TA1: Issues which affect participation in sport

What you need to know

• The different user groups who participate in physical activity or sport. • The different needs and issues that affect participation.

We place people into groups so that we can discuss and try to solve any problems with their different needs. People are grouped by the things that they have in common, like their beliefs, economic situation or family commitments. It is important to know what these user groups are and how they all differ. The different user groups

Gender Families with children Young children Parents (single or couples) People who work

Carers Teenagers

People from different

ethnic groups

Retired people and people over 60 People with disabilities

People with family commitments

Unemployed or

economically disadvantaged

You will need to know the needs of and differences between all these user groups. Some of these groups are described in more detail below. Gender Somebody’s gender identity is who they know themselves to be. Traditionally people are grouped into two genders (male and female), but this is not an accurate reflection of the world. Transgender athletes have only been allowed to participate in the Olympic Games since 2004. Sports such as football have male and female teams, who don’t play together or compete against each other.

Retired or over 60s Retired and older people often have more time as they do not work, but they are also more likely to have physical difficulties. Many older people still enjoy sports such as running, but activities for this group are often low-impact, such as bowls, aqua aerobics and Nordic walking, or adapted from traditional sports, such as walking football/netball. Remember it!Practise it! SAMPLE 1 Describe two needs of young children when they are taking part in sports. (2 marks) 2 Explain why unemployed people might have specific needs when taking part in sports. (2 marks) • Needs can be very specific to a user group and only apply to those people. • Most people are in more than one group. For example, somebody might be a single parent from a minority ethnic group who works.

What you need to know

• People with disabilities often face extra challenges when accessing sport. • There is a wide range of disabilities that are not always visible or obvious.

A person with a disability is someone who has a long-term physical or mental impairment that has a negative effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, such as sport. Different types of disabilities It is important to understand that people with disabilities don’t have only physical disabilities or are wheelchair users. Examples of disabilities include: • hearing impairment • neurological conditions • learning disabilities. Common mistakes A common error when answering questions about people with disabilities is to assume that all disabilities that affect participation in sport are physical, or that they all require a wheelchair. Another is the assumption that all people with disabilities have the same lifelong aim to take part in the Paralympics. You need to know that not all people with disabilities share the same dream, and many use sport purely as a means of socialising.

Wheelchair sports Sportspeople who use wheelchairs usually have the same needs as sportspeople who are not wheelchair users. Existing facilities rarely need to be adapted, other than allowing access with a lift or a ramp. Wheelchair sports are popular around the world. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, athletes in wheelchairs competed in events such as athletics, basketball, fencing, boccia, shooting and table tennis. • If sports facilities adapt their access and equipment, more people with disabilities will be able to take part in sport. Remember it! 1 Identify four needs of people with disabilities participating in sport. (4 marks) Practise it! SAMPLE 2 Identify sports that can be adapted • People with disabilities aren’t always for people with the following wheelchair users and their disabilities disabilities and give an example won’t always be visible. of each adaptation. (4 marks) • Visual impairment • Learning disabilities

What you need to know

• Some people can’t access sporting activities in the same way that others can. • There is a wide range of reasons why people find it difficult to participate in sport.

Barriers for different user groups User group Example of a barrier Gender Media portrayal of gender stereotypes in sports. This can lead to people lacking confidence to participate. Different ethnic groups A lack of relevant role models in some activities. This might lead to low participation in these sports. Retired or over 60 A lack of appropriate activities. This could make people in this demographic (group) feel too worried to join a session at a gym. Families with children The cost of taking part in sporting activities. This can be too high if paying for every member of a large family to participate. Carers The inability to leave alone the people who they care for. This might make it hard or even impossible for carers to make it to timetabled activities. People with family commitments Lack of sessions at a suitable time to fit in around a person’s commitments to their elderly parents. Young children Lack of transport. The children probably need to be taken to activities by a parent or guardian so have to go when the adult is available. Teenagers Lack of activities that appeal to teenagers, and some gyms don’t allow under-16s to attend without an adult. People with disabilities Small range of activities on offer. This could be because of a lack of specialist facilities or accessibility issues. Parents (single/couples) A lack of crèche/nursery provision at the gym. This would mean that single parents would struggle to find time to participate. People who work Lack of time. Sessions and opening times may also be incompatible with their working hours. Unemployed or economically disadvantaged people

Lack of disposable income. They may not be able to afford to pay for classes, travel to the venue, or sports clothing and equipment. Remember it!Revise it! SAMPLE • Create a table showing the barriers that affect participation and write an example next to each one. • Write the barriers on individual sticky notes. Pick one up at random and give an example of how this barrier affects a user group. • Different user groups have different barriers preventing them from participating in sporting activities. • Just as everyone belongs to more than one user group, they may also face several barriers to participation.

