IMPACT REPORT 2014/15
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
FOREWORD
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Lead. Champion. Enable. Perform.
LEAD
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CHAMPION
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These are words which don’t look out of place in a sport and recreation context. They might, perhaps, be used to define the work of a team captain, an eminent coach or even a successful chief executive.
ENABLE
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PERFORM 12 FORWARD LOOK 2015
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Secondly, developing our relations with government and policy makers. Of course this is particularly critical in an election year and we have had good engagement on a number of policy issues with outgoing and incoming Ministers, including providing the platform for the new Sports Minister’s first speech to the sector.
Perhaps then no surprise that they are in fact the words which describe our core functions at the Alliance. They are at the heart of us achieving our mission and fulfilling our vision as an organisation and, in doing so, serving our members to the very highest standards.
Thirdly, we have developed a greater focus on outcomes and creating a more commercial culture within the organisation by diversifying our income streams to ensure that we are always striving to achieve the most we can with our finite resources. This is certainly work in progress as we have much to do on this, but again the report charts our early progress.
Like very successful organisations, we are always asking ourselves – and others – if we are keeping high standards and where we can improve. This report is one of the ways in which we test and record our impact and I hope that you find that it strikes that fine balance between brevity and thoroughness.
Finally, we need to continually develop as an organisation so that we can be the most effective representative body for our membership. We revised the Voluntary Code of Good Governance and have
It is, of course, my first such report as Chief Executive of the Alliance. You will not be surprised to learn that, following a period of listening to members and stakeholders, I have made changes around the organisation and the way that we work. At the start of 2015 I said I would be focussing on four key areas and I want to report back briefly on these here.
recommended changes to our governance for our membership to consider at the 2015 AGM to ensure we are practising what we preach. I will let you judge from your experience of us how successful those changes are proving to be but, as we move into 2015/16, there is also plenty more work to come. And in the spirit of collaboration, one of our organisational values, I look forward to working with you to ensure that the Alliance is leading, championing, enabling and of course performing.
The first has been strengthening our focus on engaging with our members and making sure the insight from that engagement drives our activity. You will see some of the ways we have done that in the report that follows.
Emma Boggis Chief Executive
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LEAD Outdoor recreation We have worked with members through our Access Working Group and outdoor pursuits and water recreation divisions to push for a national strategy for outdoor recreation in England. Along with other members of the sector, we attended a cross-departmental roundtable on this and were subsequently asked by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to run, in partnership with the Outdoor Industries Association, a consultation with the sector on what should be included in such a strategy. “As chair of the Alliance’s Access Working Group, I have enjoyed seeing first-hand how the Alliance successfully brings together experts to influence, expand and support outdoor recreation. I look forward to continuing to work with the Access Working Group and see it shape a national strategy for outdoor recreation over the next year.” Ian Lewis Chair, Alliance Access Working Group Director, Campaign for Adventure
LEAD Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation The Alliance joined forces with the Professional Players Federation and mental health charities Mind and Time to Change to launch the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation in March 2015. Over 150 organisations signed-up within three months, thereby committing to take positive action around mental health. We also published online resources to help turn the Charter into action. “The Professional Players Federation is delighted with the support and encouragement from the Sport and Recreation Alliance on the recent Mental Health Charter. As our partners they have exceeded all expectations. Their staff are committed to the partnership and provided excellent political and press expertise, support and contacts. The partnership with the Alliance has greatly extended the reach of the Charter resulting in the fantastic initial response it has received. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership on this important and influential area.” Simon Taylor Chief Executive, PPF
Fit for the Future
Stakeholder relations
Our sector is facing a challenging and uncertain future and we want to play our role in identifying solutions for our members. We have launched a major programme of work covering finance, technology and consumer behaviour, amongst others, to identify and share best practice and to find practical solutions. Our first scoping report on how we want our sector to be ‘fit for the future’ was published in June 2015.
In order to be an effective voice of the sector, we’ve invested lots of time and effort in building our relationships with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, UK Sport and Sport England over the past year. We’ve fulfilled our role as a consultative forum by advising on the development of the UK Sport Strategy and the triennial review of Sport England and UK Sport. Our government relations reach into other departments and areas of government too. We’ve worked closely with the Department of Health and Public Health England to provide input into the Everybody Active, Every Day strategy. Through these stronger relationships, we will be in a better position to influence the decisions made about our sector.
Concussion The Forum for Concussion in Sport and Physical Education was set up in 2014 bringing together governing bodies, representative organisations and government departments. In June 2015, we published concussion guidelines for the education sector to support professionals dealing with incidents of concussion. The guidelines were endorsed by an independent expert panel as well as the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine and other authoritative bodies. The guidelines will ensure that the health of children is safeguarded across the country.
