RESEARCH VALUED LOCAL MEASUREMENT
of participation at the local level. It’s one of the reasons the Department of Health, which helps to fund the survey, has chosen to add new ques- tions to find out more about people’s BMI across England. Local councils tend to focus on a wid-
W
er measure of participation than the sport-specific figures reported nation- ally and regionally by Sport England. In Oxfordshire, all five district lo-
cal authorities have been working together since 2006 on a strategy for sport and active recreation through the Oxfordshire Sports Partnership. The partnership’s managing direc-
The choice to play sport also involves
a time commitment – and the economic situation can have an impact on this. It may be argued that someone who loses their job has more time to play sport, but research suggests that any impact here is short lived, over-ridden in the longer term by increasing social isolation and the negative psychological effect of be- ing unemployed. For a large number of people, challenging economic times mean increased demands in terms of working longer hours and increased pressure in the work environment. Analysis from the survey, although not
able to directly address all the questions raised above, does provide an interesting insight into changing patterns of partici- pation – and the importance of economic
Reasons given for doing less sport now than at the same time last year
10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
0% 5%
APS data helps to inform decisions and investments to grow participation
factors in people’s decision to participate or drop out or at least do less sport. The survey asks people whether their
participation rates are the same, higher or lower than at the same time last year. Roughly a half say they’re doing the same amount, with about a quarter claiming to be doing more and a quarter saying they’re doing less. Those respondents who say they’re doing less are asked why this is the case. The table below shows that around a third put this down to econom- ic-related factors. These include specific reason such as: loss of job; less income; too expensive; and lack of time due to work commitments – such as longer hours or a longer commute. These questions have only been asked since October 2009, but from the evidence
tor, Chris Freeman, says: “Having a consistent measure of participation means we can benchmark our prog- ress against previous years. APS has helped us to understand participa- tion and we’ve then used the market segmentation tool to develop the right activities in the right places. “We’ve seen consistent increases in
participation in Oxfordshire, demon- strating the value of the joined-up approach alongside the support of Sport England and the PCT for our Get Oxfordshire Active programme. This has increased our influence,
with sport now included in the Oxford- shire Sustainable Community Strategy and has led to a successful bid for addi- tional funding for an activator post via the Health and Well Being Board.”
of the first eight quarters, economic fac- tors are becoming more important. This is supported by the government’s Family Spending Report 2011, which shows that the average weekly spend on ‘recreation and culture’ has dipped from £70.10 in 2005 to £58.10 last year. We might expect economic factors to
have a greater impact on time-consuming and higher cost sports such as sailing, but we should recognise that the economic situation is part of a complex set of influ- ences that affect people’s leisure choices. Sports governing bodies, local councils and leisure operators are working to adapt their sporting offer to reflect people’s changing circumstances and lifestyle. For example, evening sessions could mitigate the impact of longer working hours, while pay-and-play or low-cost options could lessen the impact of a tighter budget. l
26 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital Issue 1 2012 © cybertrek 2012
ith at least 500 respondents per local authority area, the APS provides a picture
Economic related
injury / illness / medical health / age
Less time (non work related) Increasing age
Pregnancy / childcare / family lack of interest/motivation The weather
Opportunities / facilities Disability Left school
Prefer time on other activities
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