SportsNation issue 6 2024

3 Former Olympians look to transform leisure centre developments

BOOM PADEL

From the publisher Padel Power

While news headlines have been dominated by the political plans and ambitions of a new government, you might also have noticed that the UK has gone crazy for padel. With new courts and clubs opening or being planned in just about every city and major town (and many smaller ones too), the sport is set to make a profound difference to the UK’s sporting landscape.

added to an existing facility – whether as part of a multi-sport offering, a health club or even a corporate facility – it will be the best run clubs that create a community and a welcoming, fun environment, that will go on to succeed.

LTA, as the National Governing Body for padel, recently produced its strategy for growing the game (see page 50) and has backed this up and signalled its confidence in the sport with significant investment in its own centre in Nottingham.

Part of the reason for the success of the game is how easy it is to pick up and enjoy, with many people seeing their skills develop quite quickly. Apps, padel-specific websites and inclub competitions make it easy for players to get games, either with friends or fellow players of a comparable level. And, at the moment, there is more than enough demand to ensure high levels of court occupancy and provide operators with a healthy level of return.

As the sport continues this rapid expansion, there will no doubt be winners and losers in what will fast become a very competitive market. Whether as standalone operations or

As part of the work to ensure a high level of facility standards, SAPCA has worked with LTA to produce a code of practice to help guide anyone looking to build courts and invest in the sport.

All this, together with advice, guidance, market research and expert opinions will be in The Padel Book that we are producing at the end of the year in partnership with SAPCA and LTA.

It’s in all our interests to see padel succeed, with quality padel developments adding to the diverse physical activity offering and making movement fun and accessible. Let’s make it happen.

John Challinor, Publisher

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Tom Walker Editor

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E: tom@nationmedia.uk

John Challinor Publisher

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03 From the publisher

Padel is easy it is to pick up and enjoy – and that’s why the UK is going crazy over the sport, with new facilities and courts opening weekly

07 News

The latest industry news from around the sports and physical activity sector

24 UK Coaching goes royal

UK Coaching CEO, Mark Gannon, on why a recent event at Buckingham Palace was an important reminder of the importance of coaching

26 Column: SAPCA

Developing a 3G pitch doesn’t mean we have to choose a “winner” between health outcomes and the environment

6 / 24

28 Event review: SAPCA Technical Meeting

This year’s SAPCA Technical was held in new surroundings and attracted a record crowd

34 Column: ukactive

Huw Edwards, ukactive Chief Executive, explains why the new Active Standard will unify and raise standards in the UK

36 Interview: Becky Adlington, Steve Parry and Adrian Turner

Three former Olympians have teamed up to both get more children swimming and to transform the way and leisure centre are built in the UK

46 Growing the grassroots – football

A detailed look at the new FA strategy to grow participation and the number of community clubs

50 The padel boom What is in the LTA’s new strategy for padel, which was published in September?

62 In conversation: Marina Logacheva SportsNation speaks to Marina Logacheva, the disability sports lead for marketing agency, Make It Matta 66 STAr quality A report from the STA’s national conference, which attracted more than 260 aquatic professionals

66 Event preview: SPATEX

Column: Play Scotland Involving children in decision making is crucial

Huw

Mark Gannon

SportsNation is the single, authoritative voice for the provision, delivery, maintenance and management of sports and physical activity facilities. Published bi-monthly, the magazine focuses on the people, places, policies and products that help to build active communities throughout the UK. Subscribe now and we will email you a complimentary copy of the magazine every two months.

As the official magazine of SAPCA (the Sports and Play Construction Association), every issue of the magazine will also include information about technical guidance, funding, standards and product innovations.

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is protected by copyright and no part may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any print or electronic format without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this publication and SportsNation accepts no responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. Opinions expressed by the contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher and we do not accept responsibility of losses or damages arising from them.

Sport in England generates more than £100 billion in social value

The annual social value of community sport and physical activity in England has been calculated at £107.2bn.

According to a research report by Sport England – called The Social Value of Sport and Physical Activity in England – the value is made up of £96.7bn in annual wellbeing value for adults, children and young people taking part and volunteering in sport and physical activity.

A further £10.5bn is made in wider savings to the health and social care system a year, through relieving pressure on the NHS by means of prevention of illness, reduced mental health service usage, fewer GP visits and a reduced need for informal (unpaid) care.

The research – which was based on an in-depth analysis of Sport England’s Active Lives data – was undertaken in partnership with social value advisors State of Life, Sheffield Hallam University

and Manchester Metropolitan University. It also reviewed wider evidence for the health benefits of being active (including the costs associated with the treatment and care of illness and poor health), the research reveals the profound

social and economic benefits of sport and physical activity for communities across England.

Professor Chris Whitty, CMO for England, said: “Being physically active is one of the best things we can do to stay healthy.”

ECB updates strategy - plans 450 new urban cricket venues

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has updated its strategy for cricket, covering the next strategic cycle to the end of 2028.

Alongside the updates to its Inspiring Generations strategy, the national governing body has published a number of action plans, designed to remove

barriers to entry to the sport and to drive equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) across cricket.

These include investing £3.5m in the most ethnically diverse areas in England and Wales by 2027 and building 450 new facilities in urban areas as part of the Ethnically Diverse Communities Action Plan

Sport is estimated to create £96.7bn in annual wellbeing value

PHOTO: SPORT ENGLAND

PHOTO:

The ECB has identified six action plans for the next four years

London Sport’s new database will help target investment to clubs

London Sport has created and launched a new database which covers 6,891 sports clubs across all London boroughs.

The resource is set to play a key role in strengthening community ties and fostering active lifestyles in the capital. The dataset – which provides a detailed snapshot of where sports clubs are located within London, down to ward level – will allow local authorities and community groups to better target investment and support where it is most needed.

The new resource will also allow the Greater London Authority to incorporate sport and physical activity into its Civic Strength Index, which means there is no longer need to reach out to clubs individually. This will speed up the process and ensuring accurate, comprehensive data collection.

The database was created as part of the Civic Data Innovation

Challenge (CDIC), using funding from the GLA as well as the nonprofit Impact on Urban Health. Indy Sahota, Engagement Manager at London Sport, said: “On this project, London Sport’s established relationships with key stakeholders helped us source

and collate data effectively. By developing strong partnerships, we were able to invite honest feedback on the data we collected and ultimately create an effective database with strong data to ensure maximum engagement. As a result, the data we hold is invaluable.”

Sport has positive effect on kids’ mental health

A new report shows that there is “strong and consistent evidence” that sport and physical activity interventions have positive effects on the diagnosed mental health problems of children and young people.

The Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Physical Activity report – which was produced by Edge Hill University – collated and reviewed existing research from 143 studies.

Among the key findings from the report was that aerobic exercise was the most common mode of physical activity intervention used, and this had a moderate effect on depression.

According to Sport England, the results will be used to “better inform” its decision-making on children and young people – one of the five ‘big issues’ in its Uniting the Movement strategy.

The new resource is set to play a key role in strengthening community ties

PHOTO: LONDON SPORT

UEFA to invest €1bn in women’s football

Football’s European governing body, UEFA, has launched a new women’s football strategy with the ambition of making it the most played team sport among women and girls in every European country. Called Unstoppable, the strategy looks to build on the game’s incredible growth in recent years and has been developed in collaboration with football stakeholders across Europe.

The document covers the period from 2024 to 30 and outlines UEFA’s vision for the

game and its desire to build on the success of its previous plan launched in 2019, Time for Action.

To support the strategy, UEFA has committed €1bn to the women’s game through senior and youth national team competitions, club competitions, distributions to clubs and national associations, and development activities.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin: “Unstoppable is our road map to lay the groundwork for a sustainable future, unlocking the full potential of women’s football.”

The FA publishes new strategy to grow sport

The Football Association (FA) has launched a five-year, landmark strategy to grow and develop grassroots football in England.

Called A Thriving Grassroots Game, the new strategy aims to support sustainable growth over the next four years, with projections anticipating a further 220,000 new players across 15,000 new teams by 2028.

The strategy has been developed in collaboration with the County FA network and follows what the FA describes as “the biggest ever consultation process with the grassroots game across England”.

The new strategy outlines three key drivers to deliver on the game changer priorities:

• Support thriving community clubs

• Connect and serve participants

• Progress the game’s governance

FA CEO, Mark Bullingham, said: “Football has incredible power to unite communities.”

For a full report on the new strategy, see page 46.

Glasgow confirmed as host for downscaled 2026 CWG

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has officially confirmed Glasgow as the host city of the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG).

The 23rd edition of the Games will take place from Thursday 23 July to Sunday 2 August 2026, returning to the city 12 years after the 2014

Commonwealth Games. Glasgow 2026 will feature a smaller, 10-sport programme concentrated across four venues within an eight-mile corridor. The venues are Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Emirates Arena – including the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, and the Scottish Event Campus (SEC).

PEOPLE NEWS

Boardman: “sport must lead on climate change”

Sport England chair, Chris Boardman, has reiterated his call for sport to be a key player in the worldwide fight against climate change.

The former Olympic cycling champion attended COP29, where he said he wants the sector to lead the way because of its “immense reach into every community”, as well as the “power of its star personalities to advocate on a global level”.

Boardman said: “Not only is this an approach that will work with climate change, it’s

Culture, Media and Sport Committee appointed

The House of Commons has formally appointed the membership of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Dame Caroline Dinenage (Conservative) was elected unopposed as chair of the committee by all members of the House of Commons in September.

The individual members are: Bayo Alaba (Labour) Mims Davies (Conservative), Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat), James Frith (Labour), Dr Rupa Huq (Labour), Natasha Irons (Labour), Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat), Jo Platt (Labour), Tom Rutland (Labour) and Paul Waugh (Labour).

Party seat allocations across and within committees is proportionate to the number of MPs elected to the House of Commons at the general election, with the precise number negotiated between the party whips through the Committee of Selection.

Each party has its own internal processes for naming its nominations

to fill its seats on committees. Individual nominees put forward by political parties were agreed in the House of Commons, following a Committee of Selection meeting. Some committees still carry one or two vacancies.

Details of meetings and the Committee’s forward programme – including those related to sport and physical activity – will be announced in due course.

possibly the only one that will.

“I hold this positive outlook because I can see the thousand small, practical changes we can make that, if enacted by every leader, person, community and sector, will see us prevail.

For those incremental actions to be made, we need to be able to reach out into the world of business and down into the heart of communities to motivate and galvanise action. I believe only sport has the ability to do this.”

Jersey Sport has named Andrew Whelan as its new chair. Whelan, who is currently Executive Director at Jersey-based Tenn Capital, will be tasked with leading the Jersey Sport Board of Directors, managing its overall performance, reporting and governance. Whelan represented Jersey in Basketball and rugby and has a strong corporate background.

PHOTO: JERSEY SPORT

Jersey Sport appoints Andrew Whelan

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37 facility projects in Wales to share £3.5m worth of funding

A total of 37 projects are set to share £3.5m worth of Welsh Government funding, with the view to widening access to sports and physical activity.

Allocated by Sport Wales, the funding will be spread across a wide range of facility projects.

These include creating more artificial pitches in places that need them most and also supporting some of Wales’ most talented athletes.

Projects include the resurfacing of the athletics track at the Pembrokeshire Sports Village, which will receive £191,253, while Sport Wales has worked together with the Football Association of Wales, Welsh Rugby Union and Hoci Cymru to allocate funding towards a number of new synthetic sports pitches in Port Talbot, Wrexham, Cwmbran, Colwyn Bay and Haverfordwest.

Elsewhere, the funding will help create the first-ever Centre of Excellence for Welsh Boxing, a series

Funding will go towards a number of new 3G pitches

of upgrades at The Wales National Pool and the National Hockey Centre, improvements to the performance gym at the National Indoor Athletics Centre, and the installation of 2,000 more seats at the House of Sport venue in Cardiff – the home of performance netball in Wales.

Sport Wales CEO, Brian Davies, said: “We received a high level of applications from local authorities, sport governing bodies and national partners for a share of this funding and prioritised projects that would make the biggest impact on making sport more inclusive.”

Soul Padel to open permanent site in Stockport

Soul Padel will open a permanent, four-court padel facility in Stockport. Located adjacent to a store operated by sports goods retailer Decathlon, the courts are set to open in early Spring 2025.

The venue will feature canopy-covered courts and a clubhouse and is being launched following the success of Soul Padel’s temporary Stockport courts, which saw growing demand and consistent bookings.

According to Mark Hewlett, founder of Soul Padel, the expansion of the plans for the Stockport site signal the company’s continued commitment to growing padel in the UK, ensuring that the sport “remains affordable and accessible to everyone”.

Soul Padel has also invested in coaching programmes which aim to develop and improve the skills of players of all ages and abilities.

The venue will feature four canopy-covered courts

PHOTO: SPORT WALES

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Bathing water quality tests could be extended to water sports

Plans are being considered to change the way bathing water quality is monitored and tested in England and Wales.

Currently, bathing waters are officially designated outdoor swimming sites. England and Wales have more than 550 designated bathing waters, which are monitored by the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. Annual ratings classify each site as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’ on the basis of water quality.

The proposed changes include expanding the legal definition of ‘bathers’ to include participants in water sports other than swimming, including paddle boarders and surfers.

Other changes include the introducing multiple testing points at bathing water sites and the removal of fixed bathing water season dates (which currently runs

The term ‘bathers’ could be changed to include participants in water sports

from May to September) from the regulations to allow for a more flexible approach to monitoring.

Ben Seal, Head of Access and Environment at Paddle UK, on behalf of the Clean Water Sports Alliance said: “Access to clean, healthy, nature-rich blue spaces is

crucial to the health and wellbeing of millions of people around the UK.

“We are a water sports nation, however, as a result of the recent sewage scandals, the public have become increasingly fearful of getting sick, doing the activity they love.”

Women and girls’ 3G hub for Haverfordwest

Haverfordwest County AFC has revealed plans to develop an artificial football pitch at its Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium in Pembrokeshire.

The club has secured funding from the Cymru Football Foundation and Sport Wales to install a third generation (3G) playing surface.

The work will be carried out by SAPCA member, South Wales Sports Grounds, and the 3G pitch will be accompanied by the creation of a specific female football hub, designed to support the development of female football in Pembrokeshire.

According to Mikey Loveridge, head of women’s and girls’ football at Haverfordwest County AFC, the arrival of the new pitch “opens doors for exciting possibilities”, including the establishment of a Haverfordwest County AFC women’s team.

The new 3G pitch will replace the existing grass pitch at the stadium

PHOTO: MIRCEA

The funding has been designed to help Active Partnerships to tackle inequality and inactivity

Active Partnerships to share £25m on place-based work

Sport England has earmarked £25m worth of funding, to be spent across the national network of 43 Active Partnerships.

The funding, through the Place Universal Offer, has been designed to support Active Partnerships to help tackle inequality and inactivity.

According to Sport England, the investment will help “create the conditions for change” and to “support different parts of the sector to work together”. It will also help partners evaluate the

impact they’re having in their most important communities.

The Place Universal Offer is part of the £250 million of National Lottery funding being invested into local communities across England in the next five years.

According to Sport England CEO, Tim Hollingsworth, the funding will help provide targeted interventions.

“Everyone in society has the right to take part in, and enjoy, playing sport and being active,” Hollingsworth said.

Funding to help flooddamaged facilities

Sport England has opened its Movement Fund to applications for emergency flood relief support from sports organisations affected by the recent storms across England.

Sport England said it will prioritise supporting sports and activities that need to recover quickly. This means that “spring and summer sports”, or where activity is not scheduled to take place for several weeks, will be a lower priority.

The Movement Fund eligibility criteria will apply to organisations seeking emergency relief funding. Organisations applying will need to confirm they have any relevant permissions required to carry out the work.

Applications should submit evidence of damage which is directly attributable to the recent flooding. This should be in the form of photographs or reports of the damage that has occurred. The funding can be used to cover the costs related to bringing facilities back to operations.

Ellen White 3G pitch opens in Derbyshire

Former Lioness, Ellen White MBE, has officially opened a pitch named after her at Glossop North End Community Club in Derbyshire.

The 3G pitch and two-team changing pavilion has been delivered thanks to a £1.55 million grant from the Football Foundation. It is one of 30 Football Foundation-

funded pitches that are being named after each of the Lionesses to honour their victory at the UEFA Women’s EURO and their inspirational performance at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Lioness legacy pitches form a key part of the Football Foundation’s HERe To Play campaign.