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CHAMPION Step Up To Serve
CHAMPION
Raising the heartbeat of the nation:
All of our members are united by the role which volunteers play in our sector and that’s why we’ve become an active supporter of Step Up To Serve and its #iwill campaign. We’ve developed a specific pledge for the sector, encouraged members to sign up, promoted the campaign at our Sports Summit and created a new Youth Volunteering category in our Community Sport and Recreation Awards. Through the campaign we aim to tap into a new supply of volunteers for our members.
A five step plan for a more active population The launch of our Ministers’ To-do List for the new government in February marked the culmination of one of our most extensive member consultation exercises. This document, which forms the framework of our policy and political priorities, brings together concerns and issues from across the breadth of our membership, breaking these down into key ‘asks’ for the new government. Following the General Election, we are now actively engaging with ministers addressing these asks.
“At Step Up To Serve we have been so delighted to have the support of the Sport and Recreation Alliance for the #iwill campaign. Young people are the future lifeblood of sports clubs and to have this recognised and championed in the Fit for the Future report underlines the fantastic opportunities that exist to grow youth social action in sport and recreation. We’re excited to see how the partnership develops through the lifespan of the campaign.”
Future Foundation report In October 2014, we published analysis jointly produced with the Future Foundation to identify key trends in consumer behaviour and how these will impact on our members and the wider sector. This report covers major trends including the quantified self, performative perfection and healthy hedonism and highlights case study examples of where our members are already implementing leading practice to attract and retain new participants.
Charlotte Hill Chief Executive, Step Up To Serve
The report is designed to provide our members with food for thought as they develop their offers.
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Protecting sports’ consumers:
Community Amateur Sports Club regulations
Secondary ticketing
We have worked closely with a number of NGBs and government officials to influence the final shape of the revised CASC scheme which came into effect in April 2015. While more complex, the new scheme represents a significant step forward compared to what had initially been proposed by HMRC in 2013. We are continuing to engage with our members to support the implementation of the new scheme over the next 12 months.
We worked closely with some of our biggest members to secure historic protections for fans against ticket touts operating in the secondary ticketing market. The changes made as part of the 2015 Consumer Rights Act will mean that people buying tickets on this market will now enjoy much more information about what they are purchasing. “The ECB worked closely with the Alliance on the key issue of secondary ticketing over a number of months, culminating in a major victory for sports fans when we secured an historic change in legislation to better protect fans . We know this battle will continue and the Alliance’s continued support has been invaluable.” Philip French Director of Public Policy and Internal Relations, ECB
“Over the past two years the RYA has worked with the Sport and Recreation Alliance to influence the shape of the revised CASC scheme. In particular the Alliance has helped by facilitating discussions on detailed policy issues between sports governing bodies and government officials. In this context we feel the emphasis in the Ministers’ To-Do List on the need to make the CASC scheme work for all reflects the continued importance of the scheme to our clubs and to grassroots sport more widely.” Mandy E Peters Legal Advisor, Royal Yachting Association
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CHAMPION Sport Summit
Sports Betting Group We continue to chair and provide secretariat support to the group with the aim of bringing sports representatives together to consider key policy issues relating to sports betting integrity. Over the year we have facilitated contact and information exchange between the group and relevant stakeholders including the Gambling Commission, betting operators and the Crown Prosecution Service. We have also coordinated the group to input into the work led by the Sports Betting Integrity Forum. “Over the past year the Gambling Commission has enjoyed a good working relationship with the Alliance on matters related to sports betting integrity. In particular the Alliance has supported engagement with the Sports Betting Group (SBG) which is helping us to better understand the perspective of sports bodies on a number of important policy issues. We look forward to continuing this productive working relationship in the future.” Nick Tofiluk, Director, Regulatory Operations Gambling Commission
Inspiring Women campaign We’re supporting the Inspiring Women campaign by mobilising our members and senior female staff to lend their experience to inspire and educate girls about the wealth of career options available to them within the sector. Our Chief Executive and Board members participated in speed-dating sessions to highlight the options available to girls to pursue careers in sport and recreation. “I am delighted that the Inspiring Women Campaign and the Sport and Recreation Alliance have worked together to expose young girls to all the different roles they can have in the field and encouraging them to pursue a career in sports if that is what they wish. Their support has helped us extend our reach in the sport and recreation world and contributed to our success in getting more than 16,000 women signed up to support the campaign.” Miriam Gonzalez Durántez Inspiring Women
Scottish independence referendum
We hosted a highly successful, sold-out Sports Summit at the Oval in June 2015, where the Sports Minister delivered her first public speech, setting out four areas of interest which will be important to her work in the sector. The Summit brought together senior leaders from across our sector around the theme of making sport and recreation ‘fit for the future’. We launched our scoping report on the same subject and delivered an event which gave delegates a 95% satisfaction rate.
