Kent Sport Club Survey Final Report, May 2018 by Stuart Butler & Mike Potter

Transcription

1 Kent Sport Club Survey 2018 Final Report, May 2018 by Stuart Butler & Mike Potter

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3 Contents 3 Summary 4 Putting the results into action 5 Club information 7 Kent Sport information 8 NGB Support 10 Club Matters & Clubmark 12 Club development 14 Volunteers 15 Coach development 17 School Games 18 School links 19 Safeguarding 20 Inclusivity 21 Club outlook & attitudes 24 Appendix 1 - Questionnaire 2

4 Summary The survey fieldwork was conducted between 25 January and 2 March 2018, and was completed online by 358 clubs from a wide variety of different sports, with 63 different sports represented, but almost 40% of responses coming from four different sports (cricket, football, athletics, bowls). The clubs of Kent and Medway are generally positive about their situation and outlook, with the clear majority feeling positive about the future, and well equipped to deal with the challenges they face. However, when questioned about the challenges facing their clubs, and the areas clubs would like to receive support in, most respondents identified everyday issues related to keeping clubs running, such as player levels, volunteer levels, funding and facilities. Funding advice was identified as the number one issue that clubs would appreciate more support on, followed by increasing members, ahead of more complex issues such as club structures, which came last. Regarding volunteering, recruitment programmes was the highest priority area (most clubs rely on their own members and parents for volunteers), with research into volunteering the least important. In developing coaches, funding towards coach education was identified as the most valuable type of support, while things like mentoring, observation sessions and online forums were seen as less important. Engagement and interaction with the overarching organisations and structures of sport were limited, with four in 10 clubs unaware who their local NGB contact is. Similarly, more than half of clubs had no knowledge of Sport England s Club Matters service, with only 14% of all clubs having used the service. Furthermore, only one in five respondents were aware of the Join In national volunteer website, though more than half of clubs would like to receive more help with their volunteering. Interestingly, the clubs who are aware of, and have engaged with their NGB contact, generally found the experience to be useful, and similarly, those who have used Club Matters found it a useful tool, but at the moment, the reach of both NGB contacts and the Club Matters service is limited, with almost 40% of clubs receiving no support from external organisations. Awareness of Kent Sport s coach education and club development workshops was widespread, with two-thirds aware that Kent Sport runs workshops, and almost half aware that Kent Sport provides open-access, free club forums. However, less than a third of clubs have attended a club forum, with only 9% attending one in the past 12 months. Almost three-quarters of clubs stated they would be interested in attending a forum in the future. It appears then, that clubs feel positive about the future and the challenges they are facing, but any concerns they have tend to be focused on the basic day-to-day running of the club, rather than more complex issues related to governance and club structures. Clubs benefit greatly from interaction and engagement with supporting structures, but at present, not enough clubs are engaged with the structures and organisations that can help them, instead relying on support from within the club to help them to get by. 3

5 Putting the results into action (May 2018) The survey produced some interesting results and useful feedback as Kent Sport begins another three-year cycle of funding from Sport England. The conclusions will help us shape our future offer and we re already implementing some of the findings into our work. We are offering a workshop on the subject of recruiting and retaining volunteers, in partnership with British Triathlon, in June A session on engaging more women and girls in sport and physical activity, will form part of our club forum event in July These events will continue to run on a midweek evening after this was deemed the most appropriate time by survey respondents. Many clubs and organisations who weren t previously on Kent Sport s club database completed the survey. Those that provided contact details have been contacted, and this has resulted in almost 30 clubs and organisations signing up, so we can now share club development news with them. Where clubs submitted additional comments to their survey responses, we have started to contact them to ensure we can give them the support they need. The results of the survey were evidenced in our workforce plan submission to Sport England, which has since secured funding to support this area of work. We have shared the results internally at Kent Sport, with the team and with our board. The headline results have also been submitted to Sport England and the Sport Industry Research Centre. It is hoped we will soon be able to compare our Kent results with some of the research recently conducted by national partners. Some specific feedback has also gone to local districts, who are looking at their sports development offer. We will continue to examine the results in detail to help focus our work over the next few months. For any questions, please contact stuart.butler@kent.gov.uk. 4

