Researching sports participation in third level education

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Researching sports participation in third level
education

• CUSAI
• Friday 12 June 09
• Cathy Gallagher, Otium Leisure Consultancy

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Otium in athlone....

• Not just to fill in the last half hour.....I
  think!
• Bring Participation Project back on to peoples
  radar
• Background...process thus far
• Example of information that will be collated,
  analysed and reported
• Action

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Starting point

• To quantify provision and participation in sport
  at third level education within Ireland
• To use the analysis of this exercise to identify
  generic structures via which third level
  institutions can increase sporting participation
  at all levels
• To produce recommendations to both the Irish
  Sports Council and Sport Northern Ireland on a
  plan and schedule of action to better integrate
  the contribution of domestic sport at third level
  within the wider sporting context.

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FACTS AND FIGURES

• Information Gathering exercise Feb / March 2008
• DISCLAIMER information is outdated. Not
  current evidence. Simply to provide example of
  type and usefulness of information.
• 23 institutions responded
• Some headlines......
• Club Sport
• 828 student sports clubs/societies (highest
  61, lowest 10)
• 27,974 members (70 male, 30 female)
• 51,309 v 27,974 46 attrition rate
• Only 6 institutions have dedicated sport time

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FACTS AND FIGURES

• Recreational
• All 23 reported a level of provision of
  recreational based activity (classes courses
  etc)...447 in total...highest weekly provision is
  69
• Participation by students 22,499 (48 male,
  52 female)
• Intra Mural Programme
• 17 institutions
• Participation 5,666 (80 male, 20 female)
• Average of 2 sports
• Coaching
• 19 institutions provide a Coach Education
  Programme
• 297 student coaches involved in delivery (978
  total)

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FACTS AND FIGURES

• Student Club Administration
• 2,703 students involved in the administration of
  student club sport
• 17 institutions provide Club Officer Training
• 15 institutions have dedicated student
  club/sport rep 5 sabbatical
• Staffing
• 412 within sport across 23 institutions (229
  Full Time, 183 Part Time)
• Priorities
• 1. Promoting participation in Sport Physical
  Activity
• 2. Developing initiatives to increase
  participation
• 3. Lobbying for increased sports facility
  provision
• 4. Provision of services for Elite Athletes
• 5. Focus on recruiting

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issues regarding participation

• Time
• Female Participation
• Semesterisation
• Club/Society clique
• Student Apathy
• Inadequate coaching / staffing
• Lack of appreciation re importance of sport
• Focus too much on competition
• Drinks culture
• Part Time jobs
• Commuting students
• Funding
• Competition structures

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Plan of attack

• Repeat survey exercise to update information
• Identify main issues / themes re participation
• Benchmark models of good practice
• Provide solutions to the issues.....action
• Model of implementation responsibility of
  CUSAI, undertaken by individual institutions,
  mixed model......clear understanding of what is
  to be done and by whom

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In a nutshell

• Maximise participation....at all levels within
  student sport
• To position Student Sport - Speak fluently and
  methodically about the contribution that HE sport
  makes to the wider sporting context
• RTE Road to Crokers......CUSAI Road to
  Participation!!

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CONTACT DETAILS

• Cathy Gallagher
• Otium Leisure Consultancy
• 42 Jameson Street
• Belfast
• BT7 2GU
• E otium_at_live.co.uk
• T 44 (0)7793 559072