We conducted significant analysis and provided extensive media comment and interviews on the impact and potential ramifications of Scottish independence for the sport and recreation sector. Our work made sure that the concerns of sport were part of the wider debate.
Events and workshops
Working groups and the Development Directors Knowledge Sharing Forum
During 2014-15 our events welcomed 13% more people than in 2013-14. We delivered 28 individual workshop/events, with an average satisfaction rate of over 86%. Our key events were the Sports Summit, AGM and the Leadership Convention. Workshop topics included Member TLC – boosting recruitment and retention in a competitive world, Developing a Strategy for Social Media and Managing Effective Meetings. In total, we provided 1,464 people from the sector with opportunities to develop, learn, network and grow.
The Alliance has continued to bring together its members to discuss key policy issues over the last year – including the successful running of a number of new working groups. These groups sit alongside our divisional meetings and bring members together with leading experts from outside the sector to focus on issues including tax, public health, sports betting and governance. We also continue to provide services and advice to the Development Directors to help ensure that best practice becomes good practice across the sector.
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ENABLE Voluntary Code of Good Governance
ENABLE Legal Panel Framework In partnership with Sport England, Sport Wales, UK Sport and the Alliance, the Legal Panel Framework continues to give our members access to needed legal expertise. Additionally, the pro-bono fund gives access to this assistance to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
We refreshed the Voluntary Code of Good Governance, adding practical case studies showing the impact of each of the seven code principles on member organisations, making a real difference to the performance of the sector. 97 organisations have now signed up to the journey towards more effective governance.
“The Sport and Recreation Alliance has provided invaluable assistance and expertise to the Margaret Morris Movement’s ongoing governance review. It was also fantastic to get the support of the Legal Panel Framework in securing legal expertise to redraft our articles of association as well as enabling a merger of International Association of MMM with MMM Movement Therapy to create a strong company for the future.”
Institute of Directors/ NCVO/ICSA We continue to offer our sport-specific director training course with the Institute of Directors, and now offer a course tailored to charity trustees in partnership with NCVO. We have worked closely with the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, creating a new professional qualification in Sports Governance and Administration, which will launch this autumn.
Jacqueline Harper Administrator Margaret Morris Movement
“I found the Directors’ training course delivered by the Alliance and the Institute of Directors to be really valuable. The speakers were well informed and provided live and relevant examples to support the topics covered. An excellent workshop and one I would recommend others who would like to become a Board Director to attend.” Priya Samuel Satellite Club Development Manager Sport Hampshire and IOW
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“Since we started our formal partnership with the Alliance we have not looked back. The work we have embarked on to develop the governance and leadership framework has been considered by our partners to be ambitious and set to future-proof the sector. The service and approach by the Sport and Recreation Alliance staff is of high quality and we look forward to continuing to work together.” Deb Austin Sport Wales Manager
Sport Wales
Membership survey
We have strengthened our partnership with Sport Wales and co-developed the Governance and Leadership Framework for Wales. This partnership will continue to reflect the best practice of governance and leadership behaviour within the sector. We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sport Wales which agrees shared objectives to upskill and support key NGBs in Wales.
Our annual membership survey gave members the chance to let us know what issues were key to their work and organisations. With a good response rate it was identified that in particular members would like continued governance advice and support for their Boards surrounding: Risk management, pensions, HR, safeguarding and good practice case studies.
Alliance Directors Club Since its launch in May 2014, the Alliance Directors Club has held six networking events, building a membership of over 110 leaders in sport. It continues to provide a forum for aspiring and existing directors in sport to discuss key issues in the sector whilst building new relationships. A revised structure and a partnership with the NonExecutive Directors Association have set the foundation for continued growth. “I joined the Alliance Directors Club in May 2014 and it’s been really worthwhile. As well as interesting and insightful content and resources, the events provide a great opportunity to network and share best practice across the sector” Steve Grainger MBE RFU Rugby Development Director and ADC Member
PERFORM
ENABLE Chairs Network
Corporate Partners
This year three meetings of the Chairs Network were held to progress key issues facing NGBs. Topics included the implications of the political parties’ manifestos on sport and recreation, UK Sport’s strategy post-Rio and the Triennial Review of Sport England and UK Sport.
We have recruited six new Corporate Partners within the areas of print, design, volunteer management, safeguarding and HR. We are confident that these partners and preferred suppliers will enhance the product and service offering to members. We have also updated some existing partner packages and have recently launched an enhanced account management structure to ensure that both our members and our Partners get the most out of the relationship.