6 Club information In total, 63 different sports were represented in the club survey, from netball to boccia, and roller derby to footgolf. Cricket was the most represented sport, with 55 cricket clubs taking part, in addition to 40 football clubs, 23 bowls clubs, 21 athletics clubs (including running clubs and parkruns), and 14 multi-sport clubs. 5

7 Medway was the most represented district in the survey, with 57 clubs from Medway taking part, and Gravesham, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells all seeing 30 or more clubs take part. Ashford was the least well-represented district, with 10 clubs completing the survey. 6

8 Kent Sport information More than three quarters of clubs had heard of Kent Sport before taking part in the survey (77.6%). Of those who had heard of Kent Sport, 31% of clubs have used Kent Sport for funding support in the past, with a further 31% attending workshops run by Kent Sport. 7

9 NGB support Half of respondents know who their local National Governing Body (NGB) contact is (51%), while 39% did not know. 7% of clubs didn t have a local contact for their sport, while 4% of clubs did not have an NGB for their sport. The overwhelming majority of those who knew their NGB contact have also had contact with them (87% of those who know the contact), while the experience of those who have had contact with their NGB has almost always proved helpful. 92% of those who have had contact with their NGB have found them either very helpful (52%) or quite helpful (41%). 8

10 The data reveals that while NGB contacts have generally proved to be helpful to clubs, there is a large gap in the impact they can have, as four out of 10 clubs are unaware of who their local NGB contact is. Four in 10 clubs don t receive any support from other external organisations, while local authorities are the most frequently cited types of organisations that clubs received support from (28% of clubs). 9

11 Club Matters & Clubmark Just less than half of the clubs surveyed had heard of Sport England s Club Matters service (47%), with 31% of those (14% of all clubs) having used the service. Of those who have used the service, Clubmark was the most frequently mentioned service, with half of those who have used Club Matters doing so for Clubmark. Of those who have used Club Matters, 96% have found it be useful (59% quite useful, 37% very useful), with just 4% stating it was not very useful. This suggests that Club Matters is a valuable resource for clubs, with a currently limited reach only 14% of clubs have used the service, but almost all who have used it have found it useful. 10

12 Two-thirds of clubs have heard of Sport England s Clubmark scheme, with 55% of clubs having applied for the scheme, or a similar/equivalent NGB versions of Clubmark. Of the potential benefits of having Clubmark accreditation, around two-thirds of respondents were aware of developing clear goals and objectives within the club, ensuring the club runs more efficiently and effectively, addressing issues like equality and safeguarding and applying for certain funding. Far fewer were aware of other incentives for accreditation, including access to Sainsbury s Active Kids vouchers (21%) and achievement discount (15%). 11

13 Club development Respondents were asked what types of support, out of a pre-defined list, they would like to receive more assistance with as a club. There were two clear issues that respondents identified as requiring more support on funding advice (3.0 out of 7 average rank, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important) and increasing members (3.0). Other issues to rank highly were training for coaches, volunteers, committee (3.3), attracting more volunteers (3.8) and increasing publicity (3.8), while club structures (set up, charitable status etc.) (4.8) and understanding government and national policies (5.4) were seen as less important. Two-thirds of clubs were aware that Kent Sport runs workshops covering areas like safeguarding, first aid, coach and club development, while half of respondents were aware that Kent Sport runs 12

14 open-access, free club forums around the county, including free workshops on a variety of subjects. Only 9% of respondents had attended a club forum in the last year, while a further 22% had attended one, but not in the last year. Almost three-quarters of respondents would be interested in attending club forums in the future, with midweek evenings seen as the most preferential time (50%, compared to 24% who would attend at weekends). Almost two-thirds of respondents have attended training events such as conferences, workshops or seminars, led by their NGB, regional or county association. 37% have attended these in the last 12 months, with a further 25% attending events more than 12 months ago. 13

15 Volunteers The vast majority of clubs rely on their own membership base for volunteers, with 88% of clubs drawing volunteers from club members. More than half of clubs rely on parents as volunteers, while just 5% bring in volunteers from external sources, including using advertising. Just more than 1 in 5 clubs are aware of the volunteer network Join In (22%), but more than half would appreciate more help and support in recruiting volunteers (51%). Of the different types of support regarding volunteering, recruitment programmes was the most popular type of support clubs would like to receive help with, followed by promotional opportunities, best practice workshop, rewards/recognition scheme and lastly, research into volunteering. 14