LEON TAYLOR

Olympic Medallist, Speaker, Coach, Mentor, Author, BBC Commentator, Active IQ Alumni

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Encourage athletes to think about what comes next after their sports careers and the importance of having a plan in place.

The ‘Beyond Gold’ campaign is designed to motivate athletes to envision a future beyond their sporting achievements. As we celebrate the 2024 Olympics, we want athletes to consider developing career skills alongside their athletic ambitions and to prepare for a fulfilling life after their professional sports careers.

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YFM backs MBO of sports surface specialist, Replay Maintenance

YFM Equity Partners (YFM) has backed the management buyout (MBO) of SAPCA member, Replay Maintenance – one of the UK’s leading providers of synthetic sports surface maintenance and installation.

Replay, specialises in the maintenance of athletics tracks, 3G pitches, tennis courts, waterbased hockey pitches and sandfilled/dressed sports surfaces.

YFM’s £6.5 million MBO investment will help Replay to achieve further growth by building upon its existing client base, pursuing new business and cementing its position as a leader in the UK market.

Nick Harris, Replay Maintenance’s MD, said: “With YFM’s support, we are now primed to continue our scale up – leveraging our long-standing reputation for service delivery and expertise to open up opportunities with new clients and boost our offering for our existing clients.

“The YFM team will help to steer our progress, offering expert commercial insight every step of the way.”

Stephen Murray, Investment Director at YFM, added: “Replay Maintenance has already nurtured a really strong position as a go-

to provider of synthetic sports surface services in the UK.

“The business is a major player in the market, and with YFM’s backing and Nick’s leadership, it can now capitalise further on its reputation – achieving its growth ambitions faster.”

STA and Swim England sign historic partnership

The Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) and Swim England have entered into a strategic partnership for the first time in history.

The two organisations have drawn up a memorandum of understanding with the aim of fostering collaboration in the swimming sector for the betterment of its stakeholders and the wider sector.

The agreement will see the two parties work closer together to promote the many benefits of aquatic activity, with a shared purpose to see everyone in England have the opportunity to swim and to see every teacher vacancy filled.

They will also continue to campaign for people across the country to have access to pools and blue spaces. It is the first time the two organisations have entered such a partnership.

The Replay management team – Sean Cook, Amy Hart, Nick Harris & Tony Aitchison

GM Moving secures extension with Sport England

Sport England has renewed its “unique agreement” with Greater Manchester Moving (GM Moving), the active partnership for the region.

An updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations, which outlines a refreshed commitment to “tackle health inequalities through movement”, was signed during a celebratory event at Leigh Sports Village. The MoU was first signed in 2016 and last refreshed in 2019. Over

the last decade, communities, organisations and institutions in Greater Manchester have worked together under the GM Moving umbrella, described as a ‘movement for movement’ to deliver active lives for all.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Greater Manchester was reducing inactivity twice as quick as the national rate.

Since then, it has also shown signs of a faster recovery than the national average and inactivity rates have stabilised.

WSBSPORT and Padel Ventures sign deal

WSBSPORT, a leading provider of consultancy services for the global sports industry, has announced a strategic partnership with Padel Ventures. This collaboration marks WSBSPORT’s official entry into the UK market.

Through the partnership, WSBSPORT and Padel Ventures will provide planning, consulting and development services to individuals, businesses, and organisations looking to establish or expand padel facilities in the UK.

“We are very pleased to announce Gareth Evans of Padel Ventures will be part of our UK entry strategy,” said Pierfrancesco Iazeolla, CEO of WSBSPORT. “Gareth brings almost 20 years’ of experience in sport as a professional athlete and business consultant. As a result, he knows the industry extremely well and draws on a rich network to support our mission to introduce high-quality padel services to the UK market.”

Gerflor launches new ecodesigned sports flooring

SAPCA member, Gerflor, has launched its new Taraflex flooring solution, an eco-designed product that reduces carbon emissions without compromising on its technical performance.

Commenting on the sustainability features of Taraflex, David Carter, Gerflor’s National Sales Manager

for Sports Flooring, said: “Thanks to its high natural and recycled content and comprehensive eco-design, Taraflex achieves a 43% smaller carbon footprint than the previous version.

“81% of the new Taraflex sports flooring is made from salt, recycled content, bio content, and chalk”.

Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester (left) with Sport England CEO, Tim Hollingsworth

Gerflor’s Taraflex is suitable for a wide range of sports

The charity breaking barriers to help women to enjoy swimming

A charity is breaking down cultural barriers in order to help women from the Asian community in the West Midlands to enjoy the benefits of regular swimming.

Opening Boundaries – a nonprofit organisation that operates campaigns globally – is staging four weekly women-only swim sessions at Wordsley Primary School and Crystal Leisure Centre in Stourbridge. The sessions regularly attract more than 80 participants of all ages and abilities – including three generations of one family.

The success of the swimming project, developed with the support of Swim England, was recently heralded on the national stage with a nomination at the Sporting Equals Awards.

Volunteer, Farah Ahmed, whose sister Halima created Opening Boundaries in 2015, explained: “The swim project came about after Covid

and was the result of a conversation I had with a friend while out on a walk.

“She was keen to swim regularly but wanted to do so in an environment that was specifically for Asian women. I told her I’d have a look to see if we could do anything and that’s where it all started.

“The whole aim was to get women in the pool.

“Some of those who had attended had had bad experiences in the past and we wanted to give them a safe space in which they could either learn to swim or just enjoy the freedom of being in water.”

Sunderland AFC invests in lighting upgrade

SAPCA member, Thorn, and Zumtobel – lighting brands of the Zumtobel Group – have announced a partnership with English Championship club, Sunderland AFC, to provide a comprehensive lighting upgrade at the club’s home venue, Stadium of Light. The project represents part of the club’s most significant investment in its stadium in over two decades and aligns with Sunderland AFC’s long-term sustainability goals, including its aim to become energy self-sufficient by 2028.

The lighting upgrade has delivered an improved matchday experience for fans, both in-stadium and watching live on TV – due to flicker measurements and light level assessments. The project extends beyond the stadium itself, encompassing the club’s training facilities.

The project was launched with the help of Swim England

The Thorn/Zumtobel team at Sunderland AFC PHOTO:

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Coaching excellence

UK Coaching CEO, Mark Gannon, talks to SportsNation about why a recent event at Buckingham Palace was an important reminder of the importance of coaching

More than 300 Olympic and Paralympic coaches were celebrated at Buckingham Palace to recognise their remarkable contribution to sport in the UK. Created in partnership with UK Coaching and UK Sport, the event, on 22 October, recognised both Olympic and Paralympic coaches with plaudits led by UK Coaching patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. The reception marked the first time that coaches in the UK have been recognised to this scale, with calls made to ensure coaches are supported ongoing to be able to continue playing the pivotal role of supporting others at every level of sport. UK Coaching CEO Mark Gannon attended the Palace and reflected on the invaluable role coaches play supporting the health, well-being and happiness of the nation.

PHOTO: SPORT ENGLAND

PHOTO: UK COACHING

The event was attended by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal (second from right)

Mark Gannon:

“For us to be able to give coaches the opportunity to attend Buckingham Palace and be celebrated was such a significant moment, and testament to the incredible work delivered every day by coaches in enabling and supporting athletes.

UK Coaching’s purpose is to be here for the coach - building a healthier and happier nation through great coaching – it cannot be understated how essential coaches are in delivering wider social value through sport.

“Nearly 13 million people across the UK are coached and receive the direct benefits of being supported to be physically active. Coaches by nature are leaders, often pillars of their community, and will long continue to facilitate the accessible and inclusive opportunities we need to live active lives. But they need the support to do this.

“The picture of health and well-being in this country would look very different without coaches.

Those coaches recognised at Buckingham Palace don’t just support elite athletes – so often they are giving back to the grassroots and changing lives through the power of sport.

“UK Coaching exists to represent coaches across all activities and at all levels, to help them to develop and best support athletes or participants. Ultimately, they are the people that make sport happen across the UK, it all stops without those willing to selflessly give their time, caring for those they coach. We have a collective duty to repay that commitment.

“Helping the coaching community keep themselves up to date with the right knowledge and training is essential, we want to ensure that coaches are supported equally, as people, within sport and physical activity. So often, those who care for others can be overlooked - we simply cannot take the amazing coaching workforce for granted.”

More than 173,000 coaches now use UK Coaching’s learning content

Change is needed - but in a meaningful way

Richard Shaw CEO SAPCA

On a certain evening every week, I drive a diesel car 20 miles to deposit my daughter at her football training, which takes place on a synthetic turf pitch with rubber infill. Around 50 parents do the same thing at the same site – as I’m sure thousands will be across the country each night.

Now, I use the terms “synthetic turf” and “rubber infill” because I know that’s what they are. But the other night, during my daughter’s training, one of those other 50 parents made a comment – innocently, I might add – describing the playing surface as a “plastic pitch” with “black tire crumbs” on it.

My first reaction was to correct them. But then I stopped to think – they were, literally speaking, right. Hearing those terms made me think. Did hearing the word “plastic” make me feel at odds with the direction that I often talk about in professional life? Did I want to correct the other parent because their talking about plastic was difficult to square with my belief in the importance of playing an active part of making sport and play as carbon neutral as possible.

Importantly, did other parents feel that playing on a synthetic surface was somehow a “lesser of two evils”, the other being having a physically inactive child? Because let’s face it – without 3G pitches, there wouldn’t be a lot of grassroots football training going on anywhere in the country during the evenings between October and April.

The conversation with the other parent resulted in a bit of introspection and reflection. This led to the conclusion that, for me, the work being done to look at how we mitigate the impact and lower carbon emissions – including the newly

We don’t have to choose a winner between health outcomes and the environment

launched SAPCA statement of recycling of artificial turf – shows to me that this isn’t a zerosum game. We don’t have to choose a winner between health outcomes and the environment. There is a balance to be struck between the two.

We should look at how we can reduce all aspects of carbon footprints, but this must be done in a rounded and holistic manner. Many people believe that buying an electric car is good for the environment, but some experts say that keeping an old car running is better overall.

Our instincts may be to rip up and change the system but let’s make sure we aren’t guilty of change because we want to see change. Let’s make sure we are changing for something meaningful. Let’s keep asking the question of ourselves and others – ‘can we do more?’

Sport offers huge societal and health benefits

MATIMIX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Getting Technical

The annual SAPCA Technical Meeting took place at the University of Nottingham on 13 November

This year’s SAPCA Technical Meeting was a historic one, as it was the first one held outside Loughborough University since the event’s launch in November 2010. The new surroundings at the East Midlands Conference Centre, which is part of the University of Nottingham campus, provided a fresh look for the one of the sports facility construction industry’s most popular gatherings.

Be future ready

With a record number of 223 delegates in attendance, the 2024 edition was kicked off by former Microsoft technology leader, Allister Frost. Frost delivered a thought-provoking keynote on the importance of having a futureready mindset. His core message was that change is inevitable in every area of life –and it is down to us to help manage it and benefit from it by being prepared for it.

The event began with a keynote on “future ready minds” by

Allister Frost

“If you’d sit down with a notepad and write down your predictions of all the things that could change around you – either in business or in your personal life – you will quickly realise that there are plenty of things that will change,” Frost said.

“The acceleration of artificial intelligence (AI) is just one which could result in huge changes in technology, society and a number of other areas.

He highlighted how, for many, change can be a scary prospect – because change is often associated with risk and the ‘unknown’. “Because

we don’t always know the outcome of change, we sometimes fear change,” Frost said.

“Change can also be challenging because it often takes us out of our comfort zone. And by our comfort zone I mean a psychological area in which we feel at ease and in control.

“The problem, however, is that the comfort zone is also a creative dead zone. I often use pizzas as an analogy. If you go to a pizza restaurant, the different fillings, crusts and styles mean that there are thousands of different combinations available. Yet how many of us always order our favourite – which was probably chosen after trying just two or three options?

“Why is that relevant? Because it’s highly likely that we’ve never tasted the perfect pizza for us, as a result of us picking the one we know about – which is in our comfort zone.”

Frost encouraged delegates to have an open mind to change and to constantly ask ‘why’.

“How often do you ask ‘why’? Do you ever challenge the status quo? Do you question why you – or your business – is doing things in a certain way? If you begin peeling away the

layers, there are so many things in our work lives that don’t make any sense any more. Be future-ready and don’t just do something because ‘you’ve always done it’ that way.”

Sustainable practices

The keynote was followed by a session offering delegates an update on the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprints (PEF) initiative and its category rules (RL) – and their possible impacts on the UK.

PEF is based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, which evaluates the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle. This includes every stage from raw material extraction to production, use, and final disposal.

The PEF CR for synthetic turf has two subcategories: sport and landscape. It assesses environmental performance across 16 key Environmental Impact Categories – as prescribed by the European Commission – and also the potential for microplastic migration from a surface. The higher the score, the more “bad” the surface is deemed to be for the environment.

PHOTO: TOM WALKER

PHOTO: TOM WALKER

PHOTO: TOM WALKER

The busy exhibition and networking area

Adnan Zeb-Khan

This year’s event featured more than 220 delegates

Alastair Cox

Events

Networking is an important part of the annual meeting

During the session, Prof. Alastair Cox, Technical Director of EMEA Synthetic Turf Council (ESTC), explained how the environmental footprints are calculated and how each individual PEF study needs to be externally verified by independent lifecycle assessment experts.

“The aim of PEF is for it to accelerate the development of environmentally sensitive turf systems,” Cox said. “For synthetic turf the focus is on the overall PEF score and the 7 biggest impact categories. These categories provide a comprehensive view of a product’s environmental impact, helping companies and consumers identify the most environmentally compatible products.”

Standards

Sustainability was also at the heart of another session, which focused on recycling – in particular synthetic turf carpet – and the future challenges faced in the UK. Adnan ZebKhan, Project Manager at Carpet Recycling UK, urged industries to work together, especially when communicating with the government.

“As an industry, we need to engage with the Environment Agency and DEFRA,” Zeb-Khan said. “Because they are the ones enforcing legislation, but their knowledge about the products the industry produces is limited.”

Tennis was well-represented at this year’s event, with the return of two sessions hosted by the SAPCA Tennis Division. The double session featured some lively discussions around topics such as climate change, water attenuation and draining within tennis court design and construction. Also on the agenda was the future direction – and priorities – of the Tennis Division.

Another session which dealt with a current topic was one looking at the current standards for shock pads in Europe. Delivered by Martin Laidler, International Sales Manager at Trocellen, the sessions offered delegates insights into how the minimum performance and durability requirements for shock pads – used within synthetic turf systems – are measured.

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Events

Professor David James, CEO of Labosport, led a session on hybrid turf pitches in elite football

In particular, there was a detailed look at EN 15330-4 adopted by The European Committee for Standardization (CEN). The standard describes how the performance of a shock pad or elastic layer shall be measured and the results classified in a common format.

The standard is designed to enable developers and other buyers of sports surfacing systems to select the most appropriate shock pad or elastic layer for their intended sports surface. It ensures that shock pads, which comply with the new norm, have been extensively tested on performance, longevity and to the toxicology and environment compatibility – and also comply with international rules and bodies such as FIFA (football) and FIH (hockey). Other sessions included a look at the latest research in sports surfacing and the work of the CEN working group. The day also included a meeting of the Women in SAPCA networking group

Networking

With a record-breaking attendance and new venue, the SAPCA Technical Meeting not only provided a comprehensive programme of seminars and workshops, but also an invaluable

opportunity for networking. The educational programme was followed by a networking dinner, during which SAPCA members and other delegates raised £1,340 in aid of the Be More Laura Foundation, which helps to fund and support research specific to Glioblastoma. The foundation has been SAPCA’s dedicated charity for 2024 and the total raised by members during the year totals £7,280.

“Since its launch in 2010, the SAPCA Technical Meeting has grown to become a crucial date in the industry calendar, providing an unparalleled programme of seminars and workshops on the most important technical topics of the day,” says Colin Corline, SAPCA’s Technical Lead.

“Networking is also a big part of the event and it was great to see so many colleagues from across the sports and play industry, representing national governing bodies of sport and other key sector organisations.

“I think the new venue worked really well too – the planning for next year’s event starts now!”

The Active Standard will unify and raise standards in the UK

Huw Edwards CEO ukactive

In late 2020, ukactive’s then Chair, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, set out a vision for standards in the sector going forward. At that time, the sector – like all the nation – was a hostage to the COVID-19 pandemic, with facilities in and out of operation and a deeper lockdown incoming in early 2021. It was our ability to prove our safety in 2021 that saw physical activity facilities opening earlier than other sectors and services, saving our collective industry hundreds of millions in the process.

