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9/6/09
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Sport and fitness for today’s youth
‘Legends are failing to inspire’ By Mary Ferguson SCOTTISH sporting legends are failing to inspire the country’s children to do more exercise, a controversial new report has claimed. It has also revealed ‘a lamentable failure’ to deliver the target of two hours’ quality PE a week – and that’s despite recruiting sporting heroes such as Chris Hoy, Andy Murray and Liz McColgan. The ‘Pathways into Sport and Physical Activity’ report goes on to criticise education authorities for failing to give PE the same status as other curricular subjects. Christine Grahame, MSP, of the government’s health and sport committee which produced the report said: “The committee’s evidence tells us that Scots have not been inspired by the likes of Chris, Andy or Liz to get off the sofa, stop being couch potatoes and do some exercise. “We are deceiving ourselves if we think Scotland is a physically active nation. Given the very worrying projections for obesity levels in
Scotland, the committee believes we need to put much more emphasis on PE and the links between school and community sports.” Committee member Michael Matheson, MSP told Future Fitness that it was not just sports stars failing to inspire young people to get active. He said: “There is a significant body of evidence that shows major sporting events like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games do not necessarily translate to an increase in physical activity among young people. I think the sports stars do a tremendous amount to try and inspire young people but they are limited as to what they can do. In Scotland we are all pushing against a tide of young people failing to get involved in sport. And the situation would be a lot worse if it wasn’t for high-profile stars trying to help.” Now, the committee is calling for radical change in how P.E is delivered within schools, citing a need for greater links with sports clubs and a higher priority given to the subject. For more, Page 5
July 2009 £2.75
93,000 more coaches are needed – study
Olympic high jumper Ben Challenger was a special visitor to Epsom College when he took a coaching session for pupils. Boys from the college’s athletics club took advantage of the afternoon coaching clinic, learning new skills and techniques from Britain’s top high jumper. As well as helping the boys with their jumping, Ben chatted about his career and hopes for the future as well as demonstrating how it should be done by putting in a few jumps himself.
OVER 93,000 more sports coaches are needed in the UK according to new recommendations from Sports Coach UK. The team has produced new research ‘The Coaching Workforce 2009-2016’ which aims to provide a starting point for better planning and development in the field. The report included recommendations for a proposed 53 per cent increase in paid coaches, full and part time, by 2016 and the introduction of governing bodies for each area of coaching. It also called for all coaches and head coaches to hold qualifications by 2016 and for at least 60 per cent of assistant coaches and volunteers to hold qualifications by that time. The research revealed that overall the UK has 1.11 million individuals involved in coaching, but only three per cent of these are in full time, paid positions. In contrast, 76 per cent are volunteers and only 68 per cent are qualified. The report will now be studied by the Home Countries and Governing Bodies to decide which ideas will be applied as part of the aim to deliver world-leading coaching at the front line by 2016.