Vision for Community Sport

We want to see a sense of urgency by our staff and partners around creating thriving, sustainable sporting communities, where the participant is at the heart of our decisions and actions for growing sports participation.

Our work has to be focused on front-line delivery; delivery that is clearly aligned to creating the best environment, the best opportunities, rooted in quality, for anyone to take part.

Whilst acknowledging some innovative and ambitious delivery exists in parts, this will require a radical rethink at the most local level, right through to national delivery. And of course, each community differs. What works in one may not work in another, and so nuanced approaches that meet local need is vital.

There is considerable consensus around what defines a sporting community, and what it means. A truly sporting community will feature:

• participants at the heart of our decisions and actions for growing sports participation;
• a child and adult's right to access opportunities, and providers' duty to fulfil;
• the importance of first time experiences;
• teachers who are appropriately qualified, developed and confident;
• schools which embrace sport's power to positively improve a pupil's wellbeing, ability to learn, grow and develop as young adults;
• a strong continuation of fun sporting opportunities beyond the primary school; maintaining young people's participation at a crucial age, and based on effective collaboration;
• a plethora of opportunities in a variety of settings for children, young people and adults;
• modernised offers, such as short, sharp variations of sports; responding to growing time pressures and lifestyle choices of the Welsh population;
• a broad range of quality providers, collaborating effectively to maximise investments for sports participation and minimise wasteful duplication;
• a confident embrace of technology,marketing and PR approaches as a means of attracting participants and recruiting the workforce;
• a diverse, passionate and skilled workforce; paid and voluntary, to encourage, inspire and support participants;
• talent identificationin a variety of community settings.