Badminton

Women into Coaching 2

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Case_Study_offline_Women_into_Coaching.pdf

From August 2006 until July 2008 the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) managed a project that enabled 159 women across London to pursue sports coaching careers through the Women into Coaching  2 – London (WiC2) positive action programmes. Women were able to gain coaching qualifications across 8 sports up to Level 3 through this learner centred programme. It also looked to increase awareness across the sector of the range of issues faced by women in sports coaching and to provide further evidence of the future needs of women and girls.

Project detailsProject duration: 01 August 2006 - 01 July 2008
Organisation: 
Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation
Project name: 
Women into Coaching
AudienceBME, Deprived communities, Disabed
Age group: 
16 - 24
Age group: 
25 - 40
Age group: 
41+
Innovation
The project targeted women who may not have had the opportunity to become involved in sports coaching without the programme. Training was no longer cost prohibitive and the participants were able to access one to one support throughout the Women into Coaching scheme. The delivery relied heavily on partners, but it also helped them in addressing their own workforce development issues.
Recruitment and promotion
We produced fact cards to promote each sport and coaching opportunity. These were distributed via a number of regional meetings and events organised by strategic and delivery partners. Our partners were also very proactive – promoting the project through their websites and brochures. Press releases were distributed as well. The majority of the applicants found out about the project online. 325 women expressed an interest in the programme, although we did receive feedback that it could have been better promoted outside of the sector.
Location
Local
How was your project delivered?Swimming, football, badminton, cricket, rugby league, gym based, gymnastics, basketball, water sports
Funding
The project was funded through the European Social Fund's Objective 3 so it was co-financed by the Learning and Skills Council.
Partnership
Strategic partners for the project included; Skills Active, London South Bank University, Sports Coach UK and the Pro Active London Community Sport & Physical Activity Networks. Project delivery partners included; English Gymnastics, The FA, Asian Action Group, Amateur Swimming Association, Rugby Football League, Amateur Rowing Association, Badminton England, England Basketball, England and Wales Cricket Board, London Community Sports Network, Richmond and Kingston College – Centre of Vocational Excellence (COVE).
Results
Lessons: 
We found that recruiting appropriate mentors to support the women on the programme was difficult. We had anticipated recruiting 70 to support the women but we only recruited 14. The participants who had the oppportunity to work with the mentors gave very positive feedback.
Evaluation: 
Of the 159 women who gained coaching qualifications through the Women into Coaching (WiC) programme, 85% are now coaching in clubs and the community. The project also raised awareness of the barriers that women face in relation to coaching amongst partner organisations and gave them ideas and information as to how to address these barriers. The project also succeeded in raising the profile of women as coaches, managers, leaders and role models through the women involved in the project themselves.
Themes

Coaching

Women into Coaching (WiC) enabled 159 women to be involved in sports coaching, development and leadership and to take their chosen qualification. The project focused on addressing potential barriers like cost, childcare, transports and providing a supportive environment including mentoring for the participants.

Confidence and self-esteem

One of the barriers the project looked to address was women’s confidence to train and practice as coaches. This was done through the project partner and mentors. Having an induction session for all women enrolled in the programme was also key as it provided an opportunity for people to ask questions about things they were unsure of and to meet the project manager face to face. The project manager was a key point of contact and support for the women on the program so this was seen as quite important. Women only courses were also accessed where possible so as to provided a non threatening training environment.

London Playing Fields Foundation - Active Angels

Active Angels is an innovative multi-activity project that aims to contribute to the health of 14-16 year old girls by encouraging and sustaining their participation in sporting activity.  It focuses on girls who are currently active but who are at risk of adopting sedentary lifestyles once they have left school. The project has been providing opportunities for girls to participate in sports and physical activity in a non-competitive, friendly and supportive environment since 2004.

