North-West Region: Sports Lovers Or Armchair Fans?

Participation levels in sport and active recreation vary widely across the North West, which includes some of England’s most – and least – active local authority areas, according to the results of a major nationwide survey released today by Sport England.

More than half of people aged 16 and over in the North West – some 52.4% - don’t take part in any sport or active recreation, just above the national figure of 50.6%. But Sport England’s Active People Survey shows that some 70.1% of over 16s in the North West are satisfied with the sports provision in their local area, compared to 69.5% nationally.

One in four adults (24.9%) belong to a health or sports club (25.1% nationally), 16% of people have received coaching or tuition in the last year (18% nationally) and 14.5% of North West adults have taken part in organised competitive sports in the last 12 months, compared to 15% nationally.

The Active People Survey, the largest ever study into the sport and recreational habits of people in England, paints a fascinating and diverse picture of participation. Of the people questioned in the North West:

• 20.6% are hitting the recommended target of 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport or active recreation on at least three days a week, compared to 21% nationally (2).

• 27% have built some moderate intensity sport and active recreation into their lives (2). This compares to 28% across the country.

• 52.4% took no part in moderate intensity sport or active recreation (30 minutes or more) in the previous four weeks, compared to 50.6% nationally (2).

• Macclesfield is the most active local authority area in the region and second in mainland England, with 29.3% regularly taking part in sport or active recreation, while Blackburn with Darwen recorded the lowest percentage hitting the 3 x 30 minute a week target (16.4%).

• The survey shows that socio-demographic factors heavily impact on participation, with lower regular participation among women (17.1%) than men (24.4%). The highest socio-economic groups have higher participation (24.8%) than those from the most deprived backgrounds (15.9%). Taking into account deprivation in the area to look at predicted levels of participation, Manchester and Knowsley are among the best performing local authority areas in the country in terms of regular participation.

Sport England, the body charged with sustaining and increasing participation in sport, commissioned Ipsos MORI to carry out the survey to gauge how active England really is. Nationally, inactivity costs the UK an estimated £8.2 billion each year. The results of the survey will help Sport England, working with partners across the region, to target and inform future investment to improve community sport.

1,000 residents were questioned in every Local Authority area about their sport and active recreation habits as part of the survey. The sample size is more than twenty times larger than the 2002 General Household Survey, the last major survey conducted in sport.

When it comes to volunteering the people of South Lakeland are most generous with their time with 7.1% giving at least one hour a week to help run a sport club or activity. Across the North West, 4.6% spend at least one hour on sport volunteering in an average week, in line with the national figure of 4.7%. Contrary to popular perceptions, it is the 16 to 34 year olds who are the most likely to give up at least one hour a week volunteering. Nationally some 1.9 million people give up one hour a week. People living in large cities tend to volunteer much less than their rural counterparts.

As expected the most active age group in the region are those aged between 16 and 24, and the survey shows that people drop out of exercise and do less and less as they get older. This has implications with the ageing population and could be seen as a call to action by sports centres, gyms and sports clubs across the region to make their offer more attractive to older people.

Nationally, the South East is the most active region, while the West Midlands has the lowest percentage hitting the 3 x 30 minute a week target. Richmond upon Thames has the accolade of being the most active Local Authority, closely followed by Macclesfield. Meanwhile, Boston in Lincolnshire and Newham in London are currently the least active.

The survey also gives a picture of the most popular sports across England. Walking is the most popular recreational activity, followed by swimming and going to the gym. Cycling, football, running and jogging, golf, badminton, tennis and aerobics make up the top 10.

The results of the survey will help Sport England, sports organisations and the government understand the obstacles to people taking part and take action to overcome them. The inactive group can be analysed to establish their age, social class, and car ownership. In light of the findings Sport England will look to provide targeted support to selected Local Authorities, looking at club, coach, volunteer and community sports provision.

Stewart Kellett, Director of Sport England North West, said today: “This survey provides an unprecedented picture of activity and inactivity in England. Knowing the scale of the challenge is the first step to putting it right. We will work with our partners at county and local level to make sure these findings help us all target our resources better. This will help us ensure that we have the right places to play sport, and people on the ground to make sport happen – coaches, paid and unpaid, and other crucial volunteers.

“The survey results also complement existing tools, including our Active Places website, which allows us to analyse facilities around the country. This information will be crucial as we look to reach out to more of those currently missing out on sport and its benefits. Here in the North West, we are tasked with getting 320,256 more people active by 2012. It’s a huge challenge and we’re ready for it.”

Sport England provides advice to partners, invests National Lottery and Government funding in community sport, and promotes sport and its benefits. The organisation said that in light of the findings Sport England would undertake a review, working with selected Local Authorities, which will look at club, coach, volunteer and community sport provision.

The Audit Commission will use some of the results from the survey, adjusted to reflect the different levels of deprivation in local authority areas, in its culture service assessments as part of comprehensive performance assessment for single tier local authorities. And the survey will be repeated in three years time to see if the concerted efforts by all partners to get the nation active are having an effect.

Find out how you can become more active with Sport England’s online facilities database, Activeplaces.com.