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Research published yesterday by Sport England reveals how two ground-breaking Sport Action Zones have helped two of England’s most deprived communities buck trends by getting active and into sport.

The research, carried out by Ipsos MORI for Sport England, provides crucial insights into what works in the battle to get people off the sofa. It contains detailed evaluation of four of the twelve Sport Actions Zones (SAZ), which were launched in 2000 to combat low levels of participation in sport and physical activity among hard-to-reach groups (1).

In Liverpool and Barrow-in-Furness the research showed significant increases in participation. In Liverpool, overall regular participation in sport and physical activity went up by five per cent (60% to 65%); it increased 12 per cent among over 50s (36% to 48%); and among socio-economically deprived (C2DE) groups it increased by a staggering 10 per cent (43% to 53%). Significant increases were also recorded in Barrow, with overall participation increasing six per cent (from 66% to 72%); eight per cent among women (61% to 69%); and among C2DEs (61% to 67%) and residents over 50 by seven per cent (53% to 60%).

Gary White, Liverpool SAZ Manager, said: ''We are thrilled with the results and the difference the zone has made to thousands of people’s lives and the community as a whole. This is down to five years of dedication and hard work by local people and volunteers, our partner agencies and all the staff who have worked in the Liverpool Sport Action Zone. The challenge for us now is to build on this success and increase participation rates even further. We also hope that the lessons we have learnt will help others improve access to sport and address physical inactivity in their own communities.”

Stephen Baddeley, Sport England Interim Chief Executive, said: “Sport England set up the Sport Action Zones to address low participation in some of the most socially and economically deprived areas of the country, from Cornwall to Cumbria. The outstanding results from Liverpool and Barrow-in-Furness are testament to the excellent work of all those involved, especially given the backdrop of static participation across the country as a whole over this period. The research published today provides clear lessons about the steps we must take if we are to boost sport, address chronic inactivity amongst many groups and improve the nation’s health.”

Sport Minister Richard Caborn said: “The positive results from both the Liverpool and Barrow-in-Furness Sport Action Zones are extremely encouraging and prove just what can be achieved through local people, volunteers and partner agencies all working together. The research will be invaluable to help find a way forward to get more people taking part in sport and physical activity at every level in their own communities.”

The evaluation across a number of different zones has enabled Sport England to assess which interventions and activities are most successful in encouraging and supporting more people to get active.

The evaluation shows that success is dependent on a combination of factors, which include:

• A highly motivated and skilled leader and team of local paid staff and volunteers

• Taking a bottom up approach to empower local people, based on what they want and need

• Offering a variety of sports and activities, with low cost or free taster sessions

• Investing in facilities and open spaces but focusing on people as the key to success

• Promoting and supporting volunteering by local residents

• Tailoring communications to individual groups

• Providing small grants to help build goodwill in the community

• Taking advantage of peoples’ sense of identity and community

• To engage with a wide range of partnerships within and outside sport.

Stephen Baddeley, said: “Arguably the most remarkable thing about the critical success factors identified in the research is the fact that there is nothing actually very remarkable about them. They are all examples of good community sports development principles and practices. It is the way they are combined together which is powerful.

“The findings of the SAZ research present Sport England and its partners with some exciting and challenging policy implications. We now need to look at ways we can apply the lessons learnt and replicate this SAZ model for local community engagement in sport throughout the country. We will be using data from the Active People survey and our Active Places facilities database to identify areas of greatest need.”

Reports
Summary Report (1083 Kb)
Final Report (530 Kb)

Notes to Editors

Detailed independent evaluation by Ipsos MORI was carried out on four of the twelve Sport Action Zones. These were: Liverpool, Barrow, Bradford and Luton. Barrow formed part of the West Cumbria & Barrow Sport Action Zone, which also covered the Allerdale and Copeland districts. The detailed research focussed on the Barrow part of the zone. Identical surveys were conducted for the evaluation in each of the four areas, comparing baseline data collected in 2001/2 on levels of participation in sport and attitudes towards sports provision among residents, with the current situation.

While the Bradford and Luton Zones did not show statistically significant increases in participation across the board in this research, local measurement shows a range of positive outcomes from the Sport Action Zone work and the lessons learned are now helping shape the development of sport locally.

In Luton, a new leisure trust ‘Active Luton’ has been established, building on the lessons learned from the Sport Action Zone. Early indications are that this is having a positive impact on sport in the area, with ongoing monitoring locally showing more local sports sessions being delivered and an increased number of people participating in those sessions, including among priority groups.

In Bradford, in response to local demand, the SAZ extended its remit in 2004 to include additional wards within inner-city Bradford. This ensured that the SAZ boundaries were more effectively aligned to local structures and communities’ needs and enabled existing good work and practices to be expanded and built upon. Activity levels of school children also increased, along with an impressive improvement in swimming attainment at Key Stage 2 level.

Regular participation is the percentage of the population participating in sport/physical activity at least four times in an average four-week period (including walking).

The SAZ research reports will be available on the Sport England website from Wednesday 4 October 2006. They are available to media in advance on request.

The other Sport Action Zones were: East Manchester, Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, Braunstone, Wear Valley, Southwark & Lambeth, North Derbyshire & North Nottinghamshire, Birmingham, and South Yorkshire. All twelve projects have been subject to regular review by Sport England throughout the period.

Additional Quotes:

Carol Renshaw, SAZ Manager, West Cumbria and Barrow said: "Throughout the life of the Sport Action Zone, non-sport and sports partners alike worked with local people to create a range of sports and activities. The project enabled the integration and development of partnership working to showcase examples, develop pilot programmes with pooled resources and demonstrate the effectiveness of a co-ordinated approach to activity development. The ethos of the Zone's way of working is now being taken forward by the County Sports Partnership and expanded to cover all six Districts in Cumbria and is creating more of a presence within the major Cumbrian Regeneration Partnerships.”

Steve Warner, Head of Sport and Leisure, Bradford Council, said: “By working with our partners to create a “can do” culture during a time of considerable social unrest in the area, the Zone has left a lasting legacy for sport and the community. New ways of working have contributed significantly to the realisation of a number of externally funded projects within and beyond the Zone and we are now building on the lessons learned as we continue to work to bring the benefits of sport to more people in all our communities. We are proud of the fact that, in our BME communities in Bradford, participation levels have remained steady, whereas nationally, the indication is that levels have dropped. The Sport Action Zone has played a major part in keeping people physically active during challenging times.”

For more information please contact Sport England press office on:

Vivien Smiley – 020 7273 1822; Jane Clarke – 020 7273 1800

About Sport England

Sport England is the organisation that develops, promotes and invests in community sport. It aims to increase the number of people from all backgrounds who are physically active and involved in sport, with a focus on key priority groups who are currently under-represented in sport.

Ipsos MORI

In order to evaluate the success of the initiative, Sport England commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct robust quantitative research in four SAZs. The research included a total of 4,484 interviews in four SAZs as follows: Barrow-in-Furness (1,175 interviews), Liverpool (1,168), Bradford (1,067) and Luton (1,074).

Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative sample of residents in four Sport Action Zones between 31st October 2005 and 16th January 2006 (excluding the Christmas holiday period, between 22nd December – 6th January).

Interviews were conducted face to face, in respondents’ homes. The resulting data were weighted by gender, age, working status and ethnicity.

Ipsos MORI Contact: Anne Harris (anne.harris@ipsos-mori.com)