Community Sports (Update Jan 24)

Where are we trying to get to?

(from original Action Plan)

We want to build a stronger, happier, healthier & safer community. We want sport to have a meaningful impact in our community and for it to build a sense of belonging and community pride. Sport for sports sake, as well as a vehicle for inclusion, life skills and improving health & wellbeing.

Over the next five years we will focus investment in targeted groups to overcome the specific barriers that they face.

We aim to ensure that everyone can access sports opportunities, and that those experiences are positive. We will work to inspire children, young people and adults to join in with sport and physical activity, integrate them into our member sports clubs and sign post to other physical activity community provisions.

How far have we got?

It could be argued that Community Sports does not need to be a separate workstream within our Action Plan as it is at the heart of everything we do. However, following an independent review of our current programmes, including Street Sports, our On Your Marks Holiday Clubs, Community Sport Fun Days and the Specsavers Youth Games, we feel it’s important to ensure this work remains a high priority for the Commission.

We continue to work with a range of partners including the Health Improvement Commission, Bailiwick Social Prescribing, Arts Commission, community sports clubs, charity groups and private sponsors to establish and promote a range of sporting opportunities targeted at hard to reach groups including older members of our community.

We encourage the island’s Sport Specific Development Officers to ensure they establish and promote pathways into their sport at all levels. Our Sports Voucher scheme, now boosted thanks to additional funding from a corporate sponsor, is helping children and young people enjoy and participate in sport where cost may be a barrier. We will continue to work with other agencies supporting children and families to access our community programmes including Street Sport and our On Your Marks Holiday Club, breaking down barriers to attendance.

We are also leading on the establishment of a Water Safety Strategy for the island as well as providing increased opportunities for children and young people and the wider community to access stand up paddle boarding as well as improve water confidence.

Active 8 Core Aim Supported
Encourage more islanders to be more active more often
Use sports & physical activity to improve health, mental health and wellbeing

Government Work Plan Core Aim Supported
Effective community partnerships

You can access the updated Action Plan here