View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Leeds Beckett Repository Understanding participation and non-participation in sport amongst Black and minority ethnic groups in Wales Contact: Professor Jonathan Long Institute for Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure, Leeds Beckett University, Cavendish Hall, Headingley Campus, Leeds LS6 3QS phone: 0113 812 7565 email: [email protected] 1 Project Team ISPAL: Kate Dashper, Tom Fletcher, Jonathan Long, Neil Ormerod Ecorys: Martina Diep, Jenny Williams Advisory Group Jonathan France (Chair), Gareth Davies, Kevin Hylton, Aarti Ratna, Karl Spracklen, Rhodri Thomas Acknowledgements We wish to record our thanks and appreciation to the large number of people around Wales who participated in this research project either as respondents or by providing a network of contacts. We are particularly grateful to Tim Evans who was the project liaison officer at Sport Wales. Contents Project Team ................................................................................................................. Advisory Group .............................................................................................................. Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Background and Context ............................................................................................. 1 BME Communities in Wales ........................................................................................ 1 BME Communities and Sport ...................................................................................... 4 The Challenge ............................................................................................................. 6 The Approach to the Research .................................................................................... 7 Report Format ............................................................................................................. 9 2. Policy and Provision ............................................................................................ 10 Official Policy in Wales .............................................................................................. 10 Newport ..................................................................................................................... 11 Different Communities, Different Needs? .................................................................. 13 Different Communities Together? .............................................................................. 14 Location, Location, Location ...................................................................................... 15 “The biggest thing we‟ve learnt is that we assume we‟re accessible, but we‟re not” . 15 Different Forms of the Game ..................................................................................... 16 Support ...................................................................................................................... 17 3. Engagement with Sport ....................................................................................... 19 Migration .................................................................................................................... 19 Participation in What? ................................................................................................ 20 Level of Importance ................................................................................................... 21 With Whom? .............................................................................................................. 21 Participating Where? ................................................................................................. 23 How Often? ................................................................................................................ 24 Motivation for Participation ........................................................................................ 24 Other Forms of Participation ...................................................................................... 25 Non-participation........................................................................................................ 26 The role of Schools .................................................................................................... 27 4. Sport, Identity and Relationships ......................................................................... 30 Individual/Personal Identity ........................................................................................ 30 National/Home Country Identity ................................................................................. 31 A Welsh Identity ......................................................................................................... 33 5. The Role of the Family ........................................................................................ 36 Positive Role Models ................................................................................................. 36 Family Support .......................................................................................................... 37 Lack of Knowledge of Sport and the „System‟ ........................................................... 44 Bonding ..................................................................................................................... 44 6. Barriers and Aids to Participation ........................................................................ 46 Barriers ...................................................................................................................... 46 Enablers and Reasons for Being Involved ................................................................. 61 7. Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 66 Differential Participation ............................................................................................. 66 The Sporting Offer ..................................................................................................... 67 Special Provision ....................................................................................................... 68 The Family ................................................................................................................. 69 Sporting Intermediaries .............................................................................................. 69 Awareness and Communication ................................................................................ 70 A Matter of Priorities .................................................................................................. 70 8. Recommendations .............................................................................................. 72 References ................................................................................................................ 74 Appendix: Outlines of Interview Procedures .............................................................. 75 Interview schedule ..................................................................................................... 76 Focus group methodology ......................................................................................... 79 Policy and Provision Case Study: Outline Checklist .................................................. 82 1. Introduction Background and Context Like the other home nation sports councils, Sport Wales has a responsibility to increase participation, improve sporting performance and raise standards in sport and physical recreation. For some time the sports councils in the UK have been concerned that people from Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups may not be getting as much from sport as they might (e.g. the Sports Equity Index (Sport England, 2001)). The concern with increasing participation is multidimensional: it might serve to recruit new talent; allows sectors of society to enjoy what are thought to be the benefits of sport; and in so doing help to unite the nation1. However, as recognised by the Equality Impact Assessment that was conducted by Sport Wales, there has been a shortage of research around sport participation by Black and minority ethnic communities. Thus, the current research is closely aligned with the aim of increasing participation and understanding non-participation. The research also addresses the identified need for further investigation into identified differences in participation between different equalities groups. This project, commissioned by Sport Wales, has been undertaken by the Institute for Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure (ISPAL) in conjunction with Ecorys. It is a response to the strategy, action plans and operational plans of Sport Wales that embrace diversity and inclusiveness. These policy and operational documents consider ethnicity alongside other protected characteristics and a concern to address poverty and deprivation by operating in conjunction with other agencies. The research reported here will help to establish what resonance people in Black and minority ethnic groups have with the goal of ensuring ‘a thriving sporting community, where all individuals feel safe, welcome and free from discrimination’ (Sport