16 Coach development A series of questions was asked on coach development, in order to identify clubs priorities for coaching. The types of support that clubs would consider most useful to their coaches, leaders and activators, was by far providing funding to help with the cost of coach education (84%), and up to date information on coach education courses (62%). Other types of support, including advertising, mentoring, and online coaching forums, received between 27% and 37% support. Four subjects were proposed around the subject of tackling inactivity, with clubs asked how interested they would be in finding out more about each one. The most popular subject was engaging women and girls (3.2 out of 4 on average, where 1 means not at all interested and 4 means very interested. helping inactive people to become more active was the second most 15

17 popular subject (3.0 out of 4), followed by understanding young people s lives (2.9) and engaging more disabled participants (2.9). 16

18 School Games When asked, less than half of respondents were aware of the Kent School Games programme (44%), with 10% of all clubs stating that they support the delivery of, or host Kent School Games local events. A further 5% of all clubs have hosted events in the past. 51% of those asked (i.e. those who don t currently support events), would be interested in supporting the delivery of, or hosting, Kent School Games local events in the future, while 162 clubs stated they would be happy to be contacted to discuss how they might be able to support the Kent School Games in the future. 17

19 School links A quarter of all clubs stated that they currently have links to local schools, while in total, 58% of clubs said they would be interested in making links in the future (4% would be interested in primary school links, 11% with secondary schools, and 42% with both primary and secondary). Almost half of clubs who are interested in creating school links have coaches who are appropriately qualified, ands available during school hours, while a further 13% weren t sure. In total, 73 clubs stated they were happy to be contacted by a member of the Kent Sport team to discuss creating links with local schools. 18

20 Safeguarding More than half of respondents were aware that Kent Sport is able to assist and support clubs with their safeguarding plans and policies (56%), with 95% of respondents feeling confident that they would be able to find information, support or advice on safeguarding (60% very confident, 36% somewhat confident). When asked where would you go if you wanted to get information, support or advice on safeguarding adults or children?, the majority of respondents said they would go to their governing body (73%). Almost a third of respondents mentioned they would go to Kent Sport (32%). 19

21 Inclusivity Half of clubs stated that they are completely accessible and inclusive, with a further 46% stating they are inclusive and accessible to some extent. More than 6 in 10 respondents stated that their club catered for people with disabilities. The most common disability groups catered for by clubs are learning, concentrating or remembering (32% of all clubs) and social or behavioural issues (e.g. Autism, Attentions Deficit, Aspergers Syndrome) (31%), while physical disabilities (27%), hearing impairments (25%) and visual impairments (16%) are less widely catered for. 20

22 Club outlook & attitudes Membership numbers at the majority of clubs who responded to the survey are either remaining steady, or going up. Just 12% of clubs stated that their adult memberships have declined over the past year, with 18% of clubs stating their child membership have declined. 40% of clubs have seen their adult membership number go up (48% have stayed the same) over the past 12 months, while 51% of clubs have seen their child membership numbers rise in the same period. The main reason respondents gave for people being members of their club tended to revolve around the sporting and social aspects, with 90% of respondents stating that enjoyment of the sport/hobby was a main reason for people being members, and 71% stating that the opportunity 21

23 to train/take part competitively was a key reason. Keeping fit was also seen as a key reason (51%), while social opportunities, including spending time with friends (67%) and meeting new people (41%) were also seen as key reasons for membership. Motivations around health (18%) and losing weight (13%) were seen as less important. The main challenges facing clubs at the moment centred on the nuts and bolts of keeping the club running player recruitment and retention (54%), volunteer levels (47%), quality of facilities (46%), and attracting young people to the club (44%). Fewer respondents were concerned with the challenges around governance (14%) and safeguarding/welfare of players (8%). The majority of clubs feel their club is well equipped to deal with the challenges it faces at the moment (9% very well equipped, 70% quite well equipped), while the outlook for clubs is generally considered to be positive for the next five years. 39% of clubs feel very positive about the future, 22