Tanni projected that standards would play an even bigger role in our sector going forward with “trust being everything… for our customers, our lawmakers, and our future partners” and that we now face issues that are more than just health and safety – that equally, societal issues will ultimately define reputations.

TAS is a baseline certification aligned with the industry’s existing standard schemes, FITcert and Quest

In that vision for standards, Tanni set out the path that leads to a major milestone today: the launch of The Active Standard.

The standard, known also as ‘TAS’, has been designed for all operator members – whether from the private, public or independent parts of the sector – and comes free of charge as part of a ukactive membership.

‘TAS’ is a baseline certification aligned with the industry’s existing standard schemes, FITcert and Quest, and provides an opportunity for operators to demonstrate their quality and compliance with UK law, therefore building consumer trust and improving reputation and resilience.

To achieve The Active Standard, operator members are assessed by a third-party assessment body against a strict criteria covering requirements for health and safety compliance, professional standards, safeguarding measures and data protection. Certification lasts three years before re-assessment is required to ensure standards are maintained.

We want TAS to provide current and future ukactive operators with the confidence that they are meeting key legal requirements and wider standards. We want it to reassure them that they’re successfully operating within the everchanging and complex regulatory world while anticipating the changes in societal and customer need that supports their inclusive services.

TAS marks a significant milestone for the entire sector as we unite to raise standards at fitness and leisure facilities right across the UK.

SWIMMING RECREATING

Three former Olympians have teamed up with a simple mission – to get more children swimming. Tom Walker speaks to Becky Adlington, Steve Parry and Adrian Turner and discovers how their venture could transform the way swimming pools and leisure centres are built in the UK

Since calling time on their elite swimming careers, three former Olympians – Steve Parry, Becky Adlington and Adrian Turner – have been busy working in grassroots swimming. The trio share a passionate belief: that every child should have the opportunity to learn and enjoy swimming.

Having retired from competitive swimming in 2005, Parry and Turner set up Total Swimming Group, which initially specialised in learn to swim sessions. In addition to swimming teaching and getting involved in campaigns such as Get Safe for Summer – run by Swim England – the company came up with an innovative concept. They began installing mobile (or temporary), swimming pools into local schools, often in sports halls, in a bid to help children learn to swim and understand water safety.

The concept led to one of Total Swimming’s most high-profile early projects, the delivery of the highly successful Pools 4 Schools programme. The initiative, sponsored by British Gas, saw temporary swimming pools being installed across England and enabled tens of thousands of children to learn to swim. Its success led the campaign to being recognised, in 2013, by then Prime Minister David Cameron with a Big Society Award.

“The focus of the Pools 4 Schools programme was to help young people achieve the National Curriculum target of swimming 25m and to understand water

We built the pools in playgrounds, parks, in sports halls – everywhere we could

safety,” Parry recalls. “The results were excellent. Less than 20 per cent of children in some schools had previously met targets, but after one half term of lessons, 84 per cent in one year group achieved them.”

Turner says the idea to use temporary pools came from their experiences as high-performance athletes. “As elite swimmers, we’d been spoiled by the venues we had the privilege of swimming at – such as the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, the Manchester Arena and a number of other major venues that had temporary pools installed in them,” Turner explains.

“We wanted to take the concept – having amazing, above-ground tanks – and deliver the same experience for children. From there, the British Gas Pools for Schools and “Make a Splash” programme were born.”

Make a Splash was one of the Mayor of London’s flagship sports legacy programmes and brought

mobile swimming pools to locations across London for 12 weeks at a time. The project was designed to increase participation in sport and physical activity and tackle social issues by locating the pools where they were most needed – such as schools and community sites. It was delivered in partnership with Swim England and Thames Water and brought temporary pools to more than 40 venues across London.

“We built the pools in playgrounds, parks, in sports halls – everywhere we could,” Turner says. “In total, we taught around 60,000 children to swim in Pools for Schools.”

ADDING TO THE TEAM

The innovative way that Total Swimming was providing opportunities for children was widely recognised across the aquatics sector. Those

PHOTO:

SWIM!

Swim! teaches more than 30,000 children to swim each week

impressed with the company’s work included double-Olympic champion Becky Adlington who, shortly after London 2012 Olympic Games, was also looking to retire and work in grassroots.

“After London 2012, I really wanted to get involved in learn to swim programmes,” Adlington says. “I knew there wasn’t anyone better in the industry than Steve and Adrian, so I got in touch, we had a meeting and we decided to work together.”

As a result of that meeting, Adlington joined the business. Shortly after, in 2013, the company launched Becky Adlington Swimstars. Designed for 3-11 year olds, the programme teaches children to swim with an emphasis on fun and water safety. It ran in tandem with Total Swimming’s “own-branded” Total Swimming Academies, which also focused on 3-11 year-olds.

OPERATIONS MODE

It was the success of – and increasing interest in – the temporary pools that led the trio to become facility operators themselves.

“The pools were designed to be temporary, but everywhere we built them, we had councils, schools and any other organisations that we worked with, starting to ask us whether we could build them to be more durable so they could last longer,” Turner says.

“Looking back, I don’t blame them. In fact, it was a bit sadistic what we did, building these amazing, safe and fun pools which children and communities

fell in love with – and then we had to take them away. Also, we realised quickly that it simply wasn’t financially sustainable putting up these temporary pools. For each one we needed to secure separate funding. That’s when we started exploring whether we could make the pools permanent.”

As a result of the demand for pools that would stay in place longer, Total Swimming came up with a new business plan – to start operating its own facilities. It does this in two different ways under two different brands. Under the Swim! brand, the company designs and builds its own pools, then operates them as welcoming, family-friendly spaces. Each Swim! site is located in an existing building – often in business parks or industrial estates. Turner says that the emphasis of Swim! facilities is very much what is inside of them. Each Swim! Venue looks to create warm, air-conditioned spaces which are inviting and safe for kids. They also offer good coffee and USB ports – in other words, charging stations for both parents and their devices.

“From a design and construction perspective, most have a simple, steel-portal frame, so they are crinkly metal buildings,” Turner says. “For our Swim! sites, it doesn’t really matter what they look like from the outside. Our focus is to make them warm, safe and inviting on the inside.”

Perhaps the main difference, however, is in the way the pool itself is constructed. “Each pool is above ground,” Turner says. “We then build everything

around it - from the changing rooms to the viewing areas. We’ve learnt how to build lasting pools above ground over the years, which makes them considerably cheaper than digging a huge hole and building the pool that way. From a design point of view, we also recognise that the changing rooms are a big part of the experience for many. We aim to create a premium experience – which is pretty much the opposite you get at many of the ageing leisure centres and their changing villages around the country.

The Swim! business sits alongside Total Swimming’s purely operator business, called Swim@, which utilises existing pools. The plan is ambitious - to build 100 Swim! facilities within the next 10 years.

“We’ve so far built 12 swimming centres which we designed, built, own and operate ourselves,” Parry adds. “So we’re only just getting started. We work with pool owners – such as schools – and we refurbish it, pay rent to operate it and, in exchange, look to secure a medium-term contract, say five-

After London 2012, I really wanted to get involved in learn to swim programmes

Adlington joined the company in 2013

years, to then deliver swimming lessons at the site.

“The service we deliver at Swim@ sites is pretty much exactly the same as the ones at the sites we’ve designed and built ourselves. The emphasis is on creating warm, safe and inviting spaces where entire families can come and learn to swim.”

In 2022, health club operator, JD Gyms Group, acquired a majority stake in Swim! to help drive the growth of the business. In October 2024, however, the Olympians successfully completed a management buyout in a deal which also saw JD Gyms Group’s Chief Operating Officer, Amelia Worrall, become MD of Swim!.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

The success of the temporary pools has also led to the launch of perhaps the most ambitious part of Total Swimming Group – ReCreation. Utilising the cost savings achieved by building swimming pools above ground, ReCreation’s USP is to design and deliver fullservice leisure centres at a considerably lower price.

PHOTO: GODSTOWE SCHOOL

The pools we build are much faster to build, are more affordable and more environmentally friendly

It is widely accepted that the usual cost for a leisure facility with a 25m, six-lane swimming pool, a gym, exercise studios, changing rooms and other associated amenities ranges between £18m and £25m. ReCreation, however, promises to deliver exactly the same services at less than half of that – between £8 and £10m.

The cost-savings, Turner says, are achieved by a combination of the innovative pool designs and a laser-focus on sustainability by keeping things simple – by “only specifying what is needed by the local community”.

“When it comes to pool design, in the UK we have something of a Victorian hangover, which in turn probably comes from Roman times,” Turner says. “For decades, we’ve been obsessed with digging large cavities in the ground, pouring concrete into them for days on end and creating pools that way.

“The thing is, it’s a very energy-consumptive, toxic and cumbersome way of going about things – not to mention expensive. The pools we build are much faster to build, are more affordable, more environmentally friendly, use exactly the same plant as an in-ground pool and, as an added plus, you can access all the pipework when it’s finished – so it’s easier to maintain.

“We also don’t want to automatically use Tier 1 contractors – who carry larger overheads – for our projects, because we aren’t building £25m facilities. For us, selecting the right contractors is key to not only keeping costs down, but to ensure the job is done by a specialist.

“Put simply, what we offer through ReCreation is a faster, better solution which offers the same outcomes – if not better – as the traditional pools we see around the country.”

SCALING UP

Turner highlights the example of a four-lane, 50m pool ReCreation built in the London Borough of Barking. The £2.5m facility is a community facility, but also attracts elite athletes – two of the Paralympians from Paris 2024 train at the venue.

“It only took us 11 months to build,” Turner says. “As a facility, it does exactly what a traditional 50m pool would do. It is a tile-edged pool, it has Olympicstandard starting blocks and the lane ropes and airhandling unit are the same as any other Olympic pool.”

“In fact, it was Barking that led us to look seriously at leisure centres,” Turner reveals,

PHOTO:

referencing discussions that it had with Everyone Active, which operates the Barking site.

“The Barking pool’s design included a district heating network, which means that it provides heat and power to 250 local homes. Everyone Active asked whether we could, if needed, replace that with a gym area.

“Our response was ‘of course’, the space could be filled with whatever is needed. That then led us getting involved – and ultimately designing and delivering – the Rainham Leisure Centre in Havering, Essex.”

Operated by Everyone Active and owned by Havering Borough Council, Rainham Leisure Centre features a 25m, six-lane pool, a 75-station gym, group fitness studio, an indoor cycling studio and a café. It replaced a distressed leisure centre built in the 1970s that was no longer fit for purpose and costing hundreds of thousands of pounds per year to operate.

“We fulfilled Havering council’s brief exactly as desired,” Parry says. “The facility was to be built on a

green space and was therefore designed to be ‘part of the park, not on the park’. We did this by building up the ground to the main entrance, incorporating new outdoor adult activity equipment, a new playground and even a new orchard to the north of the site.

“To help the local wildlife and achieve biodiversity net gain, we also added an orchard with 40 fruit trees and swift boxes into the brickwork itself to form homes for nesting birds. As a result the building achieved a BREEAM Excellent award.”

MAKING THINGS BETTER

The total cost of the Rainham Leisure Centre was around £8m – but, according to Turner, houses everything that a “typical” £25m facility would do. The successful delivery of the facility has led to huge interest from other local authorities and ReCreation is currently working on its next project, in Staffordshire.

“We’re now on site at Lichfield Leisure Centre

PHOTO: SWIM!

Swim! pools have been designed to be inviting to the entire family

Steve Parry (left) has been helping children learn to swim since 2005

We believe that if you create warm, safe environments which are inviting, people will return to be active in it

which will feature a six-lane 25m pool, an 80-station gym, indoor cycling studio, yoga studio and community space,” Turner says.

“It’s also got outdoor facilities – including a full-size 3G pitch and playground – as well as lots of EV and bicycle charging points. The total cost will be just under £12m, so probably half the cost of a ‘traditional’ leisure centre with exactly the same facilities.”

The potential of ReCreation’s concept – and its impact on the UK leisure, aquatics and sports facility infrastructure – is clear. There are currently more than 1,400 pools in the UK which are more than 40 years old, while three quarters (76%) of all pools were built before 2000 – making them 25 years old and nearing their end of life. Those pools will need replacing, but the cost of doing so is something many local authorities simply can’t afford. No wonder, then, that data from LeisureDB shows that in 2023 more pools closed than opened – for the 10th year running – which means that the number of pools is falling dramatically.

“Not only is the number of pools decreasing, but the population has increased significantly since 2000, which means there are more people wanting to swim,” Turner adds. “So it’s a bit of a perfect storm when it comes to swimming, as the demand for swimming is growing, but the supply is decreasing.”

TOTAL SWIMMING GROUP

Through its different brands, the company teaches more than 30,000 children to swim each week:

Swim! Designs, builds and operates swimming pools in existing buildings Swim@ Operates swimming lessons on-site

Becky Adlington Swim Stars

Teaches 2,000 children to swim each week at Bannatyne Health Clubs

ReCreation

Designs and delivers pools and leisure centres.

Rainham Leisure Centre – ReCreation’s first full-service project

PHOTO:

PHOTO:

There are now 12 Swim! sites across the UK

ReCreation is currently working on the Lichfield Leisure Centre

Could ReCreation’s cost-saving model to creating facilities be the answer?

“We truly believe this is a game changer,” Turner adds. “Let’s be honest, over the past 30 years, the entire system has been geared towards producing expensive facilities. One of the big reasons for that is that venues are often overspecified, partly because it is in the interests of professional services companies and consultants.

“Our view is that you can spend a lot of money on reception areas and facades,” Turner says. “You can make the exterior of the building look amazing and have a 75ft glazed atrium entrance which looks lovely – an architect’s dream. But people won’t get fit and healthy because of that. It’s not why they go swimming, or visit the gym.

“We believe that if you create warm, safe environments which are inviting, people will return to be active in it – whether it’s swimming or working out in a gym. So the savings we are able to achieve are partly culture and partly technology.

Turner adds, however, that being sensible and simple doesn’t mean “no frills” or budget.

“What we do is provide facilities that match the needs and requirements of the community which they are intended for,” he says. Which is, neatly, exactly the backdrop that compelled Parry, Adlington and Turner to start working together in the first place.

“When we first set out, we felt that there were things the aquatics industry could do better,” Turner says. “I think we’re on a path to doing that.”

ReCreation projects

Rainham Leisure Centre

Client: Havering London

Borough Council

Facilities:

25m 6-Lane Swimming Pool

75 Station Fitness Suite

Indoor cycling Studio

Dance/Yoga Studio Cost: £8m

Dukeries Leisure Centre

Client: Newark & Sherwood

District Council

Facilities:

Five-lane 20m pool

viewing area

changing village Cost: £3m

Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, Dagenham

Client: Barking and Dagenham London

Borough Council

Facilities:

50m 4-Lane Swimming Pool

Changing Village Cost: £2.5m

Lichfield Leisure Centre

Client: Lichfield

District Council

Facilities: 25m pool

80 station gym dance hall

Indoor cycling studio

Community spaces

3G pitch

Cost: £11m

ReCreation partners

Box Architects

BWB - mechanical and electrical services

GWB - PM-QS consultancy

Adept - civil & structural engineering

Astral Pool – swimming pools

PMQS – construction solutions

UPPING

the GAME

The FA has published its new strategy to grow and develop grassroots football. Tom Walker looks into the details, which include a commitment to create 300 new 3G pitches

The Football Association (FA) has launched a four-year, landmark strategy to grow and develop grassroots football in England. Called A Thriving Grassroots Game, the new strategy aims to support sustainable growth over the next four years, with projections anticipating a further 220,000 new players across 15,000 new teams by 2028. It also follows on from the FA’s larger, main strategy, titled Inspiring Positive Change Through Football.

As well as outlining a range of more general, broad-brush goals – getting more people playing football, tackling inequalities, improving behaviour during games – there are plenty of specific targets and ambitions within the strategy.

Collaborative effort

The strategy has been developed in collaboration with the County FA network and follows what the FA describes as “the biggest ever consultation process with the grassroots game across England”. Through in-depth analysis the strategy identifies challenges that need to be met “head-on” and opportunities which the FA sees as transformative for the game.

“The strategy has been created for the game, by the game, and is an important moment for the future of grassroots football in England,” says FA director of football development, James Kendall. “To understand our participants better and to hear what they want to see from The FA and our County FAs, last summer we undertook our biggest consultation to date of the grassroots game. The insight we gathered was immensely valuable and has directly informed this strategy.

