Playground to Podium

‘The development of a framework and key interventions to identify and develop the ability of disabled players and athletes.’

Research has found that not enough athletes are coming up from local or regional based competitions to engage with performance environments, clubs and squads. A significant level of adults who come into disability late in life, are not being provided with information that would enable them to participate in sport and physical activity.

Following national consultation with a wide range of partners, reviewing existing programmes and initiatives, a framework has been developed to enhance player pathways and provide increased opportunities in sport for disabled participants.

The Framework aims to develop structured pathways in disability sport from schools to community clubs and onto performance environments. The Youth Sports Trust (YST) are leading on the education element of the framework through School Sports Partnerships, specialist schools and Higher and Further education. Sport England are responsible for the community element of the framework incorporating Sports Unlimited, voluntary community clubs and adult identification through health related networks.

Linking into this framework are the player performance pathways from National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGB’s), providing performance environments and high quality coaching for identified talented participants to enter County, Regional and National squads through the National Competition Framework which is delivered in conjunction with UK Sport.

Playground to Podium (P2P) is a dedicated initiative and the focus sports chosen specifically for the project are: Football, Swimming, Athletics, Table Tennis, Boccia and Wheelchair Basketball. These are all Paralympic sports and have been identified through consultation with NGB’s relating to their ability to deliver against the framework.

Within  each of the 49 County Sports Partnership areas there will be an annual County Athlete Assessment Development Centre per academic year. In the Humber the first Assessment Day was held in June 2009 and will run annually each June up to and including 2012. The assessment Centre will comprise of approximately 70 young disabled people from across the Humber who will particpate in skill sessions with all 6 sports on the day. The Officers from the 6 sports will have the opportunity to identify potentially talented young people and link them into high quality coaching opportunities within that sport. There is a report and photographs from June 2009 event linked here

To view the full Playground to Podium Framework click here.