24 while a further 44% feel somewhat positive. Just 7% of clubs feel somewhat negative, and 1% of clubs feel very negative about the future. 23

25 Questionnaire Appendix 1 Welcome to the first Kent and Medway Club Survey, a comprehensive research project designed to better understand sports clubs in Kent and Medway. The study will help Kent Sport to support clubs more effectively, and work together towards ensuring as many people as possible can play sport in the county, and have the best experience possible. The survey is designed to be completed by club administrators and officials. If you have been sent, or passed the survey but don t think you are the right person to complete it, please forward the link to the appropriate person within your club. The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Every club that completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win one of five prizes of 100 for their club. For full terms and conditions, please click here. Kent Sport will ensure that all the information you provide in this survey will be kept in the strictest confidence, and used for research purposes only. 1. Firstly, a couple of questions about your club. What is your club name? 2. What is your sport? If your club offers more than one sport, please select multi-sport. Aikido Air sports American football Angling Aquathlon Archery Arm wrestling Artistic skating (roller) Athletics Australian rules football Badminton Ballooning Ballroom dancing Basketball Lacrosse Land-sailing/yachting Life saving Luge Modern pentathlon Motor cycling Motor sports Motor cruising Mountain biking Mountaineering Movement and dance Netball Octopush Orienteering 24

26 Questionnaire Appendix 1 Baseball Baton twirling Biathlon Bicycle polo Billiards and snooker BMX Bobsleigh Boccia Bowls Boxing Camogie Canoeing Caving Cheerleading Chinese martial arts Climbing Cricket Croquet Curling Cycling Dance sport Darts Disability sport Diving Dodgeball Dragon boat racing Duathlon Equestrian Exercise, movement and dance Fencing Fives Parachuting Parkour Petanque Polo Polocrosse Pool Powerboating Powerlifting Puck hockey (roller) Quoits Rafting Rackets Racketball Rambling Real tennis Roller derby Roller sports Rounders Rowing Rugby league Rugby union Sailing and yachting Sand and land yachting Shooting (air, clay target, crossbow, muzzle loading, pistol, rifle and target) Show jumping Skateboarding Skater hockey (roller) Skiing Skipping Snooker Snowboarding 25

27 Questionnaire Appendix 1 Floorball Folk dancing Football Futsal Gaelic football Gliding Goalball Golf Gymnastics Handball Hang gliding and paragliding Harness racing Highland games Hockey Horse Racing Horse Riding Hovering Hurling Ice hockey Ice skating Jet skiing Judo Ju jitsu Kabaddi Karate Keep fit Kendo Kite Surfing Kneeboarding Korfball Softball Sombo Speedway Speed skating (roller) Squash Stoolball Sub aqua Surf life saving Surfing Swimming and diving Table tennis Taekwondo Tang Soo Do Tennis Tenpin bowling Trampolining Triathlon Tug of war Ultimate (frisbee) Volleyball Wakeboarding Water polo Water skiing Weightlifting Wheelchair basketball Wheelchair rugby Windsurfing Wrestling Yoga Multi-sport Other (please specify) 26

28 Questionnaire Appendix 1 3. What is the main sport played by/at your club? 4. Which district is your club based in? If your club is based in more than one district, please select all that apply. Ashford Canterbury Dartford Dover Gravesham Maidstone Medway Sevenoaks Shepway Swale Thanet Tonbridge & Malling Tunbridge Wells t sure 5. Kent Sport is the County Sports Partnership for Kent and Medway. We are hosted by Kent County Council and work with partners across the county to provide opportunities for people to get involved in sport and physical activity. Have you previously heard of Kent Sport? Yes Don't know 27

29 Questionnaire Appendix 1 6. Have you previously used Kent Sport for any of the following types of support? Funding support Workshops School support Coach development General advice Facility development advice Clubmark support Other (please specify) 7. Do you know the local contact for your sport s national governing body (NGB)? Yes There isn't a local NGB contact for my sport My sport doesn't have an NGB 8. Have you had any contact with your local NGB for any information or support related to your club? Yes t sure 28