The strategy identifies the importance of volunteer coaches and their ongoing education

“We have a clear direction with our new strategy, and with our valued partners we are confident that this will help the grassroots game to thrive for years to come.”

The document sets out a direction of travel for grassroots football by outlining five priority areas.

For each area, the FA provides an “explainer” of what the plan is. These are: Improving playing choice and opportunity

To create new and varied playing opportunities to give everyone a chance to play the game, in a way that suits them best

Deliver equal opportunities for women and girls to play

To ensure every woman and girl who wants to play football has an opportunity to do so in a safe and enjoyable setting and in a way that suits their lifestyle

Build more, and improve existing, facilities

To increase the quality and quantity of grassroots football pitches and facilities across England, to better meet the demand

Tackle poor behaviour

To see a decline in cases of poor behaviour of any

kind, and to increase reporting of discrimination, ensuring enjoyment is at the forefront of playing, volunteering or officiating grassroots football Develop a valued network of volunteers, coaches and referees

To grow the number of grassroots volunteers, coaches and referees, and ensure they all feel valued and supported to fulfil their roles in the game.

As well as providing crucial insight during the drafting of the strategy, the local partners will be crucial in its implementation. Each County FA is responsible for delivering the game and leading the strategic development of the sport in their local area. This includes promoting participation; ensuring there are accessible facilities across all formats; providing equal opportunities to play and creating a fun and safe environment for all. They also ensure local coaches, referees and volunteers are well supported to meet the needs of the game. Funding is received centrally from The

FA, as well as driving their own revenue streams through local commercial opportunities.

To help align the delivery with the “bigger picture”, all of the County FAs have adopted the same strategy framework and will be sharing the FA’s strategic priorities over the next four years, in order to ensure the needs of the game are met locally. In addition, the County FAs’ measures of success also align with the national measures, ensuring a collaborative delivery of the priorities within the strategy.

Better facilities

One of the five key areas is to both build more and improve the existing facilities available to grassroots football. Here, the FA looks to build on the successful delivery of the targets itself in its previous strategy.

According to its own figures, the FA has delivered more than 5,000 new, quality grass pitches in the last four years, resulting in fewer

games being postponed due to adverse weather. The facilities include new and improved clubhouses.

However, by its own admission, the FA accepts that the national football facilities landscape is still “nowhere near the standard that participants deserve”. This is reflected in the data provided by PitchPower – a digital assessment tool run by the Football Foundation – which shows that two in three grass pitches are rated as ‘poor’ quality.

Crucially, the FA says that more than 2,000 additional 3G pitches are needed to meet demand, with 96% of local authorities not having enough 3G pitches.

“We know that the quality of grass pitches is the number one factor that would make the playing experience more enjoyable,” The FA states in the new strategy. “It’s also one of the main reasons players drop out of the game.

“Dissatisfaction doesn’t just come from players. Club and league officials, volunteers and coaches all cite ‘facilities and/or pitch quality’ as the top reason for dissatisfaction with their football experience.

“That’s why we need to build on the great work we’ve done over the past four years to continue to transform the quality of existing grass pitches and build more, new 3G pitches. It’s also why we need to fund more inclusive and accessible facilities and ensure a keen focus on environmental sustainability.”

The FA’s Chief Executive, Mark Bullingham, added: “Over the next four years we will transform the landscape of our grassroots game by investing in more new quality grass pitches to reach our 12,000 target, alongside over 300 new artificial pitches.”

A trio of ambitions

Through the new strategy, the FA will aim for the grassroots game to play an important role in delivering three of the FA’s four ‘game-changer’ priorities over the next four years. These are to create equal opportunities for women and girls, transform the pitch landscape nationally and see a game free from discrimination.

For these areas, the new strategy outlines three key drivers to deliver on the game changer priorities: Support thriving community clubs

To support a network of thriving community clubs to provide a brilliant football offer to their local communities, to grow in a sustainable way, and to be well-run

Connect and serve participants

The number of players taking part at grassroots level has increased since the pandemic

To improve the digital offering and deliver new online services which are personalised, easy to access and help participants to fulfil their roles and find new opportunities

Progress the game’s governance

To better serve all football participants through the highest governance standards, at all levels in the grassroots game.

When it comes to the three drivers, the FA says that the emphasis will be to react to the changing landscape of community football. As an example of this, it says there has to be a recognition that there are now more large, multi-team community clubs than ever before.

“We have an exciting opportunity to support our grassroots football clubs to grow,” the strategy reads. “Multi-team clubs are getting bigger, a trend we’ve seen over recent years. By 2028 we expect over half of all football will be played in clubs with 20 or more teams. Their size means comprehensive football opportunities, but they can also act as local, and accessible places

for people to meet, socialise and learn, creating community cohesion, inside and outside football.

“Of course, smaller clubs still have a vital place within grassroots football, and we will continue to support them. Nevertheless, this shift to larger clubs brings its challenges. In effect, these clubs are community businesses and if they are to prosper, they need access to the expertise on which such organisations are built. Such expertise is available through the England Football Accreditation programme. We want to support more clubs to get into the Accreditation programme to ensure they are growing and run in a successful and sustainable way.”

Social impact

Throughout the strategy, the FA highlights the positive impact that grassroots football has on society – and the need to build on it. To emphasise this, the FA has published a new report which sets out the social and economic value of grassroots football in England. Timed to coincide with the

Children who regularly play football are 20% more likely to have met the Chief Medical Officer’s physical activity guidelines

launch of the new strategy, the report shows that the value created by the sport equates to £15.9bn to society each year, up from £10.2bn in 2021. The report, titled The Social and Economic Value of Grassroots Football in England, outlines how grassroots football participation contributes to 324,000 preventions of disease cases and £3.2bn NHS savings – equivalent to 34.8m A&E visits.

Big targets

If the FA achieves the targets it has set itself in the strategy, it will mean that, over the next four years, we will see 300 more 3G pitches being built across England. There will also be more than 220,000 new players and 15,000 new teams in 2028.

“We are projecting 12% further team growth in the game,” Kendall says. “This continued expansion of grassroots football is fantastic, but it also represents a significant challenge.

“We must ensure the infrastructure to support this growth is in place.”

THE PADEL BOOM

Padel is booming across the UK and, in September, LTA announced its new strategy for the sport. One of the main focuses of the strategy is to grow and improve the infrastructure of padel

ennis’ national governing body, LTA, which also oversees padel in the UK, launched its new strategy for padel in Britain in September. The vision outlined in the new strategy is to open padel up to more people across the country and to grow the sport by making it more accessible, welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring.

Building on momentum

The new strategy, which covers the period from 2024 to 2029, maintains the LTA’s focus on growing the infrastructure of padel, increasing and diversifying the coaching workforce and

building on the performance pathway as well as increasing visibility and driving participation.

Since becoming the national governing body for the sport in Britain in 2020, LTA has made significant investment towards developing and supporting padel in Britain. In addition to private investment, the LTA and LTA Tennis Foundation have invested £6 million into 40 padel facility projects, funding a total of 75 new courts, as well as the competition structure, performance support and coach development.

In total, since 2019, the number of courts has grown from 50 to 350 and the number of regular players from 6,000 to 129,000. To support the growth, LTA has launched new

Since 2019, the number of courts has grown from 50 to 350 and the number of regular players from 6,000 to 129,000

The strategy will help take padel in Britain to the next level Places

coaching courses, as well as a performance pathway to support Britain’s best players.

The new strategy aims to help deliver the next stage of the sports development with a series of actions that focus on investing in the visibility of padel and its infrastructure, growing the fan and player base, growing and engaging the padel workforce, developing opportunities to widen the appeal of padel and creating a pathway and support for adult and junior performance players.

The commitments for the first phase of the strategy, inclusive of 2024 through to the end of 2026, include growing the visibility of padel to increase awareness from 20% to 40% of the population and interest in playing from 7.5% to 15%. It also includes a target to increase the number of players who play at least once a year from 129,000 to 400,000 and the number of monthly players from 65,000 to 200,000.

From a facility point of view, the strategy identifies a goal of increasing the number of padel courts from 350 to 1,000, while also growing the padel coach and activator workforce from 40 to 700. From 2025 onwards, the LTA will also establish a new Padel Advisory Group (PAG) to help guide the development of the sport across Britain. The group will be open to those from across the industry who want to work collaboratively and share ideas to grow the sport.

Tom Murray, LTA Head of Padel said: “The strategy will help take padel in Britain to the next level. The strategy and tactics that we’ve put in place will truly help to open padel up to many more people across the country, with more funding, facilities and coaches ensuring that the sport is accessible, welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring.

“Having successfully completed the tasks we identified in our 2020–23 Padel Development Plan, we now want to evolve our approach in order to grow padel by making it accessible, welcoming, enjoyable, and inspiring and maximise the sport’s impact to achieve sustainable growth for the future.

“Over the coming years we will maintain our focus on padel infrastructure, growing and diversifying the padel coaching workforce, and implementing a performance pathway that supports current players whilst also paving the way for the next generation. Alongside this we will invest in driving greater visibility for the sport, including exploring opportunities for professional padel events in Great Britain. It’s an exciting time for the sport as it’s set to reach new heights.

“We want to play our part in driving this growth and support the many organisations and individuals involved in padel.”

The strategy can be downloaded and viewed here: https://www.lta.org.uk/4a6b3b/siteassets/news/2024/september/lta-padel-strategy-2024-2029.pdf

Participation figures show that padel is played by people of all ages and abilities

PILLARS OF GROWTH

In order to achieve its mission and objectives in the strategy, LTA has identified six strategic pillars which it will focus on in the coming years

INVEST

Invest in the visibility of padel and it’s infrastructure

GROW

Grow the player and fan base

ENGAGE

Engage, grow and motivate the padel workforce

DIVERSIFY

Develop opportunitites to grow the appeal of padel

PERFORM

Create a pathway and support for players

LEAD

Lead padel in Britain to ensure it’s safe, inclusive and sustainanble

Places Building for success

SportsNation looks at some of the recent projects and developments on the booming UK padel market

Turley secures Bloom Heathrow site for Game4Padel

Independent advisor, Turley, successfully received planning permission on behalf of Game4Padel for the installation of two padel courts at Bloom Heathrow Business Park in West London. A previous application, submitted by Game4Padel, was originally refused by the local authority on transport and amenity grounds.

Turley was appointed to successfully deliver a planning strategy to address London Borough of Hounslow’s concerns, with a revised application submitted and planning permission subsequently granted in spring 2023. The courts are now built out, opening officially in September 2023, and are a valuable amenity at the business park.

“The project formed a wider suite of upgrades to provide exceptional Grade A, sustainability and wellness focused office accommodation at the business park to ultimately increase occupancy across the estate,” Turley said.

Soul Padel and Bolton School partner for padel facility

Soul Padel and Bolton School have teamed up to transform the school’s two disused shale courts at its Leverhulme Pavilion into a vibrant padel hub. The planned facility will be accessible to both Bolton School students and the wider community, representing a significant investment in local sports and recreational amenities.

Soul Padel, a leader in expanding padel across the UK, is working with Bolton School to create an inclusive facility that aligns with both organisations’ commitment to community engagement and accessibility.

The planning application for the proposed site is currently in progress, and local

residents are encouraged to provide their feedback during the consultation process.

Philip Britton, MBE, Head of Foundation at Bolton School, said: “We will provide a fantastic new facility that will allow our pupils to experience one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. This new venue will also be open for community use in the evenings, at weekends, and during school holidays, creating an inclusive sporting environment for everyone.

“We value the feedback of our neighbours and look forward to reading their views about the project when the Bolton Council Planning portal opens for comment.”

Game4Padel had a previous planning application for the site turned down

Private padel courts experiencing a boom

With the demand to play padel far outweighing the number of courts available, an increasing number of individuals are looking to build their own, private courts. SAPCA member, Copri Systems, is one of the companies to have experienced this trend first hand.

Sas Palframan, Copri Systems’ Business Development Manager, said: “We are witnessing a surge of enthusiasts who are exploring how they might be able to install facilities on their own

property. While the issues of planning permission and access are still a challenge when you factor in neighbours and narrow driveways, the most recent hurdle has been ensuring that we were never on site when the owner was in residence.

“Sometimes that gives us a very small window in the day (or night) to get work done but nothing fazes us and, on the whole, the private projects are a joy because of the strong collaboration with clients who tend to be as passionate about playing padel as we are.”

Destination Padel expands in Cheshire

The padel boom in Cheshire is set to continue with two new indoor venues coming to the county courtesy of Destination Padel – a new operator in the sector. Doors will soon open at a new indoor venue in Northwich, which features five courts from Portico –featuring eye-catching pink turf. One of the five courts is a tournament-ready show court

that will have black turf and a pink steel cage. The centre, which is expected to open its doors in mid-December, will also have retail and social areas, changing rooms, showers and also a work hub.

Destination Padel will add a second indoor venue to its portfolio in January in Handforth, which will feature three courts. More details on this venue will be released in due course. The company is looking to add a third venue later in 2025.

The number of courts being built for private individuals each year is increasing

Places

Parkside Padel Club opens in Southall, London

Parkside Padel Club opened in May 2024 in partnership with housing developer Berkeley at its residential site, The Green Quarter in Southall, West London. Berkeley is creating a new neighbourhood with 13 acres of parkland connecting to the Grand Union Canal and alongside the Elizabeth Line, making it one of London’s largest regeneration projects.

Amenities already delivered include a gym, co-working space, cinema room, Italian coffee house, tree nursery, pottery studio and small business incubator units.

Game4Padel operates three uncovered courts on the site, which sit alongside Parkside Yards, the on-site community hub and café, and there are plans to cover the courts in 2025.

operates three uncovered

The courts are busy with residents and the local Southall community is beginning to embrace the new sport as well.

Head of Community Engagement, Jags Sanghera said: “Berkeley really invest in community integration

– it’s hugely important with a development of this size and scale that local people support it.

“We saw padel as a way of not only bringing residents together, but also bringing the existing community together to engage and use the spaces we have here. It’s been a real success story so far, and the new covered courts will provide year-round padel for everyone, whatever the weather”.

Portico delivers one of London’s largest padel centres

SAPCA member, Portico Sport UK, has delivered a padel centre featuring 12 panoramic indoor courts in Ilford, London. Operated by Rocket Padel, the centre is one of the largest in the capital. As well as the courts, the centre features spectator areas, conference room, a warm up zone, bistro/bar and a pro shop.

Portico works with a fully integrated team of engineers and project managers to deliver padel projects across the UK.

Game4Padel

courts on the site, close to Parkside Yards

Places

Merseyside’s first covered padel courts coming to St Helen’s Merseyside’s first covered padel courts, set to open at Queens Park Recreation Ground, Boundary Road, St Helen’s. The facility will feature four canopy-covered courts and a modern clubhouse, marking a major milestone in the area’s regeneration. With the leisure centre just a stone’s throw away, the new facility promises to integrate closely with the town centre and offer a fun,

social, and physically engaging experience.

Cllr Kate Groucutt, St Helens Borough Council Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and Leisure, commented: “As a borough, we see higher participation rates in team sports than anywhere else in the country. With a strong sporting heritage, it is great to see new opportunities to encourage more people to get active.”

The facility will be operated by Soul Padel.

Fordingbridge delivers 22m span canopy for Brentwood Padel Club Offering covered padel facilities, rather than uncovered outdoor courts, can boost occupancy from an average 40% a year to 70% a year – so it’s no surprise many clubs are now looking into their options.

Brentwood Padel Club is one club which has now covered its courts. The hugely popular Essex-based club recently turned to padel court canopy expert and SAPCA member, Fordingbridge, to help it retrofit a clear span structure over three existing courts.

Fordingbridge’s solution was

a 22m-deep and 36m-wide canopy that would cover each court, front to back, in a single span to achieve a contemporary streamlined look.

The galvanised steel structure was covered in Fordingbridge’s unique Opal 60 fabric, which allows maximum daylight penetration to create beautiful, light-filled playing experiences and minimise daylight lighting costs.

“The truly all-weather solution shields players from wind and rain and from harmful UV rays, enabling club members to get maximum use from the club’s facilities year round,” Fordingbridge said.

Covering courts can lead to a dramatic increase in average occupancy figures

The covered padel courts at Queens Park Recreation Ground

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Smart-Space works with Heron Padel Club to elevate sport

SAPCA member, Smart-Space, has committed to creating more sustainable padel facilities which also enhance player experience.