“I have found my involvement in the Chairs Network to be an invaluable resource for information exchange and opportunity to discuss and address items of common interest to the sports sector and the environment in which we have to work.”
“Since becoming a Corporate Partner of the Alliance in November 2014, we have greatly benefited from the Alliance providing us with the opportunity to network with senior NGB personnel at a variety of events. The references that the Alliance have also given us when speaking to prospective clients from within the sport and recreation industry have been invaluable. In addition, the fact that the Alliance actively uses our online registration system for their events, conferences and workshops is very useful in our discussions with NGBs and other sporting organisations.”
Derek Batchelor Chairman Badminton England
Roger Birchenough Business Development Manager Participant UK
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Engaging the wider world We understand that it’s important for our voice to be heard and we place great store in the quality and credibility of our external communications. The effort we put in is reflected in the growing demand to hear what we have to say on behalf of the sector. In the last year, we appeared in the national media 106 times. Visits to our website for our news, views and analysis continue to grow. They are up 25% on last year and our website enjoyed over 486,000 page views. We also celebrated our 10,000th Twitter follower last month, allowing us to regularly reach and harness a large and engaged audience with our work.
for the organisation. The group has already provided useful input as we develop the programme for the Leadership Convention in November 2015 and our aim is to create more direct opportunities for our members to engage in our work.
Membership categories During 2014-15 we undertook a review of our Full and Associate membership packages and benefits. In so doing we decided that the Associate Membership would better serve our members if we grouped likeminded organisations together.
Member engagement As a member organisation, ensuring that we understand and meet the expectations of our members is a core part of what we do. Over the last year we have strengthened the way we engage with our members. One example is the creation of our membership reference group, whose membership we will refresh annually, as a sounding board
We have, therefore, created three new membership categories for 2015-16 and introduced bespoke benefits and subscriptions for each: • Developing Organisation Membership • Counties and Regions Membership • International Membership
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FORWARD LOOK 2015 Highlights from our plans for the rest of the year We’re creating an Equalities Plan to support efforts across the sector to make sure that everyone, regardless of their race, sexuality, age, ability or sex, gets an equal chance to participate in sport and recreation.
We will continue our partnership with the Outdoor Industries Association to consult with the sector on an outdoor strategy for government, delivering a plan to the Minister of Sport by the Autumn .
We’re putting together a High Performing Organisation Group from within the Alliance staff to ensure that the staff experience continues to grow and improve.
Over the coming year we will continue to support the Sport Betting Group’s engagement with relevant stakeholders on improvements to the sports betting integrity regime. In addition, we will support the group’s objective to share good practice and understanding of the risks around sports betting as widely as possible. We will also maintain a watching brief on emerging legislation, both in the UK and in Europe, that may impact on efforts to protect the integrity of sport.
We’ll deliver a series of reports, hold in-depth discussions and develop useful tools to help ensure that our members are Fit For The Future as part of our programme of the same name.
In response to member demand, we will host a series of workshops focused on commercial capacity and expertise for our members across the country.
We, alongside our partners at the Professional Players Federation and Mind, will work with signatories to the Mental Health Charter to help them implement the spirit of the pledges they have made. We will hold an event in October to celebrate progress and to share ideas.
During the year we co-ordinated meetings of a number of key organisations across the sporting landscape, including sportscoach UK, sportsgroup, UK Active, SPORTA, CIMSPA, CSPN and Skills Active to try and agree an aspirational aim of working towards a ‘joined-up’ landscape for sport and recreation. This work will continue in 201516 so that, by working together, we can make life easier for our stakeholders and partners through the production of a joint events calendar, sharing data, developing bi-lateral agreements, producing joint responses on consultations and working together to identify sources of funding.
Helped by the University of Sheffield, we will conduct our biennial survey of sports clubs – which we hope will be our biggest yet and which, for the first time, will help us benchmark against European clubs.
We will be consulting closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to ensure that the Government’s new strategy for sport and physical activity reflects the ambitions of the sector, described in our Ministers’ To-Do List project.
We want to continue to grow the size and the usefulness of the Alliance Directors Club, forging relationships with new partners and enhancing the benefits to members along the way.
We will deliver another high quality Leadership Convention building on the success of last year. Taking place in Nottingham on 3 - 4 November it will focus on ‘using Leadership to build for the future’. Through plenary discussions, workshops and bite-size updates we will help our members build their organisations and personal leadership skills.
We will disseminate and promote our joint guidance on concussion in school sport.
We will be working with Public Health England to embed physical activity into public health policy and to work towards a single and widely understood recommendation of physical activity levels.