30 Questionnaire Appendix 1 9. When you have had contact with your local NGB, how helpful did you find them? Very helpful Quite helpful t very helpful t at all helpful Prefer not to say 10. What other organisations does your club receive support from? By support we mean any advice, funding, training or anything else that helps with the running of the club. Local authority Other national organisation (e.g. SportEd, Streetgames, UK Coaching (formerly Sports Coach UK), EFDS) Other local organisation (e.g. local district, community organisations) Any other organisation We don t receive support from other organisations 11. You said that you have received support from another type of national, local or other organisation. Please list the organisations you have received support from here. 12. Have you heard of the Sport England Club Matters service? Yes 29

31 Questionnaire Appendix Have you used the Club Matters service before? Yes Don't know 14. What have you previously used the Club Matters service for? Please select all that apply. Clubmark Club Improvement Tool Workshops Online help/advice 15. How useful have you found the Club Matters service when you have used it in the past? Very useful Quite useful t very useful t at all useful 16. Are you aware of Sport England s Clubmark scheme? Yes 30

32 Questionnaire Appendix Has your club applied for or received Clubmark at any time? Please include sport-specific versions of Clubmark, such as FA Chartered Standard, SwimMark, GymMark etc. Yes Don't know 18. Below is a list of potential benefits to clubs of having Clubmark accreditation. Which of these benefits were you previously aware of? Please select all that apply. Developing clear goals and objectives within the club Analysing your workforce Ensuring the club runs more efficiently and effectively Addressing issues like equality and safeguarding Increasing parents confidence Develop strategies for new member recruitment Achievement discount Apply for certain funding Access to Sainsbury s Active Kids vouchers 31

33 Questionnaire Appendix From the list below, what would you like to receive more support and assistance with as a club? Please rank your answers, with the most important issue ranked 1, and the least important issue ranked 7. Increasing members Increasing publicity Attracting more volunteers Training for coaches, volunteers, committee Funding advice Club structures (set up, charitable status etc.) Understanding government, national policies 20. Are there any other things that you would like to receive more support and assistance with as a club? Please list any in the box below, and then click "next" to move onto the next question. 21. Are you aware that Kent Sport runs workshops covering areas like safeguarding, first aid, coach and club development? Yes 22. Did you know that Kent Sport runs open-access, free club forums around the county, including free workshops on a variety of subjects? Yes 32

34 Questionnaire Appendix Have you ever attended a club forum organised by Kent Sport? Yes in the last 12 months Yes but not in the last 12 months Don t know 24. Would you be interested in attending a club forum in the future? If so, would you prefer it to be held on a mid-week evening or a weekend? Yes mid-week evening Yes weekend, I wouldn t be interested in attending 25. Have you ever attended any other training events, such as conferences, workshops or seminars, led by your NGB, regional or county association? Yes in the last 12 months Yes but not in the last 12 months Don t know 33

35 Questionnaire Appendix Thinking now about volunteers, where do you attract your volunteers from? Please select all that apply Within the club Parents Local community External, including advertising Other sources (please specify) 27. Are you aware of the national volunteer website Join In? Yes 28. Would you like to receive additional help and support in recruiting more volunteers? Yes 29. What type of help and support would you like in recruiting more volunteers? Please rank your answers, with 1 being the type of support you would find most useful, and 5 being the type of support you would find least useful. Recruitment programme Best practice workshop Promotional opportunities Rewards/recognition scheme Research into volunteering 34

36 Questionnaire Appendix Kent Sport are keen to support your club coaches to develop. Please tell us what type of support you think would be most helpful to your club coaches, leaders and/or activators. Please select all that apply. Up to date information on coach education courses Advertising coaching opportunities Providing funding to help with the cost of coach education Sharing coaching articles, blogs and other tips for to improve coaching practice Coordinating an online forum where coaches across Kent can speak to other coaches Providing opportunities to observe coaches from other sports Offering mentoring support across sports Other (please specify) 31. Kent Sport has a remit to help people who are currently inactive become more active, as well as targeting specific groups across Kent. We are keen to ensure our clubs and coaches feel confident to work with these new groups. How interested would you be in finding out more about the following? Very interested Quite interested t very interested t at all interested Helping inactive people become more active and stay active Engaging more disabled participants Understanding young people s lives Engaging more women and girls 32. Are you aware of the Kent School Games programme? Yes 35