The company’s commitment to greener materials and processes ensures that venues are not only functional but also a better option for the environment. For its padel venues, Smart-Space uses 2.95 k/CO2 per kg of recycled aluminium (compared with a European average of more than

8 kg/CO2 for ‘traditional’ aluminium).

One of the operators that Smart-Space has worked with is Heron Padel, at the Heron Country Club in Brentwood, Essex.

Alex Bartlett, the Club Director at Heron Club, said: “Choosing a Smart-Space building was an excellent decision for both costeffectiveness and speed. The PVC roof allows natural light in, and with floodlights, we can stay open until 9:30 PM, even in winter.”

in conversation

Marina Logacheva

SportsNation speaks to Marina Logacheva, the disability sports lead for marketing agency, Make It Matta. As well as working with some of the world’s leading sports brands and organisations, the agency has recently focused on promoting disability sport

What

is

Make It Matta and what does it do?

It’s a creative agency for sport and lifestyle brands. We specialise in brand creation, creative campaigns and social content. We help international governing bodies & clubs promote their sport from elite to grassroots and deliver meaningful activations for their sponsors. We enable brands to stand out in the noisy world of sport, cutting through and creating commercial value.

Who

have you worked with previously?

It’s a wide range. From Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea Women and the English football, cricket and rugby teams to golf organisations and a number of high-level events – such as The ATP Tour, UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 and two Cricket World Cups. We’ve helped to sell tickets to toptier sports competitions and events around the globe. Rights-holders and governing bodies at the top of the game see us as a go-to partner.

Most recently we worked on the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup, launching it in the USA, we created the global ad campaign, all branding and even the official anthem with Sean Paul.

On the brand side we have launched seasonal retail campaigns for Armani (EA7), positioned the Gilbert brand, run global campaigns for charities such as Movember, Cancer Research UK and introduced lifestyle brands such as Clinique to sport for the first time.

Logacheva is an advocate for disability sport

You also worked on the Lionesses brand for the FA?

Back in 2015 we helped the FA to turn the “England Women’s football team” into the “Lionesses”. While brands like that don’t take off overnight, it’s been fantastic to see that become a household name, over the years.

More recently, in 2021 we developed a new consumer-facing brand for the FA called “England Football”, to represent all levels of the sport. Over the course of the 18-month project we created a full “brand world”, including a redrawn crest, consisting of a male lion, female lioness and a lion cub to also represent the women’s and youth element of the game.

The England Football logo and brand suite represents a greater inclusivity across the English game, and reflects a broader, modernised version of English football to support all of its grassroots activity.

You’ve recently developed campaigns focusing on disability sports. Could you give some examples?

We recently worked with indoor cycling specialist, Wattbike, on their campaign “For Real Athletes”. It was our first campaign to feature athletes with disabilities.

The agency’s work has covered a wide range of sports and cultures

The brief was to flip the traditional fitness advert on its head to show the ‘real’ side of getting and keeping fit around other commitments. How life gets in the way and how not everyone has the perfect, home-built gym in which to train. Built on the insight that if you’re buying an elite training product, you’re dedicated to your fitness, not your Instagram. The idea was to show how getting fit can be messy and it doesn’t happen in a silo. It fits around life – real life. Serving up a very British antidote to a category awash with pristine portrayals of home fitness, Wattbike’s campaign

Make it Matta was part of the the Women’s Euro 2022 competition marketing

PHOTO:

shows real people working out after a long shift, squeezing in a session before breakfast or while taking care of their children, and while borrowing an ironing board as a makeshift laptop stand.

We also worked on the G4D Open – an event for world’s most talented golfers with disabilities organised by R&A – which took place this year in May at Woburn, launching a new trophy and brand identity. Meanwhile, working with the Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) and the International Olympic Committee, we created an anti-discrimination film about the importance of inclusion for Paris 2024. It featured volunteers and athletes with disabilities and talking about their inclusion in the film.

Where did the motivation to work in disability sport come from?

At Make It Matta, we believe that sports have the power to change people and communities for the better. We are passionate about making brands and campaigns matter to more people, more often by engaging audiences with our unique and creative processes. Our founders realised that disability sports is sadly an overlooked and underfunded area

My marketing background always inspired me to look on the bright side, and seek solutions for challenges

within the industry. They decided to create a disability sports lead role that is focused on creating a change in the industry, to create a difference in the lives of people with disabilities and to showcase to the industry overall that disability sports is the next “BIG thing”.

It has a great potential to achieve within the next few years what women sports achieved over the last decade.

As a disabled wheelchair athlete myself (I do handcycling) I know first hand that there are multiple barriers to participation in sports, such as inaccessible facilities. There is also a general lack of understanding how simple

Sport has the power to change people and communities for the better

It is important that young people see role models they can relate to

GETTING IT RIGHT

Marina Logacheva offers her 5 top tips to those looking to help disabled people get more active:

Ensure Accessibility: Make facilities and programmes physically and communication-wise accessible. Offer affordable or subsidised options to remove financial barriers. Remember, people with disabilities are often coming with carers, friends and/or their family members, so it is important to plan your venue pricing models well, to accommodate for this as well. Recently a big outlash was regarding the Wembley arena, where only a few hundred tickets are available for disabled people and most really struggled to purchase the event tickets due to the very long phone queue.

Tailor Programs and Collaborate: Create adaptable activities that cater to different abilities. Provide

changes – like an extra big bin in the toilet, a support from a PT in the gym or a ramp with a proper angle – can make a massive difference in a disabled person’s life.

My marketing background always inspired me to look on the bright side, and seek solutions for challenges. That is why I was so excited to join Matta and lead our disability sports focused projects.

As a team we would like to have an impact, and improve disability sport participation and viewership by creating programs, campaigns and projects to influence systemic change. We’re keen to support various initiatives to drive this change, from creating partnerships between sport federations, charities and disability sports clubs to creating campaigns with brands, ultimately widening the prospects for disability sports within the industry.

I also believe that investing in disability sports can become a sustainable and profitable opportunity for any brand, it needs to be done strategically and purposefully, not only as a tick box for a CSR program.

coaching to staff about disability and encourage people to learn from people with disabilities, not from the textbook.

Promote Inclusion: Feature people with disabilities in marketing campaigns to showcase inclusive practices and encourage wider participation.

Seek Feedback: Regularly gather feedback from your clients with disabilities and adapt and improve.

Work with experts who understand inclusion: People with disabilities know first-hand what are the painpoints and what are the issues that need to be improved. Try to look for partners that have people with disabilities as a part of their team. By working with partners like this, you will create more authentic and insightful campaigns and projects.

How important is it to support those with disabilities to get physically active?

In the UK, disabled adults are almost twice as likely to be physically inactive compared to nondisabled people (43% vs. 23%). This disparity highlights the pressing need for targeted support and accessible opportunities for physical activity. Moreover, 76% of disabled people – according to Activity Alliance – express a desire to be more active, but barriers such as lack of accessibility, cost, and limited awareness of available opportunities often hinder their participation. Encouraging and facilitating participation in sports can also help reduce these inequalities and promote inclusivity. It’s not just about health; it’s about ensuring everyone has the chance to enjoy the social and psychological benefits that come with being active, creating a sense of belonging and community. With a growing recognition of these issues, initiatives aimed at making sports more accessible are crucial for building a more inclusive society.

STAr Quality

More than 260 aquatic professionals came together in October for STA’s annual twoday conference at the Radisson Blu East Midlands Airport hotel

This year’s STA’s national conference offered delegates the event’s biggest speaker line up to date, with seminars covering aquatics, marketing, pool plant, business, lifesaving and first aid. The event kicked off with an inspiring keynote by Professor Greg Whyte OBE. He shared real-life stories of how he used his expertise in human physiology and sport & exercise science to coach celebrities to complete some of the toughest challenges Sport Relief, Comic Relief and Children in Need could come up with. These included tales about David Walliams’ swimming challenges and how he took

Davina McCall on her ‘Beyond Breaking Point’ 506mile ultra-triathlon. The uplifting presentation set

Ali Beckman, STA president (left), Prof Greg Whyte (middle) and STA CEO Dave Candler

the tone for the conference, with delegates inspired to break into the first of the day’s sessions.

The aquatics strand was kicked off by Suzanne Gabb, the COO of Goodboost, who spoke about how the company uses AI technology for personalised therapeutic exercise and rehab in the water. Meanwhile, in the swimming pool, Jo Wilson – founder of Aqua Sensory – hosted the first of two sessions on sensory practices for baby swimming. These were followed throughout the day with swimming teaching specific sessions, both in and out of the pool, on BLABT, starts and turns, creating an inclusive lesson and planning for a non-swimmer lesson.

Away from the aquatics strand, leading experts from the world of pool plant and lifesaving hosted specialist talks and panel sessions. Speakers included Dan Harrison, the Partnerships Manager at Leisure DB, who spoke about the opportunities in open water swimming and lifeguarding; and Phil Jones from Beneath the Surface talking alongside Beckie Ramsey from Doing it for Dylan about the power of AquaEye for water search and rescue teams.

The event attracted more than 260 aquatic professionals from across the sector

The conference’s educational programme mixes theory with practice

Event review

At the heart of the event is a friendly and supportive community of aquatic professionals

STA Aquatic Excellence Awards 2024

The educational programme of seminars and networking was followed by the STA’s Aquatic Excellence Awards ceremony – a sell-out event.

The proceedings began with the handing out of STA’s historical awards, which were awarded to:

● Robbie Phillips - Sir Henry Pike Award

● Marietasha O’Flaherty - Special Recognition Award

● Garry Seghers - The Ross Eagle Award

● STA’s Cross of Merit was awarded to Des Cossum (awarded posthumously) and his family collected the award in his honour.

In total, there were 10

Then it was the turn of the STAr Awards, with headline sponsor Konfidence, and the following winners were announced by STA President Ali Beckman, alongside STA CEO Dave Candler and Mike Goody, STA’s longstanding Water Safety Ambassador who is renowned for his gold medal hauls at the Invictus games.

● STAr Swimming TeacherLara-Jane Ginty (Turtle Tots)

● STAr Tutor - Jo Cheek (Virgin Active)

● STAr Member - Mark McNichol (in at the deep end)

● STAr Water Safety Educator - Adam Knight (Angel Swim London)

● STAr Swim Academy - Active Tameside

● STAr Swim School Provider of the Year (under 500) - The Jelli Swim Academy

● STAr Swim School Provider of the Year (over 500) - Mini Swimmers

● STAr Not-for-profit Community Campaign of the Year - Kingfishers Swim School Fund

● STAr Approved Training Centre of the Year (less than 50 courses) - Aqua Baths Courses and Training

● STAr Approved Training Centre of the Year (more than 50 courses) - CB Training Services Limited.

The event included the announcing of the STA Award winners

STAr Award winners

What teachers want

It was an early start for delegates on day two, with another packed programme planned. Highlights included a lively panel session hosted by Love Admin with 4Leisure Recruitment and swim school owner Adam Comfort sharing and debating the results of a recent ‘What Swim Teachers Want’ survey.

Throughout the day, separate seminars were hosted by the aquatics team from GLL, Serco and Virgin Active, alongside RNLI, Level Water and AREA. Live from Australia, Janine Ramsey, Child Safeguarding Advisor at Tasmania’s Department of Health also discussed what trauma-informed practice is in swimming and why it’s important.

For the Business and Marketing strand, STA had invited marketing, employment law, insurance and safeguarding specialists to talk about best practices, the latest developments and future trends.

Making connections

Over the two days, STA’s conference also provided plenty of opportunity for networking, with delegates reuniting with old friends and

connecting with new professionals to share expertise and ideas. A dedicated exhibition area with more than 20 exhibitors also offered delegates the chance to see everything from software developments to the latest trends in swim gear, and take advantage of exclusive offers.

This was STA’s biggest conference to date, and while learning is the overriding aim, at the heart of this event is a friendly and supportive community of aquatic professionals who care passionately about their work, and who enjoy coming together every year to learn, laugh and play with the STA team.

Event preview

SPATEX 2025

After a stellar show in 2024, the water leisure industry will return for the 29th exhibition of SPATEX at the Coventry Building Society Arena in February 2025

Who is SPATEX for?

Taking place from Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 February 2025, the annual, free-to-attend event attracts visitors from the whole spectrum of water leisure, from those involved in the provision, management and delivery of public and private water leisure services to schools, holiday parks, hotels, as well as builders, architects and specifiers. Totally unique, the show caters for all needs in this fast-moving sector.

What visitors will see

All water leisure product groups, for both the commercial and domestic sectors, are featured, including swimming pools, wellness facilities, saunas, spas, ice baths, steam rooms, children’s play features, hot tubs, enclosures, plus all the ancillary equipment.

“As the UK’s only dedicated water leisure exhibition, we have an excellent line-up of over one hundred companies, including all the leading international manufacturers and suppliers that you would expect

to see at an exhibition of this calibre, plus some very exciting new companies making their SPATEX debut,” says the show’s organiser, Michele Bridle. Celebrating her 25th anniversary of working for SPATEX, Michele has her finger on the pulse and knows exactly what visitors are looking for.

Visitors will also be able to see, touch and discuss the latest products and trends and take advantage of exclusive show offers. The New Product Zone (sponsored by Swimming Pool News) highlights the products that look set to make the headlines in the pool season ahead.

Sustainable and eco-friendly solutions

Saving energy will be a key feature of the goods displayed on exhibitors’ stands, such as the latest heat retention covers, LED lighting, air source heat pumps and super insulated one-piece pools and hot tubs. Sustainability and environmentally-friendly operations will also be a major topic in another

important element of the show - the informative double seminar programme, much-valued by visitors.

SPATEX is widely recognised as providing the best source of free information in the industry and it’s thanks to the tremendous support of a large number of esteemed associations – namely, Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers (ISPE), Swimming Teachers Association (STA), Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS), Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG), Water Management Society (WMSoc), Legionella Control Association (LCA), Institute of Swimming (IoS) and, of course, the British Swimming Pool Federation’s SPATA (Swimming Pool & Allied Trades Association) and BISHTA (British & Irish Spa & Hot Tub Association).

Combined, they bring their individual insights and knowledge to create a varied programme of seminars that combine hands-on practical advice, technical know-how and essential health and safety guidance and compliance.

Arena 1 is dedicated to ISPE and its 20 CPD accredited workshops, covering topics such as an annual health and safety update on legislation and cases over the past 12 months and details of forthcoming changes; Legionella and the importance of microbiological testing in a business setting; commercial spa maintenance; energy savings with the correct pipe and pipework configuration; the planning, design and layout of plant rooms.

SPATEX 2025 PROGRAMME

The programme isn’t yet fully finalised, but selected details have now been released. The confirmed sessions and talks will include:

TUESDAY

13.15-13.45 RLSS: Incidents and Lessons Learnt

14.00-14.30STA: Operational Procedure Compliance

14.45-15.15IoS – pH, Active Free Chlorine and Alkalinity – the links between them

15.30-16.00ISPE tbc

WEDNESDAY

10.15-10.45IoS: Advanced filtration

11.00-11.45STA: Lone Worker

12.00-12.30ISPE tbc

12.45-13.15Joint Panel Discussion

A diverse range of topics, such as natural swimming pools and cold-water hydrotherapy, will feature in Arena 2. And PWTAG will take over Arena 2 on Thursday covering all aspects of essential water treatment and filtration.

l To register for SPATEX, visit: www.spatex.co.uk

For more info in exhibiting, contact Helen Mulingani: helen@spatex.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1264 358558

New for commercial pool operators

For 2025, SPATEX will launch an exciting new Pool Plant Theatre. The Institute of Swimming (IOS), in collaboration with the Swimming Teachers Association (STA), Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers (ISPE), and Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS) are planning a series of hands-on workshops, speaker panels, and forum, catering for the specific needs of the commercial pool operator. There will be three sessions on Tuesday afternoon and three on Wednesday morning.

Get expect advice

Gain the most up-to-date information from over a thousand industry professionals. Some things can only be done in person - bring your plans with you –there’s no better place to seek impartial advice from a variety of specialists, and all for free. Please visit the SPATEX Help Desk at the entrance to the exhibition hall if you need pointing in the right direction.

Be inspired

SPATEX encapsulates all the latest trends. The British Pool & Hot Tub Awards take place on the Tuesday of the show and the British Swimming Pool Federation will be showcasing photographs of the best examples of design, construction and installation of the winning projects on its stand.

Who will be at SPATEX?

RECOTHERM

Recotherm will be showcasing their cutting-edge swimming pool air handling units and innovative engineering as well as celebrating 40 years of excellence at SPATEX 2025!

