Targeting coaches, Play Their Way has been developed by the Children’s Coaching Collaborative, which comprises 17 partner organisations including Sport England.

Play Their Way has been developed with insight gathered from current grassroots coaches, as well as via focus groups and workshops with children and young people.

“Positive experiences for children and young people are at the heart of Uniting the Movement – and child-first coaching is an important part of this,” said Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England.

“Our research tells us that for children, ‘fun’ is the primary reason for taking part in sport and activity. They will want to take part if they enjoy it. It’s vital that we put fun and enjoyment at the centre of sport and activity and give our children and young people the chance to shape their sporting experiences to boost activity levels.”

Sport England’s latest Active Lives Children and Young People survey found that of those who regularly exercise, 47 per cent strongly agree that they enjoy taking part in sport and physical activity – down from 51 per cent prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

The survey also showed that 53 per cent of children and young people don’t get the recommended average of 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

This knowledge has driven Play Their Way to ensure children have the best possible experience in sport and activity through the people who know them best – their coaches.

The campaign will work with England’s 2.6 million coaches to build a grassroots movement aimed at increasing and improving child-first coaching in communities across the nation.

It’s hoped that by putting the child first, it will help them enjoy being active their own way and allow great coaching to inspire children into staying active for life.