37 Questionnaire Appendix 1 The biennial Kent School Games began in 2008 as a Kent County Council Olympic and Paralympic legacy project to inspire schools and young people across Kent to participate in competitive school sport. The Kent School Games is a multi-sport competition open to all young people aged 4 18 in primary, secondary and special needs schools. Off the back of the success of the Kent School Games, in 2012 the national, annual School Games programme began. The Games are a unique opportunity to motivate and inspire millions of young people across the country to take part in appropriate competitive school sport. 33. Does your club support the delivery of, or host, Kent School Games local events? Yes, but we have in the past, we never have Don t know 34. Would you be interested in your club supporting the delivery of, or hosting, Kent School Games local events in the future? Yes 35. Would you be happy for a member of the Kent Sport team to contact you, or pass your details to your local School Games Organiser, to discuss how your club might be able to support local Kent School Games events? Yes 36

38 Questionnaire Appendix As a club, would you be interested in creating links with local primary or secondary schools? Links could include providing coaches, facilities or helping to run clubs or deliver PE lessons. Yes with primary schools Yes with secondary schools Yes with both primary and secondary schools We already have links to local schools 37. Please explain the links you have with local schools below. 38. Does your club have coaches who are appropriately qualified (i.e. insured to coach independently) available during school hours e.g. 8.45am-4.30pm? Yes Don't know 39. Would you be happy for a member of the Kent Sport team to contact you to discuss how your club might be able to create links with local schools? Yes 37

39 Questionnaire Appendix Are you aware that Kent Sport is able to assist and support clubs with their safeguarding plans and policies? Yes 41. How confident are you that you would be able to find information, support or advice on safeguarding (children and/or adults)? Very confident Somewhat confident t very confident t at all confident 42. Where would you go if you wanted to get information, support or advice on safeguarding adults or children? Kent Sport Governing Body NSPCC NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit Ann Craft Trust Kent Safeguarding Children Board Kent Safeguarding Adult Board Another club or organisation (please specify) 38

40 Questionnaire Appendix To what extent would you say your club is accessible and inclusive? Completely To some extent t very t at all 44. Does your club cater for people with disabilities? Yes 45. Which disability groups do you cater for as a club? Vision (blindness or visual impairment) Hearing (deafness or hard of hearing) Physical (wheelchair user, mobility issues, amputee, dwarfism) Learning or concentrating or remembering Mental Health problems Social or behaviour issues (e.g. Autism, Attentions Deficit, Aspergers Syndrome) Other (could include stamina or breathing difficulty, difficultly speaking or making yourself understood, dexterity difficulties, long term pain) 46. Over the last 12 months, have your membership numbers gone up, down, or stayed about the same? Adult members Gone up Stayed about the same Gone down N/A Junior members 39

41 Questionnaire Appendix What do you believe are the main reasons for your members being part of your club? Please select up to five reasons. To try a new activity/something different Enjoyment of the sport/hobby To keep fit To lose weight To spend time with the family/participate in a family activity Social opportunity - activity with friends Social opportunity - to meet new people To train/take part competitively Health reasons Rehabilitation, recovery from injury Corporate/work activity With school/college Childs party/event offered by the club Other 48. What are the key challenges facing your club at the moment? Please select all that apply. Player recruitment and retention Volunteer levels Attracting young people to the club Quality and/or availability of coaches Quality of facilities Budgets/financial pressures Being competitive/performing well Governance/administrative challenges Ensuring the welfare and safeguarding of players Attracting sponsorship Marketing, PR 40

42 Questionnaire Appendix How well equipped do you feel your club is to meet the challenges it faces it at the moment? Very well equipped Quite well equipped t very well equipped t at all well equipped 50. Overall, how positive do you feel about the outlook for your club in the next five years? Very positive Somewhat positive Neither positive or negative Somewhat negative Very negative 51. Finally, in order to enter into the prize draw, could you please enter your name and address? Name Address 52. In the future we may wish to conduct follow-up research with participants of this survey, to ask their views and opinions of other club and sport-related matters. Would you be happy for us to re-contact you for future research? We will never use this permission to contact for you anything other than research purposes. Yes 41