Its AHUs use controlled fresh air, so installing the units allows your customers to breathe the difference in their pool hall, creating an unrivalled atmosphere and feeling of wellbeing.

The range includes Aeris, Aerum and Artis units, each specifically designed to service pool halls from domestic to hotels, leisure and hydrotherapy.

Built with energy saving features, state of the art controls programmed to work with individual requirements and flat pack options that overcome the most difficult of site installations, our unwavering commitment to quality is evident from the initial quote to installation and beyond.

The air handling units suit various settings

SUPERIOR WELLNESS

Superior Wellness is thrilled to unveil its latest collections for 2025, featuring exciting updates to the Platinum Spas line and introducing the all-new AquaSolus range. Exhibiting at Spatex, the company will also have our popular Chill Tubs, Hekla Saunas, and Heat Pumps on display.

Visitors to Spatex will have the exclusive opportunity to experience these innovations first-hand, connect with the company’s knowledgeable sales team, and dive into the details of each new model and feature. Don’t miss your chance to visit the Superior Wellness stand and explore what’s new!

GOLDEN COAST

This year we Golden Coast will be attending SPATEX with the biggest stand that the company has ever brought to the show. Why does it need all that space?

“We want to show you our passion for innovative products,” the company says. “We want to explain what unparalleled support truly means and we want to ask you what would be your definition of best-inclass customer service – so that we can provide it for you.

“But most of all we want to show you just what a huge a product range Golden Coast, as part of the Pollett Pool Group, can offer. Plus we need all that space to unveil our brand new… Oops, that would be telling. You’ll have to come and see for yourself.” Golden Coast will be on C66. See you there!

MARINER

Mariner 3S AG develops, builds and distributes cleaning robots for professional pool cleaning - for indoor, outdoor and natural swimming pools. Thus for its customers, the company provides a vital contribution to keep the baths and pools reliably clean and appealing.

The Swiss family-owned company established in 1945 has been dealing with the development and sale of automatic swimming pool cleaners since 1970. Thanks to the constant search for improvements, a close cooperation with specialised suppliers and the use of high-quality materials, skilled employees create outstanding high-tech products.

The high-tech cleaning robots by Mariner 3S AG are used worldwide. In Switzerland, the customers are served directly by the parent company. Sales and customer services is handled directly in Austria, the Benelux countries, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain via subsidiaries, while in other European and overseas markets through authorised distributors. www.mariner-3s.com

Event preview

SUITSPIN SWIMWEAR DRYERS

Wet swimsuits can be a real problem for both swimmers and pool/spa facilities, but no more thanks to the SuitSpin swimwear dryer. Available exclusively in the UK from Certikin, these machines help to ensure pool water does not damage facilities by keeping floors and surfaces dry, which prevents the growth of mould and mildew. As opposed to heat, the SuitSpin uses a centrifugal force to remove 95% of water from wet swimsuits in just ten seconds.

A SuitSpin dryer not only benefits the facility but also helps swimmers who take advantage of its fantastic drying properties. It is safe for all swimsuit fabrics

SUNTRAP SYSTEMS

Suntrap Systems will be displaying disabled access hoists for swimming pools, hot tubs and spas. Suntrap’s hoists are capable of covering almost all situations with a wide range of fully automatic, manual, portable or fixed options.

The hoists are compatible with in-ground as well as above-ground

and ensures that your customers do not have to carry them around in a wet bag which could lead to damage to the swimwear through mould and mildew.

The dryers are available in a range of colours as well as the option of featuring your branding or message allowing you to create a bespoke design.

www.suitspin.co.uk

installations up to a wall height of 172cm. Manufactured in the USA with high quality powder-coated stainless steel, all hoists are provided with a fiveyear structural warranty. Furthermore, Suntrap Systems have over 20 years’ experience offering the complete package including servicing, LOLER inspections and installations. Spare parts are always held in stock in the UK to ensure minimum downtime of lifts and hoists

Suntrap specialises in pool access hoists

PWTAG

PWTAG will once again be attending SPATEX in February and look forward to seeing you at the show. Celebrating our 40th year we are seen as the authoritative source of standards and guidance in the management of swimming, spa and hydrotherapy pools. Our book Swimming Pool Water: treatment and quality standards for pools and spas is the definitive guide while our code of practice is seen as a vital industry text for all pools.

Representatives from the PWTAG Council will be on hand to answer your questions on all aspects of pool water treatment, update you on our latest technical notes and guidance to make sure you are up to date on current practices. There will also be the opportunity to purchase copies of our publications: Swimming Pool Water, Hot Tubs for Business and Hot Tubs for Home. We can be found on stand H7. www.pwtag.org

AQUATHERAPY

Add wellness into your daily routine at home with the Jaquar Steam Generator and Solo One Sauna – each designed to elevate relaxation and self-care. The Jaquar Steam Generator is more than a steam machine; it’s a luxury experience in your own space. With powerful steam, customizable temperature controls, and user-friendly features, it combines style, ease, and pure relaxation. Perfect for unwinding after a long day or establishing a rejuvenating routine, this steam generator is built to exceed expectations.

Aquatherapy will also be displaying its Jaquar Solo One Sauna which offers a luxurious experience. FAR infrared heaters deliver soothing, even heat, while the user-friendly touch-control panel lets you pre-set your session. Constructed from premium hemlock wood, this sauna exudes quality, and the addition of chromotherapy lighting and built-in audio enhances every moment, creating a multisensory escape. Bring high-end wellness home. Come and see Aquatherapy and its products in person at Spatex 2025.

ORIGIN AQUA

Origin Aqua (GB) has chosen Spatex 2025 to launch the latest version of its market leading, chemicalfree, filtration system. Mineral+Biome is a chemical free, biological filtration system, scientifically proven to kill pathogens naturally, without using chlorine or other harmful disinfectants. The modular, automated natural pool filtration system delivers outstanding mineral quality water, while typically using 50% less energy and

wastewater vs. traditional filtration systems. The naturebased solution, designed and developed in the UK, can be fitted to virtually any new build or existing swimming pool, rendering use of chlorine or other disinfection chemicals obsolete.

The Mineral+Biome system represents the future of pool filtration – delivering superior water quality, with the healthiest, most advanced and environmentally friendly system available on the market today.

PlayNation UK

The importance of Play!

Play England campaigns for all children and young people to have freedom and space to play throughout childhood.

We work with national partners and other organisations with shared aims to raise awareness about the importance of play. We lobby government to make fundamental policy changes to protect and promote play, and encourage everyone who has an impact

on the lives of children and young people to recognise and plan for children’s play.

Play England has also built up considerable experience and resources to help support individuals and organisations that work in these particular areas:

Government

Local Authorities

Schools

Playwork

We need your support

The new UK government is making positive noises about understanding the importance of play. However, against this positive backdrop, Play England is suffering from a lack of funds to pay for our essential work campaigning for children’s right and freedom to play. Donate today to support our work. www.playengland.org.uk/donate

www.playengland.org.uk

102 PlayNation UK

89 News

The latest developments, initiatives, policy decisions and facility projects from across the UK play sector

95 PlayBoard NI update

A detailed look at the work of the region’s leading play organisation

96

Column: Play Scotland

Marguerite Hunter Blair argues that when decision-makers at local and national level collaborate with young people on the issues which affect them, great things can be achieved

98 Bringing back play

Eugene Minogue, Executive Director of Play

England calls for the Labour government to publish a new, national play strategy and also introduce play sufficiency legislation

102 A passion for play

PlayNation speaks to Amber OgunsanyaWilliam, the first-ever NSPCC Champion of Childhood, who has made play her mission in life

108 Quack team – Puddle Ducks

STA President and Director of Puddle Ducks, Ali Beckman, explains the importance of play in teaching children how to swim

Designing play for the whole community

Designing play for the whole community

Less than 50% of play areas are accessible, fewer of those are inclusive. We work with clients to ensure that everyone can play alongside one another, in spaces built for the whole community.

n

n Design led approach

n Fully inclusive spaces

n Interactives bring together technology and play

n PiPA accredited

n n n n

n Full catalogue of inclusive play equipment

Gota project coming up?

Gota project coming up?

Talk to our design team today!

www.jupiterplay.co.uk

marketing@jupiterplay.co.uk

Tel: 0115 969 9859

Join our webinar series

Join our webinar series

John Challinor

Publisher

PlayNation

john@nationmedia.uk

Contributors

Eugene Minogue

Executive Director

Play England

@EugeneMinogue

Amber Ogunsanya-William

Play specialist

@playworkeramber

Tom Walker Editor

PlayNation

tom@ nationmedia.uk

Ali Beckman Director

Puddle Ducks

@babyswimexpert

PlayNation UK

The importance of play and physical activity for young people

PlayNation, in partnership with Play England and SAPCA (the Sports And Play Construction Association), is dedicated exclusively to the dynamic and growing sector of play and physical activity for children and young people. Published bi-monthly, the magazine focuses on the policies, people and places that help young people to play and be more active. Subscribe now and we will email you a complimentary copy of the magazine every two months.

Marguerite Hunter Blair CEO, Play Scotland

@PlayScotland

This publication is protected by copyright and no part may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any print or electronic format without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this publication and PlayNation accepts no responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. Opinions expressed by the contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher and we do not accept responsibility of losses or damages arising from them. Printed by BCP Media Group Ltd. Advertising opportunities Contact John E: john@nationmedia.uk www.linkedin.com/ company/playnationmag

PlayNation is published by SportsNation Ltd in association with Play England (www.playengland.org.uk) and the Sports And Play Construction Association (www.sapca.org.uk)

Young people’s insights included in Staffordshire’s transport plan

Staffordshire County Council is calling on young residents to share their views on the future of the county’s transport network.

An online map has been set up to get feedback from young people that will be used to inform the development of the new Local Transport Plan, which will outline the future transport network and the practical steps needed to achieve it.

The county council is keen to understand how young people use transport in their daily lives and gather ideas on how to improve the transport system for the future. By taking part in the online activity, young residents can directly contribute to shaping Staffordshire’s transport future.

Mark Deaville, cabinet member for strategic highways at Staffordshire County Council, said:

“We are committed to creating a transport system that meets

the needs of all our residents, including our younger population. Their input is vital in ensuring that our future transport network is efficient, accessible and sustainable. The map will help us understand the unique transport challenges

faced by young people and identify opportunities for improvement. By combining public input with strategic planning, the county council aims to create a transport network that supports the needs of its residents now and in the future.

New children’s plan gets seal of approval in Gloucester

Partners from the county council, NHS, the police and the Voluntary Community Sector Alliance have signed a charter committing to work together to make Gloucestershire ‘a great place to grow up where children and young people thrive’.

The One Plan for All Children and Young People in Gloucestershire sets out the county’s priorities for delivering the vision by reducing inequalities, creating an inclusive county that celebrates diversity and providing effective services. The strategy was developed using local data, with input from children, their families, voluntary organisations and professionals.

The council wants to understand how young people use transport

PHOTO:

The partners signing the new charter for children and young people

Council grant secures play space upgrade in Watford

Watford Community Housing has upgraded the play space in Foxhill thanks to a grant of £12,500 from Watford Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Grant programme.

Before the improvements, the play space based in North Watford was showing signs of wear and tear and required upgrades to meet the changing needs of the community.

With the recent increase of new families into the neighbourhood as part of the wider regeneration efforts, there was a growing demand for improved recreational facilities. Modern amenities, inclusive equipment, and landscaping enhancements now feature in the new space, helping to create an inviting atmosphere for all members of the community to enjoy. The project incorporated input from residents to ensure that the revitalised play area reflected the needs and preferences of the

neighbourhood. By investing in the refurbishment of the play area, Watford Community Housing aims to provide a high-quality outdoor space, as well as a welcoming environment where families can gather, children can play safely,

and neighbours can socialise.

Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “Every year since 2013, the council has delivered significant improvements to play and recreational facilities in all parts of Watford.”

Lappset Interactive’s SUTU improves

skills

The interactive sports wall has been a huge hit since its launch

Installed at the U-Mix Centre in Lowfield Park, Sheffield, the UK’s first fully funded interactive sports wall, SUTU, was funded by Sport England and the Football Association. Created by Lappset Interactive, SUTU offers opportunities for all ages and abilities to play together and improve their skills.

The Data Dashboard provides the local council with insights into total play time, game popularity, and even total calories burnt from users. With an incredible play time of almost 1000 hours over the last 12 months, it’s clear that the community is still taking full advantage 5 years after launch.

Councillor Mary Lea, from Sheffield Council, said: “SUTU combines fantastic technology with movement: truly innovative for the digital world we are submerged in today.”

Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor (left) at Foxhill Park

Young people get to design new Sussex Youth Hub

Children and young people in Heathfield, East Sussex, have started to put their stamp on a new art youth hub.

The development of a fully accessible, two-storey facility on the High Street is underway thanks to £8million of grant funding from the Government’s Youth Investment Fund to upgrade two youth centres in East Sussex.

As work progresses to replace the old 1950s youth club building, local young people took part in a series of urban art activities to encourage them to take ownership of their new space.

Three graffiti workshops were held in October where young people worked with local artist Tom Goulden to create graffiti messages. Over 20 young people participated in the youth voice graffiti sessions, working as a team to create their artworks.

The graffiti murals have now been mounted to the construction site hoardings, illustrating the positive messages that young people associate with the youth club including ‘friendship’, ‘fun’ and ‘hope’. Young people have been involved in the project from the beginning.

Councils collaborate for play area revamp

A collaborative project between Cheshire East Council and Wilmslow Town Council has resulted in the restoration of a once popular play area which had fallen into a state of disrepair.

The play area at Alveston Drive in Wilmslow was in need of a revamp.

The revitalised play area includes a slide and climbing equipment, new swings and a spring-loaded spinning piece of equipment for younger children. New seating has also been provided. The works have been carried out thanks to funding from Cheshire East Council, Wilmslow Town Council and section 106 monies – a developer contribution from the surrounding estate.

Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council’s environment and communities committee, said: “In the same way that the play area at Little Lindow had a really positive effect on the local community in Wilmslow when it was revitalised, I’m sure it will be the same here.”

Work starts on new all-year play facility in Oxford

Work has started on a new all-yearround play area featuring water play and a bike and scooter track. Oxford City Council have commissioned specialist waterpark provider, Ustigate Waterplay, to deliver the scheme at Hinksey park next year.

Cllr Chewe Munkonge, Oxford City Council, said: “Big things

are happening at Hinksey Park. Construction has started – and it’s not just a splash park. Thanks to a £100k grant, it’s going to be a fantastic space for families.”

The inclusive facility will have a balance bike and scooter course that wraps around the large splash park & waterplay area.

Young

Alliance Leisure brings playful tness to Prestatyn Leisure Centre

Working in collaboration with Denbighshire Leisure Ltd (DLL), Alliance Leisure has delivered playful fitness experiences at Prestatyn Leisure Centre. The innovative programming has been designed to to transform PE for local children and boost community engagement.

The digital fitness experiences include the first Prama immersive group exercise studio in North Wales as well as the country’s inaugural interactive squash court.

The Prama studio offers a dynamic and engaging environment where sound, lights, floors and walls come to life. The studio will revolutionise the centre’s junior fitness programme and deliver an innovative PE curriculum for students of Prestatyn High School, which use the leisure centre during school hours.

The interactive squash experience enhances the traditional game to appeal to a new generation of

The digital experiences are designed to get children moving

players. Utilising laser projectors, motion sensors and responsive sensors to track the ball, players can choose from a diverse range of games designed to enhance key skills such as hand-eye coordination, speed, strength and reaction time.

The project also includes a Clip

and Climb climbing experience to expand DLL’s portfolio of family-friendly adventures.

Will Gardner, Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure, said: “This investment is another example of DLL’s ongoing commitment to innovation.”

Sutcli e Play launches new Playzone unit

Playground designer and manufacturer Sutcliffe Play has revealed the latest addition to its extensive range of inclusive equipment.

The brand-new themed Nature Park is packed with play features and designed to be accessible to children of all abilities. The Made in Britain-accredited company recently debuted the new multi-play unit at the playground outside their head office in West Yorkshire, where it received a fantastic reception from local children. It is now available nationwide. As with the rest of their inclusive-focused range, Nature Park utilises innovative design to deliver fun and inclusion at every level for children with disabilities.

The unit as a whole can accommodate more than 41 children at any one time, including those in wheelchairs or buggies.

PHOTO:ALLIANCE LEISURE

Nature Park is packed with play features

Young people reveal motivations to move as screen time “explodes”

A survey of more than 1,000 children and young people aged seven to 14, conducted with kids and family insight agency, Beano Brain, has revealed the latest views and habits of the next generation when it comes to being active.

