CSP: Lancashire Sport
Further Information: Lancashire Impact Award-2.docx
The project aimed to engage young females aged 14 – 25 years who were consistently inactive and get them back into regular exercise and physical activity by providing informal netball sessions.
Active People results alongside our own internal research was used to select 6 locations that would suit the project and the Sport England Youth Insight Pack was used to understand what the young person wants, and how to bond with and re-engage the young person back into sport.
We targeted our sessions to specific groups of young females:
- Ethnic minorities
- Community groups
- Deprived areas
- Workplaces
- Areas of social isolation
- Social Housing Association areas
- Organisations working with vulnerable women
No Netball skills were required by the participants, it was a non-traditional Netball session. Our coaches tailored the sessions to suit the physical ability of the young females. This was really important to meet their expectations, be flexible, recognise motivations and set goals. Being attentive will help build individual’s confidence and encourage them to reach their full potential.
This is also important to help develop the young person’s self-esteem and empower them to come back each week.
The real community focus of the project has allowed us to truly reach out and engage those females not attending or participating in existing Netball provision, through the variety of community partner organisations that we have linked with.
Recruiting a Co-ordinator from a non-Netball background to run the project who has built an excellent rapport with participants and partner organisations. The co-ordinator communicated with participants regularly via social media.
The project was promoted as Netball for Fun, and engaging females that are motivated by the opportunity to improve their lifestyles. The sessions attended by a variety of ability levels, but delivered for all participants in attendance.
Females were attracted to the sessions by the informality of them, which is vastly different to their previous experience of Netball which they report has been predominantly within a school environment.
Demand to participate in non-traditional facilities has been low in contrast to the Project Steering Group’s perception. We have sourced more traditional venues that the participants are comfortable to access and these have proved a real success. At one site, funding has been used to permanently mark an outdoor Netball court as the participants requested, and this session will continue in this community post project.
We held an Activators’ course before the end of our project. This enabled participants who had shown an active interest in developing their own skill sets to get more involved in assisting with delivery.10 Netball Activators trained from the project participants.
Those who attended were attracted by the informality, and the ability of other participants. Enjoyment has been a key factor in continued participation, and the supportive social environment that has developed has been integral to this.