Project detailsProject duration: 01 January 2004 - ongoing
Organisation: 
London Playing Fields Foundation
Project name: 
Active Angels
AudienceSchools
Age group: 
0 - 15
Age group: 
16 - 24
Innovation
What makes the project so innovative is that is it customer focussed, responding to the needs of the girls rather than to a prescribed syllabus or fixture list. Active Angels targets a new type of participant – now known as the semi-sporty. The coaches were all recruited from local clubs so that if the girls developed a particular interest in an activity and wished to pursue it then they already had links established with a local club. Year 11 pupils were mentored and action plans were developed to help them identify opportunities to maintain their activity levels once they left school.
Recruitment and promotion
LPFF worked closely with the Partnership Development Manager and the Community Sports Coach to ensure that the project was promoted within the local schools. The Project Coordinator visited each school and made presentations to the appropriate Year Groups during assemblies and PE lessons and put up posters. An emphasis was placed on recruiting girls who were not participating in sport or physical activity outside school and PE teachers were asked to refer pupils they thought would benefit from the project. Participants were empowered to be Ambassadors to promote the project within their school. They were also encouraged to “Activate an Angel” and bring a friend with them to sessions. Before the start of each term reminder postcards were sent to previous participants with details of sessions.
Location
Local
How was your project delivered?Hockey, netball, badminton, football, swimming, aerobics, spinning, street dance, gym, ice blading, salsa, pilates, boxercise
Funding
Phase 1 of the project (2004 – 2007) was funded through an Active England grant. Phase 2 of the project is being funded through Waltham Forest Youth Support Service.
Partnership
Partnerships were established with the Waltham Forest Northern School Sports Partnership, Waltham Forest PCT, Waltham Forest Healthy Schools Coordinator, WF Community Sports Coach, Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme, Greenwich Leisure Limited, Women’s Sports & Fitness Foundation and Pro Active North London.
Results
Lessons: 
The key lesson learnt was the need to tailor the activity programme to the needs of the girls. For example, the intention was to deliver activity sessions throughout the three school terms; however the attendance figures dropped from January until March when the evenings were cold and dark and so a decision was made to cancel sessions during this period. The coaching style of the instructors was also a key factor in keeping the girls engaged. They were asked to focus on making their sessions fun and sociable and encouraging participation and rather than performance coaching. When the girls provided negative feedback about particular instructors the Project Coordinator approached them and asked them to adapt their sessions. If they were unable to accommodate this request then they were replaced by more suitable candidates.
Evaluation: 
The project was evaluated at the end of Phase 1 which showed that 380 girls had participated over the three year period. 39% of these girls were in Year 11 and 23% in Year 10. 16% of attendees were in Year 12 which demonstrates that participants were keen to keep attending Active Angels after they had left school. Twenty girls joined the gym using the concessionary scheme offered by Greenwich Leisure Limited in order to increase their participation rates. At the start and end of each term a monitoring questionnaire was completed by participants to measure the difference in their attitudes to the benefits of physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle. The results showed that the girls all thought their health had improved through participating in the programme and they had a greater understanding of the positive effects that physical activity had on their physical and mental health.
Themes

Tackling drop-off

In order to try and prevent the drop-off in participation for those in the 16+ age group, the project specifically targeted girls aged 14 – 16 years and provided them with a programme of activity tailored to their needs. 

The coaches delivered activities with a focus on sustaining participation rather than performance which tends to put off the target group.  The aim is to create an environment which is not only customer focused but also seeks to enhance the self esteem of the participants. 

Health and well-being

Many of the girls took part in Active Angels to control their weight and to feel good about themselves. This improved self image has helped the girls function better in other parts of their lives.

The project used several methods of communicating with participants:

  • Presentations in schools by the Activity Coordinator
  • Posters in schools
  • Reminder postcards to participants
  • Ambassadors – participants promoting the project within their school
  • Activate an Angel – bring a friend scheme
  • PE staff were encouraged to refer girls who they thought would benefit from the project

Reversioning sport

The emphasis of Active Angels was on delivering activity in a fun and relaxed environment.  The coaches understood this ethos and tailored their sessions accordingly.  After each session there was an opportunity for the girls to socialise in the sports centre.  The Project Coordinator also organised off-site trips (e.g. ice skating at an outdoor rink at Christmas) and delivered healthy eating workshops where the girls had the opportunity to socialise with girls from different schools.

Promotion and marketing

The Active Angels project used several methods to communicate with participants:

  • Presentations in schools by the Activity Coordinator
  • Posters in schools
  • Reminder postcards to participants
  • Ambassadors – we used participants to promote the project within their school
  • Activate an Angel – bring a friend scheme
  • PE staff were encouraged to refer girls who they thought would benefit from the project
Key links: 
London Playing Fields Foundation - Active Angels

Badminton

Badminton participation overview

Badminton is the 7th most popular sport for female participation - around 200,500 women play badminton at least once a week.

The greatest disparity between men and women in badminton occurs at ‘middle youth’ where 30-34 year old men are almost three times more likely to play the sport than women of the same age.

Key links: 
Badminton England
Scottish Badminton Union
Welsh Badminton Union
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newBadmintonFACTSHEET_2011_APS4_healthy_weekly_FINAL.pdf
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