What you need to know

• The barriers that affect participation in sport and physical activity. • Some of the barriers are very complex and not easy to solve.

The lack of equal coverage in the media in terms of gender In the UK, women’s sport receives just 7% of the total sports media coverage. This makes it more difficult for women and girls to find positive role models, especially in sports that are traditionally considered to be ‘male’, such as rugby, where the media broadcast mostly men’s competitions. This may mean that women don’t continue participating in sport once they leave full-time education. Lack of positive role models Wanting to be like a sporting hero or role model can make someone more likely to participate in sport. Not having somebody like you as a role model in a sport might make you think that it’s not an acceptable sport for somebody in your user group. For example, a lack of ethnic minority role models in sports like skiing and rowing can lead people in this user group to not participate in these sports.

Other barriers to participation Employment (having a job) could mean that you have less time available to commit to a sport. On the other hand, unemployment (not having a job) could mean that you have a lack of disposable income (money that is available to spend on leisure time after bills, etc., have been paid). A lack of appropriate activity provision is a common barrier, especially for younger and older age groups, and for people with disabilities. Remember it!Practise it! SAMPLE 1 Identify four ways that a sport of your choice could be made more accessible for wheelchair users. (4 marks) 2 State one barrier that might affect participation in sport for each of the following user groups: teenagers and women (gender). (2 marks) • The lack of equal media coverage has an impact on many different user groups. • A lack of role models can prevent people from participating in sports. • It can be very difficult to overcome some barriers to participation.

What you need to know

• How to overcome barriers to participation for a range of user groups. • The different solutions and how they apply to different user groups.

The barriers that prevent people from participating in sport are often complex and difficult to solve. Finding solutions to barriers to help everybody take part is a key aim of sports organisations. Promotional strategies This advert is an example of a targeted promotion aimed at teenagers. The poster advertises the opening of a new gym, focusing on the discount for teenagers. Other promotional strategies include: • using role models (e.g. using a photo of the England women’s football team in an advert to attract more girls to a local football club) • initiatives (e.g. the Youth Sport Trust ‘Young Ambassador’ programme to get more young people involved in sport as volunteers). Best Fitness Gym OPENING SOON! Special offer this month only! Teenagers go free! Plus discounted membership for 13–19 year olds: £19 per month – includes swimming Visit bestfitnessgym123.uk.com • Solutions to barriers can often be simple – try not to overthink the problem! Remember it! 1 Identify one barrier that could prevent young children from participating Practise it! Offering sessions to meet users ’ needs Sporting facilities may: • open 24 hours a day to allow more people to access the facilities • offer classes and activities at a range of times to appeal to everybody • offer online classes that are accessed at the gym or at home. SAMPLE in sport. (1 mark) • Appropriate pricing will help sports to 2 Describe two solutions to the barrier appeal to most user groups. you identified in Question 1. (2 marks) • Make sure that you remember some 3 Identify one example of using role examples of initiatives for getting users models to attract people into a involved in sport. particular sport. (1 mark)

What you need to know

• Positive and negative reasons for sport being popular. • How a range of different factors influence the popularity of a sport.

Some reasons for a sport’s popularity in the UK are straightforward, such as because a sport has traditionally been played in the UK. Other reasons are more complicated and link to people’s individual beliefs or ideals. Positive and negative impacts on popularity Factor Example of a positive or negative impact Number of people participating The more people take part in a sport, the more popular it will become. Reasons for this may include, for example, media coverage, British successes in the Olympic Games and Tour de France, and the ease/low cost of getting involved in cycling. Provision of facilities/ appropriate climate People are more likely to participate in and watch sport if they can access facilities close to where they live. For example, only people who can easily reach mountains, e.g. in Scotland, can regularly take part in winter sports in real conditions in the UK. Live spectator opportunities Living near a rugby stadium where a professional team play could lead a person to participate because they see and are inspired by the professional players. Amount and range of media coverage The more a sport is in the media or in the news, the more likely it is that people will want to play it. Men’s football gets more coverage than other sports, whereas some sports, such as boccia or lacrosse, get little or no TV coverage. Level of success (individuals or teams) The success of individual sportspeople can lead to an increase in popularity. For example, when Scottish player Andy Murray won the 2013 Wimbledon Tennis Championships more people in the UK started playing tennis. Number and range of role models

