Campaigns
Our members act as our eyes and ears on the ground. We need your input to ensure that sport and leisure in Wales is protected for future generations. If you have any queries or concerns about an issue in your local area that will impact on sporting provision, please contact us.
If you are thinking of starting a campaign yourself, the Welsh Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) have advice and guidance on their website.
If you have any questions about a campaign, please get in touch.
Don’t Drop the Ball – #dontdroptheball
The Welsh Sports Association (WSA) strives to enable its members and the wider sport and leisure sector to become stronger and more resilient, to be able to provide people with the opportunity to maintain a healthy lifestyle in a safe and happy way and set up a society that is fit for the future.
In order for organisations, facilities, clubs, and individuals to be able to contribute to this mission, it is imperative that they don’t forget their organisational and induvial responsibilities and duties and are aware of the opportunities that can help them grow and progress.
So, the WSA has compiled a list of resources alongside some of our services for you to take advantage of under the banner of our Don’t Drop the Ball campaign, so that you #dontdroptheball and can confidently, safely and responsibly partake in and provide sport events and activities!
Visit our dedicated Don’t Drop the Ball page for more!
Resilience not Reliance
For almost half a century, public investment has led to a vibrant Welsh sport sector, with considerable success. As with many sectors, this well-intentioned investment has however led to a dependency culture which needs to be overcome. Compounded with the looming shadow of austerity and the challenge by Welsh Government to address the reliance on public funding, the WSA has worked with the Sector to develop a Resilience Programme designed to improve organisational and financial sustainability. Click here for the Resilience Infographics booklet
For further details of how we can help your organisation to become more resilient please contact us.
Fit for the Future
The WSA has produced “Fit for The Future“, a report which champions the impact of the National Governing Bodies of Sport in Wales. This report forms the basis of our advocacy work and includes four key areas where support is needed:”Fit for The Future“, a report which champions the impact of the National Governing Bodies of Sport in Wales. This report forms the basis of our advocacy work and includes four key areas where support is needed:
- Making innovative use of facilities
- Boosting Sustained Participation & Involvement in Sport Through Technology
- Further Modernising Sport Through Drawing on Commercial Expertise
- Developing Leaders in Sport
Disclosures and Barring Service (DBS)
One of our most recent successful campaigns has been securing a sustainable DBS service for our members and beyond. In May 2016 it was announced that the free DBS checking service managed by the WCVA’s Criminal Records Unit was due to come to an abrupt end, without any consultation with our sector. This would have a direct impact on more than 5,000 volunteer checks for sport being displaced. The WSA challenged this decision and with the support of the NSPCC and Strategic Safeguarding in Sport Group, managed to obtain an extension to the service until the end of September 2016.
As there was no credible, cost-effective alternative in the market place, we took the opportunity to create our own service which could be delivered across the third sector, gathering intelligence from members in respect of what they wanted the service to look like and what they were prepared to pay. With the support of members, we created and launched a seamless new service with easy-to-use technology, helping to keep costs low and support levels high via phone and email helplines. For more information on how to access our DBS services, please visit here.
Welsh Sports Equality Alliance
Published this summer, the new Vision for sport is the most inclusive it has ever been. With support from the Welsh Sports Association (WSA) and Sport Wales, the Welsh Sport Equality Alliance has been set up to bring together equality partners and the sport sector to further promote equality and diversity in sport in Wales.
Chaired by the Reverend Canon Aled Edwards OBE, the Alliance has attracted strategic expertise from a wide variety of organisations whose core purpose is to advance equality and who have an interest in working with sports sector representatives to further progress equality, diversity and inclusion in the physical activity of the nation.
Speaking at the launch, Aled Edwards said:
“We are so encouraged by our first meeting and gathering lots of experiences and stories. It all bodes well for developing a meaningful agenda for our future work and we look forward to supporting sport in Wales to do even more to develop an equal sporting landscape in Wales.”
The organisations involved so far include:
Action for Children, EYST, BME Sport Cymru, NSPCC Cymru’s Child Protection in Sport Unit, LGBT Sport Cymru, Mind Cymru, Stonewall, Equality Counts, Sports Chaplaincy, Women Connect First, Welsh Cycling, RYA Cymru, Welsh Amateur Boxing Association, Disability Sport Wales, Cricket Wales,Welsh Football Trust, StreetGames, Welsh Rowing, Welsh Hockey, Wales Golf, Table Tennis Wales, Swim Wales, Welsh Triathlon, the Outdoor Partnership, Canoe Wales, and Tennis Wales.
The aim of the Alliance will be to signpost and share good practice, and help deliver inclusion through working with our friends in the third sector in terms of partnerships; education and training; research, insights and policy; and workforce diversity.
If you are interested in the work of the Alliance, please contact WSA Head of Communications and Policy [email protected].
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