Sports Opportunities For Businesses

Activators

With the average person spending 60% of their waking time at work and approximately one in four people in Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire being obese, we need to encourage activity and sport into the working day, lunch time or after work.


We are looking to work with a variety of organisations to:

  1. Promote the benefits and range of

    physical activity and sport opportunities available to employees

  2. Support the delivery of taster sessions, courses of activities and competitions in organisations across the sub region.

  3. Encourage employer led volunteering within the workplace

In order to achieve this we are looking to identify Volunteer Activators in as many organisations across the sub region as possible.  Activators are a point of contact in an organisation which we will provide support and information to regarding the sports opportunities on offer. As a minimum, Activators would be asked to communicate this information to other members of staff however, they may want to take this role further and become a ‘Sport Maker’ (see details below on Sport Makers)

Why?

The confederation of British Industry has estimated, in 2008, 172 million working days were lost due to absence, costing the UK businesses a total of £13 billion. Activity programmes within the workplace can help address these issues. Research has concluded that wellness programmes can impact directly on:

  • Sickness and absence

  • Staff turn over

  • Company profile

  • Raised moral and motivation

  • Increased competitiveness and profitability

There are lots of opportunities to volunteer in Sport, either within the workplace or the wider community. Employee volunteer schemes offer many benefits to an organisation and its employees including:

  • Staff motivation

  • Contributing to training and performance development of staff

  • Increases employee job satisfaction, which improves corporate culture

  • Recruitment and retention of employees

  • Community support, which raises awareness of the Local Business

Surveys have shown that volunteers report increases in leadership, communication, and teamwork skills of between 65% and 80%. It is this kind of impact that led IBM to describe their programme as; “a powerful way of increasing the skills and enthusiasm of our employees”.*  

*More than CV points? The Benefits of Employee Volunteering for Business and individuals. The Social Market Foundation, March 2010


What CSW Sport can offer:

  • Information on local opportunities to take part in Sport

  • CSW Sport can send your identified 'Activator' details of opportunities which are available to your staff to take part in sport and physical activity across Coventry, Solihull & Warwickshire.  All we ask is that the 'Activator' promotes these opportunities within your organisation. 

Sport Makers

Sport Makers is a national initiative which is part of the official London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Legacy programme. Sport Makers provides a great way for staff to become more active and help to make more sport happen in the workplace or local community. Sport Makers also provides a great way for employers to be involved in a volunteer programme which has a positive impact on their business, employees and local community.

Sport Makers offers training and a reward scheme to acknowledge the Sport Makers great work and Sir Steve Redgrave, one of our greatest Olympians is backing Sport Makers. 

“You don’t need medals to become a sporting hero. By helping people you know to get involved in sport you’ll be doing something amazing for your friends and local community as well as having fun yourself. “The thing I want to see more than anything is more people out enjoying what sport has to offer, but we need your help to make it happen.” Sir Steve Redgrave

What workplace Sport Makers can do:

Sport Makers can organise a group of staff to attend an existing local sports session, or get a team together to enter a local sports league or one off festival.

Get a group of staff together to do some sport at lunchtime or after work CSW Sport can provide support with identifying the type of activities available and any training which is required.

Sport Makers can support and be trained to sustain ‘Get Back Into’ activities.

Sportmakers could organise a Community Games.

Sportivate

Businesses with employees aged 16 - 25 years old can benefit from funding for projects to deliver six consecutive one hour weekly sport or activity sessions, to give participants aged 16 - 25 years old a taste of an activity they have not tried before.

Delivery should have a strong sustainability element and be aimed at those who would not prioritise sport in their own time or who are doing sport for a very limited amount of time.

Next steps

For further information or to arrange a meeting, please contact Tracy Murphy, Business Partnership Manager; email: or

Telephone:

 

c/o University of Warwick
Westwood Campus

 
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