Somerset Activity & Sports Partnership

Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) is one of 45 County Sports Partnerships (CSP’s) set up by Sport England to be a strategic lead for the Governments agenda of improving activity levels across the whole population.

SASP is externally funded by Sport England and hosted by the County Council through the Partnership strand of the Children and Young People’s Directorate. Current funding is until 2009.

SASP’s three core functions in line with all the other County Sports Partnerships in England are:

1. Strategic co-ordination and planning

Interpreting and shaping national, regional and local policy to benefit community needs. This will be done by:
- Being the advocate as the ‘one voice for sports’ – leading and communicating the product and influencing public, political and organisational opinions.
- Enabling - support medium and long term planning through the production of a county strategy. This can be viewed on the website www.sasp.co.uk
- Co-ordinating delivery to avoid duplication

2. Performance Measurement

Developing a single system to support effective decision making for sport. SASP will:
- Gather, interpret and disseminate information
- Develop mechanisms for sharing data and quantifying results

3. Marketing and communication

SASP will be a single point of contact for activity and sport and sharing information and innovation to ensure effective delay on the ground.

SASP’s 4 key areas of work are:

A. Pathways for young people

Improve activity levels in schools
Ensure that school and community sport is linked to the needs of National Governing Bodies
Develop the links between school, community and performance sports.

B. Club Development
SASP will:

Support the development of high quality clubs
Develop high quality school/club links
Work to increase club membership

C. Workforce Development

SASP will develop the people who support sport – teachers, coaches, officials, volunteers and professional.

D. Supporting the wider agenda

Using activity and sport as a social tool to improve the well being of the individual and
to support the community as a whole.
Helping other agencies meet their objectives and organisational goals.
Helping to link the shared priorities of central and local Government on health, community safety and regeneration.

To do this SASP will:

Influence work in these sections and networks
Secure resources for sport
‘Stretch’ traditional sports operations through innovation and creativity to deliver social policy outcomes.

SASP will work through:

Children and Young People’s Directorate
Local Authorities
Local Area Agreements
Health Partners

In summary the Governments intention through Sport England is an annual 1% increase in participation with 50% of the population regularly active by 2020. This to be achieved through 3 objectives:

START – increase participation in activity and sport in order to improve the health of the nation.
STAY – retain people in active recreation and sport through an effective network of clubs, sports facilities, coaches, volunteers and competitive opportunities.
SUCCEED – achieve sporting success at every level.

Funding for sort is now channelled through the new nine Regional Sport Boards whose remit is to nurture and extend the CSP’s and work effectively with other agencies. The focus is on using activity and sport as a conduit to effect change in health, early years services, inclusion and as a diversionary activity for young people at risk. SASP’s hosting by the County Council therefore gives important links to the other Partnership Group members especially as the delivery of children’s services starts to be channelled through locality teams.

SASP receives additional funding from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to employ Community Sports Coaches who work in schools, sports centres, clubs and with talented young people in Development Squads. It is anticipated that more funding will become available in this area as the Olympic build up starts to gain momentum. SASP coaches are now working in over 100 of the County’s primary schools in covering Planning, Preparation and Assessment time (PPA). This has not only led to the improvement in the delivery of the PE curriculum but also an enrichment to the activities schools can offer pupils by the setting up of additional school clubs. This initiative together with the schools sports partnership scheme is raising both the quality and quantity of PE and Sport in primary schools and helping achieve some of the key outcomes of the ‘being healthy’ and ‘enjoying and achieving’ standards of Every Child Matters.

As well as raising achievement in schools SASP is also tasked with initiating projects which are innovative in increasing opportunities and engagement for all age groups and sections of the community.

SASP also has a traditional sports role in working with 32 Governing Bodies of Sport acting as a conduit for funding in to clubs and coaching and providing pathways for emerging talent.