Infrastructure

There needs to be increased confidence in the sport and activity sector from funders and sponsors which is why DOCIAsport is delighted to work with CIMSPA on the critical work ‘professionalising’ the standards of the workforce employed or deployed.
There needs to be increased confidence from the participants which is why Duty Of Care in Action and the governance and culture is so important. DOCIAsport’s contribution has been significant e.g., working with UK Coaching to give more coaches a more visible voice singularly and collectively.

Health & Wellbeing

There’s been a change in the way that sport at ‘grassroots’ or community level is perceived by leaders and key stakeholders. And rightly so. It is now not about just ‘numbers’ of people in organised sport but making sure everyone -irrespective of their background and circumstances- has an equal opportunity to become more active in a way that they feel safe and want to be involved.  
So, the sector’s role is now changing to embrace activity to help address the nation’s health agenda as identified in the ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy from Sport England setting out a strategy addressing inequalities (e.g., regional or for minority groups.) DOCIAsport is contributing by championing the creation of Community Wellbeing Hubs centred on the clubhouses of amateur rugby league clubs. Within the current economic crisis, it’s important that there is a better return on the investment into sport and leisure facilities. So, for example at West Hull RLFC there is now ‘social supermarket,’ a Wildlife Walk in the grounds (thanks to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust) and ‘FitMums’ use the club and its storage for a weekly strength and conditioning class.

Performance

Since the introduction of National Lottery Funding the success of our high performance system across Olympic and Paralympic sport has been consistently high. But it has come at a cost, not just in terms of money but on the wellbeing of many people athletes, coaches, and administrators. This has been evidenced by the numbers of investigations into the culture of (too) many high performance sports for example cycling, rowing, swimming, canoeing and most recently gymnastics. The culture needs to change and there are early signs of success.

How ‘success’ is defined is being challenged. It can’t just be about medals that is too simplistic. And does it really inspire a generation? The time since the London Games in 2012 would suggest not. At the core of defining what ‘success’ should look like is a need for demonstrable Duty of Care In Action. DOCIAsport offers advice, support, and guidance to make this happen collaborating with clients and partners to define owned definitions of success.

Sustainability

Historically the Sports Councils ‘only’ charged sport deliverers with getting more people more active. Sport England’s strategy ‘Uniting the Movement’ challenges those they fund with moving more into health and creating equal opportunities. DOCIAsport has experience in facilitating real collaboration bringing local stakeholders together to create sustainable social, economic and environmental impact. For example, the award winning ‘Community Wellbeing Hub Project for The Rugby Football League’.