With 2024 being an Olympics and Paralympics year – the latter having just finished – it’s a good time to consider sports policy and independence.
Sport has long been one of the most important pillars of Wales’ cultural identity. As one of the main vehicles by which Wales acts independently abroad, sport also has some importance when it comes to “soft power”, “brand awareness” and low-level diplomacy (Part III).
That’s all well and good for athletes, governing bodies, sponsors and politicians – but what about the rest of us?
Part one (of three) will concentrate on sport and exercise as a public health matter.
Cost
An engagement session as part of a Senedd Committee inquiry in 20228 found, unsurprisingly, that sports activities are one of the first things households cut when facing financial pressures.
Cost pressures on clubs (i.e. increased hire charges and energy prices) will inevitably be passed on to those taking part. Even a modest fee increase – added on top of other costs such as transport, kit etc. – will see people from lower-income households start to drop out.
Cost and lack of equipment were given as one of the popular answers to the statement, “I would do more sport if….” as part of the Sport Wales school sports survey (mentioned earlier).
Confidence
Concerning sport and exercise, “confidence” covers different things.
The 2022 Senedd inquiry concluded that confidence was directly linked to participation in sports. This includes a person’s confidence that they can take part in an activity safely, that they will not be excessively judged/can have fun and can access proper facilities.
People from certain ethnic and religious backgrounds may lack confidence if they don’t feel included, which can reinforce a lack of participation (i.e. the Senedd inquiry cited figures that up to 95% of black and Asian adults don’t swim).
In the Sport Wales survey, 17% of boys and 31% of girls said they would do more sport if they “were more confident”, while 17% of boys and 23% of girls agreed they would take part more often “if I was better at sports”.
Tied to this is….
Bad PE experiences
You might think this is anecdotal, but there’s some evidence that bad experiences with PE in school can put people off sports and exercise into adulthood.
A 2018 study for the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine9 found that negative memories of PE (embarrassment, bullying, injury, fitness testing)will stick with someone more than positive memories (enjoying activities, sense of accomplishment, non-competitive/fun sessions).
Positive memories of PE were associated with more positive attitudes towards physical activity in adulthood (such as being less likely to be sedentary at weekends) and the opposite was equally true. The main conclusion was that PE has to foster positive memories/”be fun; be inclusive”.
Disabilities & physical fitness concerns
Disability isn’t as big a barrier as you might think. The 2022 Senedd inquiry found that participation rates amongst children with disabilities increased by 5 percentage points between 2015-2018.
Also, according to the Sport Wales 2022 census, the gap in enjoyment of PE and organised sport between disabled and non-disabled students wasn’t that wide (4-6%); the bigger gap was between boys and girls. However, there were concerns about small sample sizes.
As part of the Senedd 2022 inquiry, the biggest barrier facing disabled people who want to take part in physical activity was accessibility.
Fitness declines naturally with age too. The inquiry heard that while people aged 65+ were likely to be involved in sports as administrators and committee members, most cited their health as reasons why they don’t exercise more regularly themselves.
Lack of facilities
Sports facilities are often provided by a mix of local authorities (including schools), outsourced local authority contractors/trusts, town & community councils or community/private clubs. As a result, the quality and the level of upkeep will vary.
One memorable quote from the 2022 Senedd Committee inquiry was:
“There’s nothing that tells a young girl that she doesn’t belong in football than walking into a changing room (with) five stinking urinals, one seated toilet where the lock doesn’t work and the toilet seat is falling off and there no sanitary bins.”
According to evidence given in a 2023 inquiry by the Senedd’s Local Government & Housing Committee10, spending on sport and recreation by local authorities was cut by 43% in real terms between 2009-10 and 2021-22, amounting to £92.1million.
While the Senedd’s Culture Committee recommended that school facilities be opened up for community use, most schools that have co-located leisure centres are usually newly built campuses.
There’s also been some noticeable investment in things such as 4G/all-weather sports pitches – with demand for them often outstripping supply. Even the FAW’s Chief Executive, Noel Mooney, told the Culture Committee that grassroots football facilities in Wales were “absolutely disgraceful”.
“Life”: Too Busy, Too Tired, Too Lazy
Aside from all the other barriers mentioned above, perhaps the one that doesn’t get factored in too much but will be most commonly cited is a lack of time.
You can, maybe unfairly, say this is an excuse rather than a barrier; everyone fit and able to do so can work exercise into their daily lives and some exercise is better than none.
Time is a much bigger problem when it comes to regularly scheduled exercise (i.e. gyms, fitness classes) and organised sports. Working a shift or studying full-time and then doing up to two hours of training in the evening will be difficult for many people to work into their week.
Many people do, of course – and that’s probably going to come down to how much they enjoy the activity, their motivation to do it and their self-motivation to keep doing it.
This one will be more difficult to address, though policies such as a four-day working week or extended secondary school day (for extracurricular activities, including sports) might have a positive impact.
8. Senedd Cymru (August 2022). “Engagement findings: Participation in sport in deprived areas”. Available at: https://business.senedd.wales/documents/s126385/Engagement%20findings%20-%20Report.pdf
9. Ladwig, Matthew & Vazou, Spyridoula & Ekkekakis, Panteleimon. (2018). “My Best Memory Is When I Was Done with It”: PE Memories Are Associated with Adult Sedentary Behavior. Translational Journal of the ACSM. 3. 119-129. 10.1249/TJX.0000000000000067. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327118352_My_best_memory_is_when_I_was_done_with_it_PE_memories_are_associated_with_adult_sedentary_behavior
10. Senedd Cymru (July 2023). “Local authority leisure & library services” (p64-65). Available at: https://senedd.wales/media/3fdmwwiv/cr-ld15967-e.pdf
