Embracing the Vision for Sport in Wales
The Vision for Sport was created following a vibrant national conversation with people in every part of the country.
Sport Wales Strategy
Aim
Collective Vision: An active nation where everyone can have a lifelong enjoyment of sport.
Collective Mission: Unleash the benefits of sport for everyone.
What sport means to you
Whether you participate, support, deliver or succeed, this is what sport means to you. In your words.
Togetherness
“I really enjoy coming to the club and making lots of new friends, it’s given me a real sense of belonging.”
Safe
“First and foremost is about ensuring that all our participants are safe physically and psychologically. All the coaches go through training, and we support each other to make sure that we make this a place where everyone feels comfortable and confident.”
Needs-led
“It’s very much a child-centred approach – we listen to the pupils, and we react upon what they want and need. They really dictate the sessions and our plans.”
Growth
“They get together with like-minded friends and start to develop their skills and think, actually, I can do this. I’ve got something that I can show, I’ve got these skills.”
Sustainable
“We’re making changes round the clubhouse to better use energy, doing our bit for the environment and saving cash, which means we can invest it elsewhere – it just helps safeguard our future a little more.”
Inclusive
“Anybody who walks through the door, be it non-disabled, disabled, young, old. It’s about bringing everybody in, and everybody being involved. We run a session and the children that attend wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to become part of a mainstream lesson. It’s tailored to their needs and really does help people to just get out and get active.”
Enjoyment
“Pupils we’ve never seen before – we didn’t think we’d ever see after school – they turn up happy, and they leave even happier.”
Everyone
“People who don’t know English can come here and just enjoy the sport. We have coaches that speak multiple languages so that we can cater to the different local communities.”
The benefits of sport
A nation with good mental health
Reduced risk of dementia, clinical depression and a reduction in the use of mental health services are just some of the benefits sport delivers for the nation’s mental wellbeing.
A nation of communities
Sport helps bring people together. Surveys show that those who participate in sport feel less lonely, while volunteering in sport enhances an individual’s well-being as well as their social cohesion.
A physically healthier nation
Through sport we can ensure people live longer, healthier and happier lives. Ill-health prevention through sport generates a social value of £621m in health outcomes each year.
The benefits of sport to mental and physical health, and the impact of volunteering and sport’s contribution to social capital are highlighted in the Sport Wales commissioned Social Return on Investment report.
A vibrant culture
Wales’ sporting culture is critical to our international reputation. Studies have shown Wales is recognised for its sporting influence above other key indicators.
The influence of sport on Wales’ international reputation are highlighted in the British Council’s Soft Power Barometer.
A growing economy
Sport generates significant consumer expenditure, gross value added and employment for Wales. Moreover, these are all areas where sport has a growing importance.
The contribution of sport to the Welsh economy is highlighted in an Economic Value report published by Sport Wales in conjunction with all other Home Sport Councils, UK Sport and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
A skills-based population
Sport helps to develop the leadership, problem solving, communication and critical thinking skills we need for a modern-day economy. Transferable skills are best learnt through enjoyable activity.
A nation with good mental health
Reduced risk of dementia, clinical depression and a reduction in the use of mental health services are just some of the benefits sport delivers for the nation’s mental wellbeing.
A nation of communities
Sport helps bring people together. Surveys show that those who participate in sport feel less lonely, while volunteering in sport enhances an individual’s well-being as well as their social cohesion.
A physically healthier nation
Through sport we can ensure people live longer, healthier and happier lives. Ill-health prevention through sport generates a social value of £621m in health outcomes each year.
The benefits of sport to mental and physical health, and the impact of volunteering and sport’s contribution to social capital are highlighted in the Sport Wales commissioned Social Return on Investment report.
A vibrant culture
Wales’ sporting culture is critical to our international reputation. Studies have shown Wales is recognised for its sporting influence above other key indicators.
The influence of sport on Wales’ international reputation are highlighted in the British Council’s Soft Power Barometer.
A growing economy
Sport generates significant consumer expenditure, gross value added and employment for Wales. Moreover, these are all areas where sport has a growing importance.
The contribution of sport to the Welsh economy is highlighted in an Economic Value report published by Sport Wales in conjunction with all other Home Sport Councils, UK Sport and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
A skills-based population
Sport helps to develop the leadership, problem solving, communication and critical thinking skills we need for a modern-day economy. Transferable skills are best learnt through enjoyable activity.
Why we need to unleash the benefits for everyone
The gender imbalance
Fewer women and girls participate in sport. Closing that gender gap and tackling the lack of confidence that still exists among female participants will help ensure a benefit for all.
The socio-economic gap
Evidence shows those from poorer backgrounds do fewer minutes of P.E. within the curriculum and fewer sessions outside school, even though they value its health benefits more.
The ethnicity divide
We have seen good progress in closing the ethnicity divide, but evidence still shows that those from some ethnic minority groups are less frequently participating in sport.
The life-cycle
From primary into secondary school; from education into the workplace; starting a family and growing older. A sporting offer needs to tackle the key drop-off points of activity.
Physical inactivity
One in four children aged 4-5 are overweight or obese. The percentage is 61% among adults. We need to get the nation moving and enjoying sport.
BMI statistics are available from Welsh Government and Public Health Wales.
Find more information on each of the above points in the 2022 School Sport Survey and 2022-23 National Survey for Wales.
The gender imbalance
Fewer women and girls participate in sport. Closing that gender gap and tackling the lack of confidence that still exists among female participants will help ensure a benefit for all.
The socio-economic gap
Evidence shows those from poorer backgrounds do fewer minutes of P.E. within the curriculum and fewer sessions outside school, even though they value its health benefits more.
The ethnicity divide
We have seen good progress in closing the ethnicity divide, but evidence still shows that those from some ethnic minority groups are less frequently participating in sport.
The life-cycle
From primary into secondary school; from education into the workplace; starting a family and growing older. A sporting offer needs to tackle the key drop-off points of activity.
Physical inactivity
One in four children aged 4-5 are overweight or obese. The percentage is 61% among adults. We need to get the nation moving and enjoying sport.
BMI statistics are available from Welsh Government and Public Health Wales.
Find more information on each of the above points in the 2022 School Sport Survey and 2022-23 National Survey for Wales.