Two-fifths of children want to be more physically active than they currently are but some report spending six hours a day glued to their devices when not at school, according to research by ukactive.

Only 26% of children sampled said they’d want to be on a screen over taking part in physical activity and 40% said that they want to be more physically active than they currently are.

However, over half of the seven to 14-year-olds sampled (53%) are using screens for more than three hours each day when not in school, with almost a quarter (24%) of 11 to 14-year-olds spending more

40% of children want to be more physically active than they currently are

than six hours a day on devices. Spending time on screens increases as children get older, but their time being active does not.

Evidence shows that children and young people who are more active have more confidence, higher self-esteem, less anxiety

and stress, better social skills and better academic performance. And widely published evidence shows that physical activity is essential in preventing over 20 chronic conditions including type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many types of cancer.

Playdale unveils sustainable timber range

Outdoor play equipment specialist, Playdale Playgrounds, has launched a brand-new sustainably sourced modular timber range with 12 tower units.

With a strong focus on sustainability, the new range is made from slow-grown laminated timber poles. The timbers are sourced from FSC and PEFC certified suppliers to guarantee the long-term health of forest ecosystems and provide a natural and recyclable material choice for playground projects.

By using timber as the primary material, Playdale ensures that these playground structures have an environmentally friendly lifecycle from creation to end-of-life.

The Woodland Eco Towers range has been designed to seamlessly blend with its surroundings, enhancing the overall natural play experience.

PlayBoard NI update

PlayNation works together with leading play organisations across the UK. Here, PlayBoard NI provides an update on the region’s latest policy developments

Putting Play on the political agenda in Northern Ireland

Following the resumption of the Northern Ireland Assembly in February 2024, PlayBoard NI has been actively advocating for the child’s right to play to be recognised and prioritised at policy level. As part of this process, PlayBoard NI has met with the ministers for education, health and justice, highlighting the developmental benefits of play whilst also advocating for the development of a Play Strategy for Northern Ireland in line with recent UNCRC recommendations.

The development of a Northern Ireland Play Strategy would transform the landscape for play in Northern Ireland, enhancing children and young people’s lives whilst delivering significant developmental benefits. Development of a Play Strategy would also echo the progress made in Wales and Scotland which has been shown to deliver significant benefits for children, young people, families and communities.

Ministerial meetings have been followed up by a series of engagements with political parties focused on enhancing understanding of the critical developmental role of play, the impact of play in terms of building cross-community understanding and the need for dedicated support for play-based School Age Childcare providers.

PlayBoard NI and the School Age Childcare and Playwork Forum meet with Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner

Building on its political advocacy work, PlayBoard NI recently facilitated a joint meeting between the School Age Childcare and Playwork Forum and Chris Quinn, the Children’s Commissioner for Northern Ireland.

The session provided an opportunity for playbased, school age childcare providers to highlight the many challenges they continue to face in maintaining the delivery of essential afterschool childcare support. In particular, attendees highlighted the vulnerable position many providers

find themselves in due to rising costs and the growing use of unregulated childcare. The session further provided an opportunity to highlight the failure of NI Executive childcare investment programmes to impact on after-school care due to its focus on pre-school and early years provision. The commissioner listened intently to the challenges facing the sector, giving a commitment to continue engagement with a view to securing the sustainability of the sector.

PHOTO: PLAYBOARD NI

PlayBoard NI works with Stormont

The importance of listening to children

Marguerite Hunter Blair CEO Play Scotland

When decision-makers at local and national level collaborate with young people on the issues which affect them, great things can be achieved

The early morning enthusiastic crowd of people were heading towards the Gates at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

But we weren’t happily anticipating a rugby international clash, but a game-changing event to launch the National Review of The State of Play in Ireland. It was clear to all the delegates, marveling at the impressively maintained pitch, that no one could ever hope to play on it if they had never mastered their timing, accuracy, focus and ball skills by ‘just playing’ as children.

I was delighted to be the keynote speaker at the ‘Participation, Play and Recreation Seminar’ in Ireland. This was organised by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) to promote the right to play and highlight the importance of children and young people having a say in decision-making about local play and recreation facilities. Children’s participation is now required by the Irish Government for capital grant funding schemes for play and recreation, and other funding streams. This follows a clear recommendation of the UN Committee of the Rights of the Child Concluding Observations (2023) that children should be fully involved in planning,

designing, and monitoring the implementation of play and recreation policies and programmes.

Children and young people’s voice and agency is at the heart of improving the state of play in Ireland. The rights to ‘play and recreation’ and ‘participation in decision making’ are clearly interlinked. Comhairle na nÓg is an organisation which directly involves children and young people in evolving local and national services and policies. It is government funded and the child and youth councils operate in each of the Local Authority areas across Ireland. The councils enable young people aged 12-17 to exercise their right in influencing decisionmakers on the topics most important to them.

The young participants from Comhairle na nÓg presented and interacted at workshops with delegates attending the seminar to share practical examples of how they would like to be supported to participate in civic society. Their confidence was drawn from the knowledge that their opinions, views, and ideas were being taken seriously in the decisions impacting them every day on critical issues like mental health, climate change, diversity, and inclusion. And having a big voice in planning play and recreation facilities

Policymakers need to involve young voices in decision-making processes involving children and young people

has resulted in improved play opportunities and experiences for young people across Ireland.

A ground-breaking research report on play in Ireland and international best practice was launched at the seminar. Outdoor Play and Recreation Provision for Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review was commissioned by the government and carried out Dr Carol Barron and Ms Niamh Buckle from Dublin City University. The evidence-based recommendations in the report include: a focus on the importance of play being more prominently recognised as a right and not a vehicle to improve learning, physical activity and decrease sedentary lifestyles; children and young people’s genuine participation in planning, design of play and recreation outdoor spaces; and more consistency in play and recreation terminology to ensure common understanding and interpretation of meaning across disciplines.

It is clear from much of the research reviewed in this report and Scotland’s State of Play Report (2023) that outdoor play supports everyone’s wellbeing. For example, children who spend more time playing outdoors and adventurously have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and adults who said they regularly played out on the

street when they were children had significantly lower psychological distress scores as adults.

The importance of keeping abreast of current research to assist in policy formulation around play and recreation for young people is crucial. At the same time as the seminar in Ireland, the first national survey of play among preschoolage children in Britain revealed that girls play outside in nature less than boys even at the age of two, and preschool-age children from a minority ethnic background play less outdoors than their white counterparts. The research, by universities of Exeter and Cambridge, concluded: “The results highlight inequalities in play even in the youngest age group, which may exacerbate existing inequalities in health”.

We need to focus on understanding the mechanisms behind lower free play activity, to develop interventions to encourage it. And there is no better way to do this than by hearing and responding to the lived experiences and views of young people. As the young participants from Comhairle na nÓg said, “When decisionmakers at local and national level collaborate with young people on the issues which affect them, great things can be achieved.”

Bringing Back Play

Eugene Minogue, Executive Director of Play England, wants play to be at the heart of policy-making. He is calling for the government to publish a new, national play strategy and also introduce play su ciency legislation

Earlier this year, Play England published its manifesto, could you outline the main aims of it?

It’s primarily aimed at changing the landscape in England around the introduction of play sufficiency legislation. Wales has had such legislation for a while and Scotland has introduced it too – so England is lagging behind. What we want to do is to follow the good work that Wales and Scotland have done and build out from it. We are looking at wider opportunities, particularly with the government’s legislative agenda, such as in relation to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. That’s how we see that play sufficiency could be introduced as a ‘no-cost’ policy ask.

What are the main aims and targets that Play England has set itself for 2025?

This year (2024) has been a period of reflection and “re-imagineering” (from “imagination” and “engineering” – implementing creative ideas in practical form) for Play England. In short, we assessed where we are as an organisation and where the play sector is.

The next stage is now to reposition Play England to reflect the current context in landscape and to put us in a high state of preparedness to meaningfully take forwards our emerging strategy. As part of that – and to ensure Play England remains at the forefront of ‘good governance’ – we also undertook an independent governance review in the past 12 months, which was conducted by the Sport + Recreation Alliance (SRA).

Our focus next year (2025) will be on adopting our strategy, which we’re looking to do as early in the year as possible. There will be three key areas: spaces and places, the workforce and play provision. Wrapped around that will be how we are going to change as an organisation (Play England) in order to deliver the strategy over the next 10 years. As part of the governance review we will be recruiting new independent board members in 2025.

We are also doing some early implementation work now – such as the review of the National Occupational Standards for Playwork

Children’s right to play is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

(NOS). It’s all about developing our workforce and of professional standards so that we have a highlyqualified, competent and dedicated workforce.

The work is being done by The UK Playwork NOS Consortium, which comprises of Play England, Play Wales, Play Scotland, PlayBoard NI and The Playwork Foundation. It is expected that the final NOS will be approved and published in summer 2025.

We’re also working with various national partners on how we can ensure we get play back up on the national agenda. For this, we held a play sufficiency webinar and we had more than 120 people from local government and Active Partnerships register for it. So we are gearing up our work on how we support local authorities and active partnerships to implement the principles of play sufficiency in the current absence of national legislation in England. All of that is happening on a local level.

There are also emerging collaborations with the likes of Sport England and Active Travel England, amongst others, around embedding play principles in their work.

Ultimately, in 2025, what we’d like to see is for the new government to introduce play sufficiency legislation and a new national play strategy. There hasn’t been any play strategy in England since 2008 – and that was something that Play England developed with the last Labour government.

We think that the current government could publish a new play strategy under their legislative

programme, particularly – but not exclusively – via the Children’s Wellbeing Bill. Announced in the King’s Speech, the bill aims to put children and their wellbeing at the centre of the education and children’s social care systems, and “make changes so they are safe, healthy, happy and treated fairly”.

So 2025 will be the year we will really look to mobilise our strategy and to get that forward.

Has Play England had any discussions with the new Labour government, regarding play, yet?

Yes, we have – and we had some discussions prior to the election too. We also published an open letter, outlining our main message, which is that it is vitally important that the new government urgently address the decline in children’s play over recent decades.

Minogue says that play is unique, because it is universal - and everyone has an experience of it

The current planning system in England fails to protect, enhance, or provide spaces and places that support children’s health, development, and wellbeing. In too many towns and cities, traffic-dominated neighbourhoods, low quality housing layouts, inadequate facilities, and poorly designed housing estates, along with a lack of parks and green spaces, harm children’s wellbeing, undermine their quality of life and deprive them of critical infrastructure that they need.

We’ve also written to the new chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, asking them to finish the inquiry on children and young people and the built environment, which was started prior to the election.

In addition, we’ve responded to the government’s consultation on the national planning policy framework and the 10-year health strategy. We’ve also had informal discussions with various officials from the likes of the DCMS and the Department for Education (DfE) around play and re-establishing it as a societal norm.

So we’ve had some positive discussions and there have been warm responses, but we’re now moving into the stage where the government really needs to bring that into meaningful practice.

We are already starting to see some wins, too. Very recently, the government announced that it will prohibit smoking in playgrounds and outside schools. That is something we directly called for in our manifesto and thankfully the government has responded.

The current planning system in England fails to protect, enhance, or provide spaces and places that support children’s health, development, and wellbeing

Which departments do you see as being the most relevant for play going forward - and why?

The four key departments are the DCMS, the DfE, the department for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport. But they aren’t the only departments.

Children and young people and play cut across all elements of government. We are, after all, talking about our future generations here. For children to be able to play freely will benefit their cognitive, physical and mental wellbeing. It also develops resilience and prepares people for future life.

So it’s very much a cross-governmental topic and play doesn’t fit neatly in one place. That’s why we need the importance of play to be understood in every area of government.

Eugene Minogue provides a SWOT analysis on the play sector

Strengths

Play has something unique, when compared to the likes of sport and physical activity – in that is that play is universal. Every child and every human being has played and plays.

That’s very different to sport or exercise, which can be polarising for some. Whether through previously bad experiences or limitations in the ability to take part. With play, a vast majority have very fond memories of play and it’s universal – it’s something everyone has done in some way.

And play isn’t just about the physical aspect, there is a creative side to it too, whether that be music, literacy or the arts, for example. You can play in a variety of different ways – with your family around the Christmas table, out in the park with your friends, or, indeed, something to do with sports.

So play is unique and we need to remind people how valuable play is for children. It has something to offer every aspect of society.

Weakne es

Play has, societally, been “de-normed”. Unfortunately, a play-based childhood started to decline in the 1980s, a process which accelerated in the 1990s. Arguably, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a breaking point for children’s play.

We now have a generation growing up who not only don’t have the freedom to play in the way their parents or grandparents did, but also we have a generation of children who don’t know HOW to play freely. We don’t have the same free range of movement, we don’t have many games that are being passed down and we don’t have the time, space and opportunity to play. Our lives are so busy and structured these days that play has been marginalised. Take schools, for example, where playtime has been squeezed and is often the thing that is taken away from children as a form of punishment - which is wrong. We need to protect children’s right to play and encourage them to play in all aspects of life.

Societally, we’ve lost sight of play and we have reached a default point where things like “no ball games” signs mean that playgrounds are the only place where play can happen.

O ortunities

They are huge - especially with the government’s current legislative agenda. If we were to get play sufficiency legislation and a new national play strategy, that would be transformational for our children, families and caregivers. It would mean that we value play and give children the voice that they need within society.

It would mean that they would have a valid voice in the planning system, making sure they are fundamental to the way spaces and places are designed for them. Simply put, we have the opportunity to give children their childhood back.

Threats

The status quo. Where we are is damning. It’s an oxymoron that we have to call for national legislation to protect children’s rights and freedom to play. It’s an utterly bizarre situation.

Culturally and societally, we need to take a look at ourselves and where we are. We built the cultures – and the urban environments in which we live in – solely through an adult lens. We need to fundamentally change that. We need to make sure children are heard and that they have the spaces and opportunities to play.

If we don’t we will endanger the mental and physical health of our children, which is in a worrying state as it is. We have children growing up who are not physically literate and are struggling with their mental health. Play can play a huge part in addressing that balance.

PEXELS-ALEKSANDR-BALANDIN

FOR PLAY A PASSION

Amber Ogunsanya-William is the first-ever NSPCC Champion of Childhood. With seemingly limitless energy, she has made play her mission

Could you outline to readers your career journey/path, please? Where did it start and what do you currently do/what keeps you busy?

To understand my journey, we need to go to the very beginning, aged three at an adventure playground. There, eyes wide with wonder, I first explored a sprawling playground that seemed to stretch to the horizon.

Towering wooden platforms that felt like castles, slides that twisted and turned like magical vines, and swings made from tires and ropes that soared into the sky, touching the clouds! This was my world, my sanctuary, where every day was a new adventure.

I remember the sheer joy of running, jumping, and climbing, often tumbling down only to spring

back up with a giggle. The freedom to play, explore, and discover was simply beautiful. Building dens became my specialty – crafting secret hideaways from sticks, leaves, and whatever else I could find. These dens were my fortresses, my secret worlds where my imagination could run wild. Roasting marshmallows over a crackling fire, creating gocarts from scraps, and embarking on endless quests – this playground was my home, my heart.

From these playful beginnings, I blossomed into an inclusive play consultant, advocate, and worker. Through my personal experience, I understand that play is a universal superpower, transcending language and cultural barriers, empowering everyone from babies to the elderly. My mission became clear: to spread the power of play to the world.

I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with a diverse range of organisations on an international level, crafting inclusive play environments, leading play events, and influencing practices in local authorities, museums, early years settings, theatres and adventure playgrounds. I’ve delivered workshops to teachers, nannies, childminders, and charities, sharing the transformative power of play. One of the highlights of my career was being invited to 10 Downing Street to represent play and inclusion – a true honour! Thus gaining the title from the NSPCC as their first ever Champion of Childhood which definitely brought tears to my eyes. The wonderful Catherine Hudson, NSPCC’s celebrity talent manager, and her team wanted to highlight my work within the field of play.

In world of play, no two days are ever the same!

So your passion for play comes very much from your childhood?

Yes, thanks to my father, the head playground manager of Weavers Adventure Playground. His journey from a playworker to a passionate advocate for play inspired me immensely. Growing up with a father whose life revolved around creating purposeful play solutions for every child was transformative. He would regale us with fantastical stories of how he found me in the jungle, saving him from a sabertooth tiger while still in pampers and with a dummy in my mouth. These tales transported us to different worlds, sparking our imaginations and filling our days with laughter and joy. Building go-carts alongside other children, listening to his stories,

People

and letting our imaginations run wild – these experiences ignited my passion for inclusive play, creative learning, and community engagement.