When Team GB won a gold medal in women’s hockey at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the players became role models overnight and the number of people playing hockey in the UK increased. Social acceptability Boxing has not always been socially acceptable because some people think it is violent and because of boxers’ injuries. If protective equipment like padded headgear is used to make the sport safer, it could become more socially acceptable. Horse racing is another example of a sport that is often classed as being socially unacceptable in the UK. Remember it!Practise it! SAMPLE 1 Identify two examples of how • Sports that are often on television will be the environment or climate can the most popular. impact on the participation • Positive role models will lead to increased levels of a sport. (2 marks) participation, especially among younger 2 Describe one example of a specific user groups. sport that is not seen as socially acceptable. (1 mark)

What you need to know

• Examples of new and emerging sports in the UK. • The opportunities to participate in new and emerging sports.

New and emerging sports haven’t been well-known in the past in a country or area, but are now becoming more popular and increasing in participation rates. Examples of new and emerging sports There are many new and emerging sports in the UK, such as: footgolf, obstacle course races, ultimate frisbee, padel, futsal and handball. Making them more accessible • Provide suitable and affordable facilities and clubs for people to try out the sport. • Train coaches and officials. • Advertise and promote the sport, increase media coverage and use role models. • Offer the sport in schools, either as part of

PE or as an extra-curricular club. • Adapt the activity for different user groups, such as making it wheelchair-accessible. Handball in the UK Handball is becoming more popular in the UK, although the GB handball teams have not yet been successful in international competitions. The sport’s national governing body (NGB) is British Handball. There are competitive handball leagues for children, women and men.

Reasons for handball’s growing popularity include the following. • It is an Olympic sport so it receives media attention. • It can be played without specialist equipment (e.g. using smaller footballs or volleyballs). • It can be played by all ages and abilities. • It allows players to use skills found in other sports, such as passing. • Players feel more involved because smaller team and pitch sizes mean that they are more likely to have contact with the ball compared to sports like football. • An emerging sport might have been around for a long time but is only now becoming popular. Remember it! Add to your knowledge of handball by using the internet to find out: • the number of participants in the UK Revise it! SAMPLE • where you can play it (locations) • New/emerging sports in one country/ region might be established or • why it is becoming popular. traditional elsewhere.

Make a mind map to summarise what you now • Opportunities to participate are limited, know about handball. but will improve as more people become involved.

What you need to know

• Examples of new and emerging sports in the UK. • The opportunities to participate in new and emerging sports.

Footgolf • Footgolf combines football and golf.

Players kick a football into a cup or hole in as few kicks as possible. • It can be played by all ages and abilities. • It has an NGB (UK FootGolf Association) and a World Cup. • About 30 000 people play footgolf in the UK every week, with more than 200 affiliated footgolf courses, some of which are adapted from traditional golf courses. • It is cheaper to play than golf and doesn’t require golf clubs. Padel • Padel is a racket sport like tennis and is played mainly in doubles on a court that is one-third the size of a tennis court. • It was incorporated into the Lawn Tennis

Association (LTA) in 2019. • There are more than 89 000 active padel players across the UK and this number is increasing. • There are only around 65 padel clubs in the

UK, so not everyone can access it easily.

Ultimate frisbee • Ultimate frisbee is a non-contact sport played by two teams of seven on a large rectangular pitch, outside or in a hall, with no referee. • It doesn’t involve expensive equipment and is easy to learn for all ages and abilities. • The number of clubs is growing, but it is easy to set up a game with enough people and space. • The NGB, UK Ultimate, arranges leagues and tournaments. • New and emerging sports become more popular if many user groups can play or Remember it! 1 Explain why ultimate frisbee has become more popular in the Practise it! SAMPLE

UK in recent years. (2 marks) take part. 2 Outline three reasons why schools • New and emerging sports compete with might decide to offer footgolf as established sports for people’s time. a part of their PE classes. (3 marks) • Opportunities to try new and emerging sports are limited in many areas of the country.