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Physical literacy

If we want a healthy population and sporting successes, our aim should be nothing less than ensuring we plan children’s physical literacy with the same care we plan their academic literacy

by Liz Terry, Leisure Media | Published in Sports Management 2013 issue 2

As we celebrate the first anniversary of London 2012 it’s a good time to reflect on progress. Recent research by ComRes for the BBC found more than two thirds of the UK public feel the £8.77bn cost of the London 2012 Olympics was worth it. The survey of 3,218 adults indicates 11 per cent are exercising more than they did a year ago, with the figure increasing to 24 per cent for those aged between 18 and 24. The survey was conducted to understand public perceptions of legacy, as well as the impact the Games had on communities.

Here at Sports Management we believe all legacy is good legacy – whether it’s more people going out walking, taking up a new sport, or simply feeling positive about the UK – both here and overseas, but what should our main focus be now as we set off on the path to Rio?

Rod Carr, the new chair of UK Sport spoke to Sports Management recently about that agency’s audacious aim of beating the achievements of 2012: “We want to be the first nation in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to improve its medal haul after hosting the Games,” he says.

But excellence at elite level must be built on firm foundations and the work of UK Sport can only bear fruit if we invest in developing the physical literacy of children from the youngest age.

Few will go on to Olympic gold, but all will live better, healthier, more joyful lives if they have the opportunity to develop the core skills they need to realise their physical potential.

The two main pillars of the sporting infrastructure which enable children to aquire this precious literacy are school sports and sports clubs, yet neither system is running optimally. The shocking shambles surrounding school sport has yet to be resolved, while clubs are grappling with a range of issues when it comes to engaging and maintaining the volunteers they need to function and flourish.

Looking at the bigger picture, our facilities have never been better and although pressure on local government finances gives some cause for concern, the biggest challenge surrounds the provision of the coaching and teaching required to ensure children learn the basics at the optimum developmental stage.

Carr believes we’re making it too difficult for sports volunteers to give their time: “The amount of red tape required to acquire qualifications is putting people off becoming coaches at their local club,” he says. “We all want to see better coaches ... [and] they should have a reasonable amount of technical competence, but I can’t see any reason why we should try to turn every coach into a semi-professional or county level trainer ... if all they want to do is help out.” You can read his comments in full on page 22.

Our Olympic successes were founded in part on Labour’s joined up approach to school sport, but this structure has – to some extent – been dismantled by the coalition and we should be concerned that these issues rumble on with no sign of being resolved.

The teaching of physical skills should not be a political issue, but a basic human right. If we want a healthy population and sporting success, our aims should be nothing less than ensuring we plan children’s physical literacy with as much care as we plan their academic literacy and ensuring the organisations behind our sports infrastructure are all pulling in the same direction.

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