How sports and physical activity providers can benefit themselves and the community by developing and delivering innovative and enterprising community programmes

Four interactive workshops providing thoughts, tools and to-dos for organisations

involved with community sports and physical activity

2nd October, Score Centre, Leyton Orient FC

21st October, Fratton Park, Portsmouth FC

28th October, City Ground, Nottingham Forest

30th October, Waterside Leisure Club, Didsbury, Manchester

9.30am – 2.30pm including working buffet lunch,

For providers of sport and physical activity engaging with your communities has never been more important and potentially rewarding than now.

There are already considerable opportunities for community sport and physical activity providers to have a major impact on the local economy and regeneration, physical and mental health including quality of life, training and education, social cohesion, crime and social behaviour, and all in all, to help build stronger and healthier communities.

There is a considerable change in the way that our public services are being funded and delivered. There seems to be even bigger scope for community sport and physical activity to create positive social change and be used as a tool to engage disadvantaged people and communities and to help improve lives in a sustainable way.

At the same time, many stakeholders outside sport and physical activity including key commissioners are not convinced of their universal claims and are often reluctant to commit to supporting sport, without clear evidence sport can deliver on pre-determined outcomes. As such, sport providers need to be able to build up a robust evidence base demonstrating the impact of their work.

All this requires professionals working within community sport and physical activity to acquire and/or develop two new skill sets.

1.One which is focused around the enterprise aspects of running the enterprise, such as promotion, impact, measurement, partnership working and financial management.

2. The other skill sets that many people working for community sports providers must embrace are dealing with developing programmes that are aimed at strengthening self-esteem, developing personal skills, promoting healthy behaviours and lifestyles. In doing so improve academic achievement, enhance employability and increase the feeling of self-worth and wellbeing.

This workshop will provide delegates with thoughts, tools and to-dos on how they can develop and deliver effective, exciting and sustainable community sport and physical activity programmes which really benefit the participants and satisfy the requirements of the funders.

Based on best practice from a number of excellent community sports and physical activity providers this workshop will help delegates to transform their organisations into community sports enterprises.

Specific topics covered

The workshop aims to help you, and your organsiation organise your work more effectively to improve public health, educational attainment, social inclusion through sport while you are running a viable enterprise.

Community sports providers – enterprises, charities or both?

Developing and delivering great sport and physical activity initiatives

How to design, develop and deliver the most appropriate programmes for each group and each need within the community

How to ensure your coaches are delivering great experiences that participants will want to return to

Developing and delivering engaging health, community and education programmes

Matching the right partner with the right project

How to assess your potential for working with community partners – what are your assets, relationships and skills

The best ways to work together with community partners, benefitting both parties and on how to make it easier to understand each other and benefit from doing so

How to help build strong communities

Running the projects and enterprise better

How to measure and prove your impact

How do you ensure funders and commissioners get ‘value for money’ and achieve their objectives?

How to engage with and attract support from non-sports partners

Working with business partners

How to become a strong, credible brand and partner

How to develop a viable enterprise and facility through Community Asset Transfer

Why workforce development is important: The days of ‘just being a coach’ are over – they must communicate, engage, provide great experiences and know how to gather evidence

Putting together a plan for a sustainable community sports enterprise

Who should attend this workshop:

This workshop is highly relevant if you are involved with or work for community sports trusts at our professional and semi-pro clubs, informal sports and physical activity providers, community sports enterprises, sports governing bodies, local authorities, county sports partnerships, university or college sport, community sports club, community groups and other community sports providers.

Delegate fees

£145.00

Partner/Community rate

Football Community Trusts and smaller community groups and clubs: £95.00

The presenter

Svend Elkjaer

Holding a Master in Business Administration, MBA, Svend founded the

Sports Marketing Network (SMN) in 2005 for people involved with the commercial, community and marketing issues across all sports, be it club, governing body, CSP, local authority or private sports deliverer.

SMN provides information on how to make your club or facility more viable, vibrant and visible, sharing best practice across all sports. It publishes newsletters, organises seminars and helps sports clubs and leisure centres with their commercial, communication and community activities.

Over the last eight years more than 4,000 sports providers have benefitted from SMN’s services attending our workshops and presentations, being mentored or receiving consultancy.

SMN has also advised, consulted and trained a number of organisations and public bodies including the RFU, FA, Sport England, Amateur Swimming Association, British Gymnastics, Sport Wales, Football Association Wales, England Athletics, sportscotland, Universities, several County Sports Partnerships and 45+ local authorities.