Patterns of participation in sport and physical activity in the UK

List characteristics of sport

Characteristics of ‘sport’  Competition among individuals or teams  Often involves (paying) spectators  Rules to prevent cheating and to prevent unfair advantage being gained  A defined place or area of play (usually with boundaries)  Sometimes ‘luck’ or ‘chance’

Different categories of sport Invasion games Target games Court games Field sports

Invasion games  The object is to invade the opponents territory, e.g. rugby, hockey, soccer, netball

Target games  Games involving accuracy of judgement (sometimes called ‘markmanship’) E.g. golf, archery

Court games  Players usually kept apart by a net, e.g. tennis and volleyball (but not always – squash)

Field sports  Often associated with rural areas, e.g. hunting, shooting, fishing  Competition between man and animal, thrill of chase, or thrill of catch  Opposition – cruel and unsporting (unfair human advantage)

DL slide – sport categories

Amateurs and professionals  Amateurs don’t receive any money for playing their sport  Professionals play for a living – their ‘job’  Semi-professionals – receive money, but not enough to earn a living so have other jobs as well

leisure

leisure  Time in which there is an opportunity for choice, things we choose to do rather than have to do. May involve sport, but not necessarily.  An activity apart from the obligations of work, family and society, to which the individual turns at will for either relaxation, diversion, or broadening experiences and spontaneous social participation. The free exercise of one’s creative capacities  Relieve stress, make friends, enjoy!  Leisure time greatly increased in last 100 yrs

recreation  An enjoyable activity which refreshes you and gives you energy, usually active, useful, constructive  Involves a ‘state of mind’ – viewing the activity as not work, something which helps us relax and escape stress

Outdoor and adventurous recreation activities  Can be challenging!  Often in natural environment (climbing, canoeing, mountain biking, windsurfing)  ‘extreme sports’ growing in popularity

Lifetime sports  Such as tennis, golf, swimming  Age not an obstacle to participation  Keep fit, active and socially involved

The leisure industry  Products and services that surround leisure activities  Trainers, sports clothing, equipment, DVD’s etc  Leisure services such as leisure centres, stadia, cinemas, skateboard parks, often controlled by large multi-national companies

Leisure centres and health clubs

 Tremendous growth in health clubs, gyms, leisure centres, dance classes in recent years  Some in public sector (run by local councils and subsidised by taxpayers), some in private sector (owned by a commercial company)  Increased demand for private trainers (fitness professionals who work with individuals for an hourly fee)  Health and fitness boom also benefited other services such as nutrition, beauty  Affected by recent economic downturn

Participation in sports, games and physical activities  A variety of studies have shown that about three quarters of adults had taken part in some sport, game or physical activity during the last 12 months

DL slide – popular activities

Most popular  In terms of participation the five most popular sports, games or physical activities among adults in the UK are (figures are approximate):  Walking (46%)  Swimming (35%)  Keep fit/yoga – inc aerobics and dance exercise (22%)  Cycling (19%)  Cue sports – billiards, snooker and pool (17%)

Participation rates according to sex  Why are participation rates for women generally much lower for women than for men?  Suggest ways in which women have been discriminated against in sport  List sports which used to be male dominated which women are now playing in ever growing numbers

Participation rates according to sex  More men (51%) get involved as players or spectators than women (31%)  44% of men and 31% of women who participate in at least one activity (excluding walking and darts) belong to a club  Overall, men(40%) are more likely than women (14%) to participate in an organised competition  Male dominance in sport and sport coverage is reinforced by stereotypical views that being good at or interested in sport is unfeminine  Women have been discriminated against e.g. huge discrepancy in prize money at grand slam tennis tournaments. Media interest based on looks rather than performance  On the positive side, more women are now involved in physical exercise and interested in health and fitness. Participation rates for women in previously all male sports such as football and rugby are now much higher and continue to grow

Wimbledon prize winnings  IN THE MONEY: This year's Wimbledon singles winner will bank one million pounds for their effort - an increase of 17.6% (Getty Images)

Participation rates according to age  The proportion of adults who take part in at least one sport or physical activity generally declines with age  Where as 77% of yr olds take part in at least one physical activity (inc walking), only 30% of people aged over 70 do  Participation rates which exclude walking range from 72% of yr olds to 14% of those aged 70 or over  Walking is the most popular activity for all age groups. Participation rates in walking increase from 29% for yr olds to 40% for those aged 45-59, after which they decline

Participation and age  Participation rates in some activities is strongly related to age  Activities such as soccer, cue sports, running and cycling are generally more popular with younger age groups and the rate of participation in these activities decreases with age  In golf, however, participation is maintained at a fairly similar level until the age of 69, with the average age about 42  Participation rates in swimming and keep fit/yoga remain at similar levels between the ages of 16 and 44, after which they fall.  Participants in bowls peak among 60 to 69 year olds.

London marathon  An event which combines seriously competitive runners, those looking for a personal challenge and those running to make money for charity.  Both sexes, wide range of ages and abilities!

Inequality in sport  There are/have been many examples of inequality in sport, ie groups of people who are not getting a fair chance, eg  Minority ethnic groups  People with disabilities  Women  The 50+ age group

Sports equity  This is concerned with fairness in sport and equality of access. It is about recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. The aim is to make sport equally accessible to all members of society, whatever their age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, or social/economic status

UK Sport statement regarding sports equity “Equity is about recognising and removing the barriers faced by people involved, or wanting to be involved, in sport. It is about changing the culture of sport to one that values diversity and enables the full involvement of disadvantaged groups in every aspect of sport” “Equity is about recognising and removing the barriers faced by people involved, or wanting to be involved, in sport. It is about changing the culture of sport to one that values diversity and enables the full involvement of disadvantaged groups in every aspect of sport”

UK Sport (formerly Sports Council) report: ‘Better quality sport for all’  Highlighted the need to enable people to learn basic sports skills that could be built upon to achieve sporting excellence Strategies to help people: Strategies to help people: Develop the skills and competence to enjoy sport. Develop the skills and competence to enjoy sport. Follow a lifestyle which includes active participation in sport and recreation. Follow a lifestyle which includes active participation in sport and recreation. Achieve personal goals at whatever their chosen level of involvement in sport. Achieve personal goals at whatever their chosen level of involvement in sport. Develop excellence and achieve success in sport at the highest level. Develop excellence and achieve success in sport at the highest level.

UK Sport - basic premise  Everyone has the right to play sport whether it is for fun, for health, to enjoy the natural environment or to win  Challenge to make England ‘the sporting nation’

Benefits of sport  Get youngsters away from crime and help fight drug abuse  Supported by reports commissioned by ‘Sport England’  Bristol – 40% reduction in crime levels on the Southmead estate since the first sport development worker was appointed

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