they do not have to give up much of their own time up until
Level 3, where they may wish to begin training in order to advance. However, it could take up some of their school time, meaning that their school studies may suffer.
Barriers To Participation
Black & Minority Ethnic Groups (BMEG)
A barrier to participation for an individual from this target group could be a social barrier. This is a barrier because their peers may not participate in the sport meaning that they will have no desire to continue the sport. For example, a young Asian male at the participation stage of the sports continuum may really enjoy playing rugby but because his friends do not like playing, he may stop because it is not considered 'cool'.
In addition to this, the sport may not be played in the culture the individual is from meaning that they will not wish to participate in the sport. For example, if a Jamaican-born female at the foundation stage of the sports development continuum wishes to participate in figure skating, they may be put off by the fact that others from their culture have never participated in the sport. Also, they may not wish to participate due to the fact their family have never played the sport and so are not supportive of the decision.
Another cultural barrier for BMEG could be the historical barrier. As some sports are not historically played by BMEG, individuals may not wish to participate as they will feel intimidated by the historical pressures against them. For example, a working-class black female may be brilliant at show-jumping and at the performance stage of the sports development continuum but due to the historical stereotype that only white upper/middle class people can show-jump, she may be deterred from trying to reach the excellence stage of the continuum due to this pressure.
To solve these issues, the national governing bodies (NGB) of the sports may decide to run sports developments schemes in order to increase the number of participants and negate the stereotype that individuals from BMEG cannot participate in sports that they are not know for. They could also promote role models to help increase the participation. This would be effective because people from BMEG would be able to relate to the role model and may want to give the sport a go.
Women
A barrier to women participating in sport could be that they cannot financially participate in the sport due to the sport not costing not paying enough. For example, a woman playing at the excellence stage of rugby may be able to get paid more money from another job than she would if she played rugby professionally. This would prevent her from wanting to play because she could earn more money elsewhere.
Another barrier could be the historical barrier. Traditionally, women have not played contact sports as they have stereotyped as being 'butch' but sport has been working hard to change gender imbalance and make contact sports more accessible to women. However, some stereotypes still occur which prevent women from wanting to participate. For example, a 13 year old girl at the participation stage of the continuum may be put off from playing rugby because the girls at her school do not traditionally play the sport.
Schools may also create an educational barrier of some sports. They may not teach women about certain sports that are male dominated sports such as cricket, football and rugby which will usher women away from these paths when they may be more suited to the others. For example, a young girl at the foundation level of the continuum may really enjoy cricket but due to the educational syllabus, will have to play rounders instead as they do not have the funding for a women's cricket team. This will force her down the rounders path when she really wishes to play cricket.
To solve these issues, the media could show more female sports on the TV in order to help promote women playing sport. This would increase participation because women will be influenced by what the media are showing and may want to give the sport a go. In addition to this, another solution could be to have female only gym sessions as this will prevent the women's self-esteem from being knocked as a result of being in the presence of males.
Another cultural barrier for BMEG could be the historical barrier. As some sports are not historically played by BMEG, individuals may not wish to participate as they will feel intimidated by the historical pressures against them. For example, a working-class black female may be brilliant at show-jumping and at the performance stage of the sports development continuum but due to the historical stereotype that only white upper/middle class people can show-jump, she may be deterred from trying to reach the excellence stage of the continuum due to this pressure.
To solve these issues, the national governing bodies (NGB) of the sports may decide to run sports developments schemes in order to increase the number of participants and negate the stereotype that individuals from BMEG cannot participate in sports that they are not know for. They could also promote role models to help increase the participation. This would be effective because people from BMEG would be able to relate to the role model and may want to give the sport a go.
Women
A barrier to women participating in sport could be that they cannot financially participate in the sport due to the sport not costing not paying enough. For example, a woman playing at the excellence stage of rugby may be able to get paid more money from another job than she would if she played rugby professionally. This would prevent her from wanting to play because she could earn more money elsewhere.
Another barrier could be the historical barrier. Traditionally, women have not played contact sports as they have stereotyped as being 'butch' but sport has been working hard to change gender imbalance and make contact sports more accessible to women. However, some stereotypes still occur which prevent women from wanting to participate. For example, a 13 year old girl at the participation stage of the continuum may be put off from playing rugby because the girls at her school do not traditionally play the sport.
Schools may also create an educational barrier of some sports. They may not teach women about certain sports that are male dominated sports such as cricket, football and rugby which will usher women away from these paths when they may be more suited to the others. For example, a young girl at the foundation level of the continuum may really enjoy cricket but due to the educational syllabus, will have to play rounders instead as they do not have the funding for a women's cricket team. This will force her down the rounders path when she really wishes to play cricket.
To solve these issues, the media could show more female sports on the TV in order to help promote women playing sport. This would increase participation because women will be influenced by what the media are showing and may want to give the sport a go. In addition to this, another solution could be to have female only gym sessions as this will prevent the women's self-esteem from being knocked as a result of being in the presence of males.
Disabled
A potential barrier for disabled people could be economic. As some of them will not be able to have a job, the money they receive from the government may not be enough to cover the costs of the specialist equipment meaning they will not participate. For example, a teenage male at the foundation stage of the continuum may wish to play wheelchair basketball but cannot afford the high price of the specialist wheelchair.
Another potential barrier could be the social barrier. If the disabled individual has friends that are not disabled then it could prevent them from wanting to participate. For example if an individual at the participation stage of the continuum takes part in wheelchair racing, then their friends may not wish to participate as they they could run which will deter the individual as they will not have any close friends to participate with.
Another potential barrier could be the social barrier. If the disabled individual has friends that are not disabled then it could prevent them from wanting to participate. For example if an individual at the participation stage of the continuum takes part in wheelchair racing, then their friends may not wish to participate as they they could run which will deter the individual as they will not have any close friends to participate with.
In addition to this, another possible barrier could be educational. If the disabled individual is in a normal state school, they may not be educated about sports for people with disabilities leading to a lack of participation as they are not aware of the sports available to them. The school may also not have the financial capabilities to fund disabled sports as they often cost as they require specialist equipment. For example, a girl in Y7 who has a physical disability may not participate in sport because she is not aware of what is available to her, as in the school PE lessons, they only participate in sports that are available to the majority.
To solve these issues, the school should try and encourage the children to learn more about disabled people in sport. This would not only widen the children's knowledge and awareness regarding the matter but would also increase their respect levels towards people who have disabilities as they will begin to see how they go about their daily lives whilst having to overcome the disability. The government could provide gym membership or access to sporting facilities for free for people who are disabled as a development plan to get them involved. The London 2012 legacy may have also inspired people with disabilities to engage in more physical activity as there was more media coverage, making it more accessible for people to see.
For all 3 target groups, the barriers they face are all relatively similar. For BMEG's, disabled people and women, the main barrier they face is being stereotyped. Others assume that cannot participate in a certain sport or activity due to the group that they belong to when they are not aware of their ability or interests. This leads to a barrier because many people are afraid of overcoming the thoughts of small minded people. In terms of solving this, it is very hard to completely overcome stereotypes as people will always assume things. However, schemes are being run to try and rid the sporting world of sporting stereotypes. For example, there is a Racial Equality Charter for Sports which tries to promote racial equality throughout sport in England. For women, sporting teams from primarliy male based sports now have female teams whilst the number of disabled sporting clubs is on the rise.