Growing up in an adventure playground with my one-of-a-kind father as the play manager was nothing short of magical. It shaped my belief in the power of play and fuelled my desire to ensure that every child, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to experience the joy and freedom of play.

What current roles do you hold and what do they entail?

I’m the first-ever NSPCC Champion of Childhood. I’m also the Creative Learning, Community Delivery Lead, plus Designated Safeguarding Lead with an esteemed, organisation.

I’m an international, inclusive play specialist and I believe that play is a universal superpower. I want to drive positive behaviour change and elevate performance through purposedriven solutions. I believe I have an innovative approach – one that transcends boundaries and empowers individuals across diverse contexts.

I’ve worked with both charities and commercial enterprises and I’d like to think of myself as a trailblazer in creating inclusive play environments. I want to ensure that children of all abilities and backgrounds can participate.

If I’d had to list some of my notable contributions, I would probably include creating the Childline Play Room, serving as a Royal Opera House play

Growing up in an adventure playground with my one-of-a kind father as the play manager was nothing short of magical

specialist, delivering training to Haringey Early Years childcare professionals and partnering with the Museum of London. I’ve also been a Play Presenter for Disney, Kunda Kids, the Department of Education, and the London New Year’s Day Parade, among many others.

What’s your typical day-to-day?

Or is there one?

In world of play, no two days are ever the same! As a play advocate, worker and consultant, I collaborate with a diverse array of unique companies, adventure playgrounds, and schools, enhancing their environments through the magic of inclusive playwork. Each day is a new adventure, filled with creativity and joy! Thus I’ve created the @playwokeramber play parties, which have built into them the principles of playwork and entertainment for every family and child.

Which recent projects have you completed and what are you working on at the moment?

From providing inclusive playwork in an adventure playground to collaborating with Hackney Museum for a @playworkeramber takeover day, every moment is a celebration of play.

Working with the Haringey Early Years team was another delightful experience. I was invited to be a play practitioner for the “Get Talking Haringey” initiative, where I delivered a workshop called “Bringing Language to

Ogunsanya-William’s father has acted as a huge inspiration in her journey through play

Life Through Play.” This workshop allowed professionals to unleash their creativity and value their lived experiences, transforming language learning into a playful journey.

One of my most cherished collaborations was with Childline, where I created a magical playroom known as Playworker Amber’s Creation Station. This enchanting space was filled with joy and creativity, providing children with a delightful environment to truly express themselves and have the best time imaginable. I wanted to create a space where children could follow their instincts and interests!

Keep an eye out for something incredibly exciting with Compton Verney gallery and some incredible play events at the Museum of London!

Why is play so important, in your view?

Play was a lifeline for me in my world, shaping my character, social skills, emotional well-being, and childhood. It built my resilience (with a few broken bones along the way!), and I found it incredible as I was able to problem-solve and regulate my emotions. In school, academic lessons are crucial for any child’s life, yet they are wonderfully complemented by play. Play opened my mind to possibilities and developed my curiosity, offering a holistic approach to learning. Play is not just an activity; it’s a powerful pedagogical tool that fosters holistic development. It provides hope, nurtures creativity, and builds a foundation for lifelong learning. So, let’s embrace the freedom to PLAY!

Ogunsanya-William says the UK play sector benefits from a network of passionate individuals and organisations

Ogunsanya-William works in play through a number of various roles

What does the UK do well when it comes to play and activating kids –when compared to other countries?

The UK excels in championing play by providing accessible adventure playgrounds that encourage unstructured, imaginative play. The availability of well-designed playground spaces supports children’s discovery and development. Community engagement is strong, with parents and families recognizing the importance of play. However, the biggest area for improvement is ensuring consistent funding for play provisions to keep these spaces open and accessible for all. Plus the UK needs to do more as looking at play as a fundamental right in law would, I believe, solidify it’s importance.

Do you think we will see a change in direction, when it comes to policies, with the change of government?

I think there will be a change in policy with the change of government. When a new government takes office, it often brings a shift in policy direction to reflect its priorities and campaign promises. In the UK, we need to highlight the significance of both outdoor and indoor play provisions. Ensuring that children have access to safe, engaging, and diverse play environments is crucial for their development and well-being. This should be a focus for any new government looking to improve community health and cohesion.

Additionally, it would establish adventure playgrounds nationwide, with secured funding for each provision for three years once open. This policy would prioritise play, making it accessible and inclusive for all children. By fostering a culture of play, we would invest in the physical, emotional, and social well-being of our children, creating a healthier, happier, and more connected society. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?

If you were given the opportunity to change one current (or introduce a new) law or policy, which would have a hugely positive effect on play in the UK, what would that be? It would be a “Play Whenever and Wherever Act”. It would ensure play opportunities throughout the UK by creating temporary and permanent play streets, providing specific grants for play provisions, and developing the Playworker Amber Inclusive Toolkit for schools.

Could you give some insights and/or examples of excellent deliveries of play, which you’ve witnessed or worked on?

One of the most inspiring examples of excellent play delivery I’ve experienced was with the Arts Depot. Their team is phenomenal at infusing play into their events. They hire outside practitioners and are dedicated to putting play on the map, which is why they collaborated with me! I’ve seen

Inclusive Toolkit for Teachers

Recognising the transformative power of play, I created the Inclusive Toolkit for Teachers. This toolkit integrates four different types of play into the curriculum, making learning creative and fun:

Locomotive Play (My Favourite): Encourages movement and coordination. Activities like obstacle courses and dance sessions help children develop motor skills and physical health. Teachers can integrate physical play into subjects like PE and even math, using movement to teach counting and spatial awareness.

Constructive Play: Involves building and creating. Using blocks, clay, or other materials, children can explore concepts of design and engineering. This type of play can be woven into science and art lessons, allowing children to construct models or create art projects that reflect their learning.

Dramatic Play: Allows children to role-play and act out scenarios. This type of play is fantastic for developing social skills and empathy. Teachers can use dramatic play in language arts by having students act out stories or historical events, making the learning experience immersive and engaging.

their family-friendly events come alive with a variety of playful activities. They even invited me to lead a “Move, Draw, and Play” workshop, which was an amazing opportunity. A special shoutout to Isy and Louisa for being a true catalyst for play advocacy! The energy and creativity they bring to every event are simply unmatched.

What would you describe as the play sector’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?

The strengths of the play sector in the UK include a network of passionate individuals and

Sensory Play: Engages the senses and helps children explore the world around them. Activities like sand play, water play, and sensory bins can be used to teach concepts in science and early literacy. Sensory play is particularly beneficial for children with special needs, providing a calming and engaging way to learn.

By integrating these types of play into the curriculum, teachers can create a dynamic and inclusive learning environment. Play allows children to break away from routine and experience the freedom to explore, imagine, and learn in a way that is both joyful and impactful.

organisations dedicated to promoting play and its benefits. However, weaknesses such as the uneven distribution of play facilities, especially in rural and under-served urban areas, and the need for more training and support for playworkers, hinder the quality of play experiences. Opportunities exist in public-private partnerships to fund and develop new play spaces, and the growing interest in nature-based play. On the flip side, budget cuts in local councils threaten funding for play provisions, and the rise of digital entertainment continues to compete with traditional play activities, reducing engagement in outdoor and physical play.

Quack team

SportsNation spoke to STA President and Executive Director of Puddle Ducks, Ali Beckman, about the aquatics sector and the importance of play in teaching children how to swim

Ali Beckman’s passion for swimming is a result of being brought up in a swimming family. Her mum was a competitive swimmer who began teaching and coaching when an eight-year-old Beckman and her sisters first joined their local swimming club in Swinton, Manchester. To this day – 40 years later – her mum remains as Chief Coach at the club.

Beckman swam competitively until she was 15 years old and also volunteered as a teacher and coach as a teenager. She turned her passion into a full time job when she joined Puddle Ducks as the company’s first ever teacher in March 2005.

“I became a mum in 2004 and attended Puddle Ducks

sessions with my baby son – and fell in love with the brand,” Beckman says. “Within six months of joining, I was appointed into the role of Technical Director and took on the responsibility of heading up the teaching and training side of the business.”

Today, Beckman is an Executive Director of Puddle Ducks Franchising Ltd, supporting CEO/ Managing Director, Jo Stone, on the management and strategic direction of the company. She is also Head of Aquatics, responsible for managing a 12-strong team which supports franchisees in the field by training, mentoring and assessing teachers. She is also president of the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA), supporting Dave Candler in his CEO role. She also chairs the Safety Training

Beckman has been STA President since October 2021

PHOTO: PUDDLE DUCKS

Aspects of play can be used effectively to teach children how to swim

Awards, the awarding organisation for STA, which ensures compliance and governance set by the qualification regulators are being adhered to.

Beckman is a huge advocate of play, having recognised its importance in the success of Puddle Ducks. “Children learn through play, and play is proven to improve cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being,” she says.

“There are still, however, many swim schools who haven’t adapted lessons to incorporate play.”

Through her passion for – and experience in – the aquatics industry, she is perfectly placed to offer insight into the sector’s future, its challenges and its opportunities. PlayNation sat down with Beckman to do just that.

What does the UK do well when it comes to teaching children swimming (when compared to other countries)?

Baby swimming in particular has evolved over the years and adult-led submersions, once the staple of baby and toddler lessons, are no longer considered best practice. Instead, the focus is now on child-led activities and games to

encourage a baby/child to immerse themselves. The majority of the UK’s swim schools have moved to this style of teaching, but there’s still work to be done here and across the rest of the world.

One of the great things about swimming in the UK is that the organisations that support the training of teachers, in particular the STA, believe in research-informed training. Best practice evolves and training courses always reflect this.

And

where are the biggest needs for improvement?

There’s still more work to be done on educating teachers regarding child-led practices and to also encourage swimming teachers to keep upskilling, in particular on child development and psychology. It’s what makes a teacher that little bit extraordinary. We also need to stop pounding young children up and down the pool when they don’t have the foundations and correct skills –you just end up reinforcing an incorrect stroke. Teachers often feel under pressure by parents to deliver a lesson that is jam-packed and when they see their child stood around doing ‘nothing’

People We want every child to love swimming, respect the water and swim beautifully

they often complain. What they don’t see is the play that leads to a defined skill or the science behind some of the activities which builds the foundations needed to swim longer distances.

If you could change one law or policy to help swimming/ aquatics, what would that be?

Remove VAT from swimming lessons. In 2022 the STA campaigned for the government to stamp out VAT from learn to swim lessons. It would help swim schools put on more lessons and ensure millions of people, mainly children of primary school age, had access to swimming lessons. An overwhelming 92% of the UK swim schools surveyed by STA in October 2022 agreed that if swimming lessons were zero-rated or exempt from VAT, more people would be able to afford / access swimming lessons. Of the swim schools surveyed that are purposely keeping under the VAT threshold, two-thirds said if swimming lessons were free from VAT, they could teach a lot more swimmers and reduce the heavy waiting lists.

What is Puddle Ducks and what does it do?

Founded in 2002 by Jo Stone and Tracy Townend, in Cheshire, it was born out of wanting to give babies and toddlers the best start when it comes to water confidence and learning the essential life skill that is swimming. We have a very clear mission, vision and set of values that are at the heart of everything we do. Everyone who works with us (and for the Puddle Ducks brand) has a passion for swimming, an ambition for growth and a commitment to become experts in every aspect of their business. The original ethos has never been lost and is reflected in our mission statement, which is “we want every child to love swimming, respect the water and swim beautifully – that’s why our

standards are the highest and our approach is unique”. We call it the Puddle Ducks Difference.

In 2005, the company was franchised; this seemed the most effective way to deliver the mission to children across the UK. From early beginnings, a team of three people and a pilot franchise in Chester, we now have 35 franchisees, operating from 53 territories across the UK, teaching 25,000 babies and children to swim every week from a combination of hired, managed and owned swimming pools.

In 2014, we launched our Swim Academy product for children aged 4-10, giving those children who hadn’t accessed baby or preschool swimming, the chance to benefit from our expertise. This was relaunched with a stand-alone brand in 2017, which now accounts for 30% of our customer base and is growing. Having spent a total of 10 months out of the water during

One of the major issue for aquatics over the past decade has been the shortage in swimming teachers

PHOTO:

PUDDLE DUCKS

Covid-19 between March 2020 and September 2021, we came back with a bang – and the demand for lessons was higher than ever. However, the period also saw a backdrop of pool closures, rising energy costs and a cost-of-living crisis.

Today, Puddle Ducks is stronger than ever, with a 19-strong Head Office team supporting the franchise network to deliver brand excellence to our customers. We are very highly regarded in the franchise industry as multiple award winners and 12 consecutive years of 5* franchisee satisfaction.

What is the Puddle Ducks USP when it comes to teaching kids swim? What do you do differently?

We are regarded as the informed choice by our customers. As the first national swim school to develop our programme to be 100% child-led,

we have led the way, educating the industry and the public in why child-led swimming is so important for the child’s long-term relationship with the water and beyond that, their confidence and relationship with healthy living and sports.

Our Baby & Pre-school programme has 6 levels and the same in our Swim Academy. The lesson plans are developed in such a way that every activity the children learn, from birth to the age of 10, can be adapted and broken down to ensure the child is moving at their own pace and only doing things, such as putting their face in the water, when they are ready. We deconstruct each stroke and build it back up, developing a beautiful, efficient stroke. Our teachers are trained to the highest standards, and are continually developing their qualifications to ensure they are at the cutting edge of both learning to swim and child development.

THE PUDDLE DUCKS

RIPPLE EFFECT

SKILLS FOR LIFE

Making swimming independently and water safety as natural as breathing

HEALTHY LIFE

Making exercise fun and learning through active play

SOCIAL LIFE

Developing valuable social skills; children and parents making friends for life

FAMILY LIFE

Helping to create memories, from bath time to holidays and more

skills for life

healthylife

social Life

familylife

Could you explain the “Ripple Effect” to our readers?

The Ripple Effect is best explained in this infographic (see above). It demonstrates how learning to swim impacts every aspect of a child’s, and their family’s, lives.

• Skills for Life – simply put, this is the essential life skill that is learning to swim

• Healthy Life – by making exercise part of a child’s routine from the early years, good habits are formed plus, swimming itself is one of the best forms of exercise around

• Social Life – many of our swimmers and their parents/carers make friends for life through their Puddle Ducks lessons

• Family Life – making baby’s bath time more enjoyable, being able to turn to swimming as an activity to do on a day off, making family holidays more enjoyable, leading on to other activities such as open water swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding etc. Swimming opens many doors! Children learn through play, and play is proven to improve cognitive, physical, social

Puddle Ducks focuses on making children love swimming

and emotional well-being. However, there are still many swim schools that haven’t adapted lessons to incorporate play. Play also motivates a child and that motivation is what helps a child learn new skills, especially in the water.

At Puddle Ducks we want children to love swimming, respect the water and swim beautifully. That’s not going to happen if we can’t engage with the child, so we educate our teachers to teach skills in a playful environment. We’re proud that children don’t feel under pressure in our lessons. They have fun, but they are constantly learning without realising and we have so many children swimming 5m-25m independently before even starting school. Compare that to the expectation, at the end of Key Stage 2, for children to have achieved 25m and you can see the excellent results we are achieving!

Ali Beckman’s SWOT analysis of aquatics

l Strengths

Two national governing bodies, Swim England and Swimming Teachers Association recently entered into a strategic partnership for the first time in history –whilst the partnership is in its early stages, it gives the industry hope that there is a collective goal of the NGBs to promote the benefits of aquatic activity and to ensure everyone in England has the opportunity to swim, and to see every teacher vacancy filled.

l Weaknesses

Lack of swimming facilities – over 1,200 pools have shut down in the UK since 2009, a major chunk of these during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of new pools being built is nowhere near the numbers lost so we need help, from the Government, to save further pools closing.

l Opportunities

In May this year the Department of Education announced a new module on ‘personal safety’ in relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) lessons. It states that “pupils should know to recognise risk and keep safe around water, including the water safety code”. There’s still more campaigning to be done but hopefully the new Government will continue to support this and recognise the importance of learning to swim to reduce the risk of accidental drownings.

l Threats

Rising energy costs continue to affect leisure centres, in particular swimming pools. We can’t afford to lose any more and the Government needs to do more, not just to give people access to swimming lessons but for the important health benefits gained from aquatic exercise.

PHOTO: PUDDLE DUCKS

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