Agenda item

To receive a briefing and supporting presentation providing a progress review on the Coventry Sports Strategy 2014-2024 and the links between physical activity and health.

Briefing Note of the Executive Director of Place

The Board received a Briefing Note and supporting presentation of the Executive Director of Place that provided an update on progress of the Coventry Sports Strategy 2014-2024 over the four months since its endorsement at the meeting of the Council in September 2014 (their minutes 58/14 refers) where a further investment of £36.7m was also approved for a City Centre destination sports and leisure facility. It was also agreed that the City Council would work with the City of Coventry Swimming Club and other partners to explore the feasibility of keeping a 50m pool within the City, if it could be technically possible and deliverable within the available financial resource. A copy of the Sports Strategy was attached as an appendix to the report.

The mission of the Coventry Sports Strategy 2014-2024 was ‘To develop a more active, inclusive and vibrant Coventry through positive experiences in sport’ and was structured around eight Vision Aims and 37 Strategic Objectives.  Included within these were objectives concerned with increasing and widening participation in sport; increasing the number of people receiving sports coaching; increasing the number of people volunteering in sport; establishing and embedding early specialist support services for talented athletes; developing City Centre sports facilities that are accessible, high quality, sustainable and of significance to the Midlands (proposed by switching long-term resources from Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre to investing in a new City Centre destination facility); attracting high profile sporting events to the City; establishing a Coventry Sports Network; and harnessing the power of sport to promote community cohesion and address public health inequalities in the City.

The Strategy was influenced and supported by the Coventry Playing Pitch Strategy 2014-2024, the Coventry Indoor Facilities Strategy 2014-2024 and the Coventry Aquatics Strategy 2014-2024. 

The Briefing Note provided key Strategy updates under the heading of each of the Strategy’s eight Vision Aims:

·  To inspire more people in the City to take up and regularly take part in sport

·  To provide a wide range of high quality and exciting sporting opportunities and experiences

·  To inspire more people to volunteer, coach and be facilitators of sport

·  To identify and support talented athletes to reach their sporting potential

·  To provide a range of modern, accessible and high quality sports facilities in the City

·  To attract high profile sporting events to the City and to celebrate sporting achievement

·  To grow and promote sport in the City through effective partnerships

·  For sport to make Coventry a better place to live, work and visit

The Board questioned officers and discussed the matters detailed in the Briefing Note and on the elements of the Sports Strategy, including:

·  Transport links - improving access to sports facilities in the City in respect of public transport links

·  Increasing participation levels across vulnerable groups and deprived communities

·  Building stronger links with schools and universities for wider public participation

·  Tracking sports centre registration to provide data on diversity of memberships 

·  Investigating, through the Parks Team, the better use of existing facilities in parks e.g. measured routes for running, trim trails, marked out pitches/areas for cricket, tennis bowls and football

·  The production of a location map of sports and leisure facilities across the City, including those available in the private sector

·  Health and Inequality - Public Health to identify high inactivity areas in the City and encourage participation, to include the promotion of Passport to Leisure

·  Reporting the outcomes of the Sports Strategy to the Health and Wellbeing Board and other relevant bodies

·  Providing a diverse range of key sports and development sports to drive up participation

·  How sport was developing in the City – Rugby was currently the primary sport in Coventry following the WASPS Rugby Team investment in the Ricoh Arena as their new home ground and also following the Rugby World Cup

·  The locations available in the North of the City for playing tennis

·  The encouraging rise in numbers registering to participate in the Coventry Marathon

The Board acknowledged that the successful delivery of the Strategy was underpinned by partnership-based and collaborative work between different partners and stakeholders in the City. They thanked the officers for the update and were encouraged by the progress made on the implementation of the Strategy to date.

Resolved that the Business Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3):

(1)  Notes the progress on implementing the partnership Coventry Sports Strategy 2014-2024 since its approval by the Cabinet in August 2014 and endorsement by the Council in September 2014.

(2)  Had no recommendations to make to the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Parks, Sports and Events.