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Research shows resilient sector requires further support in recovery

Research from Sheffield Hallam University and the Sport and Recreation Alliance has shown the impact of Covid-19 on grassroots physical activity.

Over 1,400 community sport providers involved in the delivery of more than 75 sports and activities took part in the survey which focused primarily on voluntary clubs. Around four million people regularly access physical activity through such clubs in England alone.

The findings demonstrate an incredible resilience in the sector, with volunteers continuing to support their clubs across the lockdown period. However, a lack of income during this time has placed additional pressure on the financial reserves of our community organisations and the results show that grassroots clubs with greater ethnic diversity face the biggest challenges.

Respondents were asked to consider their position prior to the onset of the pandemic, how this has changed since restrictions were imposed, and the effects of this experience on their ability to restart activity once restrictions had been eased.

The findings showed that virtually all participation opportunities organised by community sport providers ceased during lockdown and that organisations responding to the survey lost an average of 60 per cent of their members.

This figure is projected to recover to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels once restrictions are removed, with clubs and other providers expecting to deliver 90 per cent of their participation opportunities once restrictions are fully lifted.

This suggests that organisations believe that they could deliver activity at, or close to, their pre-pandemic operating capacity.

A priority which emerged from the study was the need to support the UK’s three million coaches, from elite down to grassroots.

Paid coaches were the individuals within the sport and physical activity workforce that suffered the most significant fall in numbers, dropping by 63% during the pandemic.

Activities projecting the most significant decreases in the number of paid coaching staff include archery (45 per cent), athletics (38 per cent) and boxing (43 per cent).

While the outlook in relation to paid coaches appears fragile, the picture surrounding volunteers is a lot more promising.  

Volunteers in administrative and facility maintenance roles seem to have ‘stayed at the wheel’ to some extent during lockdown, with only one in four administrators inactive during the pandemic, and 98 per cent predicted to return.

Overall, voluntary clubs expect to lose only 4 per cent of their overall volunteer workforce, compared with 13 per cent for companies and paid individuals.

Responses showed that around one in three providers operate without any financial cushion. During the pandemic period, those providers with cash reserves saw them decline by 18 per cent, while liabilities increased by an average of 20 per cent.

To mitigate the impact of lockdown on participation levels, most providers have reduced expenditure in line with this decrease in activity, although the 41 per cent reduction in expenditure was outpaced by a 51 per cent drop in income. Due to the shutdown in provision, the sparsity of new funding opportunities also presented a challenge for generating income for grassroots clubs.

The study also shows that the impact of the lockdown on providers’ financial viability, while broadly negative, may be reversed if organisations are able to return to delivering income generating activities at the earliest opportunity, with the availability of facilities a priority in this area.

“This research highlights how successfully our community clubs have coped in unprecedented times. The resilience, determination and passion shown is to be commended and this is why grassroots activity remains in a healthy position,” said Lisa Wainwright, CEO of the Sport and Recreation Alliance.

“Any decline in the quantity or quality of coaching available is likely to have a negative impact on returning members and so it is crucial this is addressed to avoid a further decline in activity levels. We must make sure that facilities are opened as quickly and as widely as possible to encourage participants back and to allow our community organisations to start building their income once again and provide them with the financial sustainability to continue delivering their activity.”

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