The Compass Association (TCA), a new industry body looking to support and promote physical activity and sports providers working with schools and local communities, has been launched at an event in London.

TCA has the backing of the Department of Education and has been labeled as the first to exclusively promote the interests of sports providers. Members of TCA will include public, private, commercial and charity/voluntary sector providers.

Stakeholders in the enterprise currently include Sport England, Sports Coach UK, The Association for Physical Education, Skills Active, Sports Leaders, the Welsh Football Trust and Sports Wales.

The association will draft and maintain national standards for competency and training so that schools and community projects considering using a particular provider will be able to check whether the provider meets required standards.

As part of this, TCA will launch a professional register of providers later this year, in partnership with sector skills council SkillsActive.

The register will be modelled partly on the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs), also owned and run by SkillsActive.

According to TCA chair Gareth Lippiatt, the association will promote recognised and accredited qualifications for the industry and aim to ensure consistently high quality of delivery, making it more difficult for 'rogue traders' to operate.

Speaking at the launch event at the House of Commons in London yesterday (6 February), Lippiatt said: "The launch of TCA represents the dawn of a new era for all those involved in PE and school sport, bringing much-needed structure and governance to such an important area as children's physical activity.

"For far too long, poor quality provision has been allowed to exist resulting in grey area for schools and negative experiences for young people."

TCA has now established a board of directors, lead by Lippiatt and CEO Martin Gallagher, whose members bring a range of skills, experience, contacts and competencies with them.

The board members are:

• Mark Curtin, COO, Greenhouse Charity
• Linda Plowright, CEO, Sports Leaders UK
• David Batch, founder and CEO, Premier Sport
• Jon Pettit, founder and CEO, PE Recruitment
• Dean Horridge, founder and CEO, at Fit for Sport
• Stephen Mitchell, head of national partnerships, SkillsActive