Seniors and Sport in England

1. Seniors and Sport in England Presented by: Ryan Adams Research Manager Sport England 27 May 2004

2. Outline • About Sport England • A Vision for 2020 • Framework for Sport • The Ageing Population • Lifestyle of Seniors • Tackling the Issue • Conclusions

3. About Sport England • Sport England is the strategic lead for delivering the Government's sporting objectives in England, and we distribute both Lottery and Exchequer funds to sport. Our objectives involve getting people to: • Start – to improve the health of the nation, particularly for disadvantaged groups • Stay – through a thriving network of clubs, coaches and volunteers, and a commitment to equity • Succeed in sport – via an infrastructure capable of developing world class performers

4. About Sport England • Our vision is to make England an active and successful sporting nation. • We share best practice, set standards, build partnerships and promote the benefits of sport, which include healthier living, social inclusion and crime prevention – making focused investments through partners. • We also continuously monitor the impact of our investment programmes and conduct ongoing research into participation levels.

5. A Vision for 2020 • The UK Government published ‘Game Plan’ in Dec 2002, setting the agenda to increase and widen the participation base in sport • An ambitious objective was set to increase levels of physical activity to 70% of the population taking part at moderate levels for 30 minutes, five days a week • Currently, 30.4% of English population meet the recommended levels of physical activity intensity and duration

6. Framework for Sport • In June 2003, Sport England consulted with over 350 partners from health, education, community development and other sectors, to identify the key ‘drivers’ for increasing participation. These are: Variations in Access Utilising Education Volunteers and Professionals The Ageing Population Time Pressures Well-being and Obesity Levels of Investment in Sport

7. The Ageing Population • Almost half of all adults in the UK will be over 50 by 2020 • More people over 65 than under 16 by 2020 • Consistent trend, the older you are, the less you participate

8. Lifestyle of Seniors • Many seniors have better health prospects than previous generations – able to stay active • Greater affluence, but this does not apply to all – more concern with taking care of yourself • Interest in ‘acting young’ – keeping active is an important way to maintain ‘youth’ • More time to take part in activities that you enjoy and those that will help keep you fit • Challenge is to encourage people to stay in sport, creating a culture of lifelong participation

9. Tackling the Issue • Big challenge in increasing participation amongst those that traditionally participate less • We are commissioning qualitative work to understand barriers to participation and investigate interventions • We are building a database of all public sports facilities in England – ‘Active Places’ website • We are launching an advertising campaign in the North East region – ‘EverydaySport’ • We are going to conduct an annual survey of participation – robust data to focus investment • The ‘Value of Sport Monitor’ – website database

10. Conclusions • We have identified the ‘Ageing Population’ as a key area that must be addressed to increase participation • We are aiming to increase physical activity levels across the whole population, and focussing on seniors will be fundamental if we are to achieve our goals • We are keen to share information and learn from experts in other countries as to strategies that address seniors in sport • Improve health and well-being of seniors in England

11. Any questions? E-mail. ryan.adams@sportengland.org