Promoting participation
Promotion, provision and access
There are three kinds of strategy to get more people taking part:
- encouraging people to take part, through campaigns, advertising and role models.
- making sure the right facilities, activities, equipment and coaches are there.
- making sure people can get to and use them: location, transport, cost, opening times and buildings everyone can use.
Strategies work best when they are aimed at a that takes part less, and the barriers that group faces.
Key terms
Strategies, with examples
| Strategy | Examples |
|---|---|
| Campaigns for women and girls, such as Sport England's This Girl Can; campaigns showing disabled people taking part; social media posts about a new class; role models visiting schools | |
| Women-only or disability-specific sessions; adapted sports such as boccia, wheelchair basketball or sitting volleyball; walking football for older people; specialist coaches | |
| Ramps, lifts and accessible changing rooms; a pool hoist; Braille signs; free or reduced-price swimming for young or older people; sessions at different times; transport to a centre |
Common mistake
Don't just say 'make it cheaper'. Say who it helps and how: 'reduced prices for people on low incomes, so cost is no longer a barrier'.
Matching strategies to a group
The best plans use all three kinds of strategy, aimed at one target group and the barriers it faces.
Example (generic): a leisure centre wants more people over 65 to take part.
- posters in GP surgeries and libraries, showing older people enjoying the sessions.
- walking football and chair-based exercise classes, with coaches trained to work with older adults.
- sessions in the daytime, when the centre is quieter; reduced prices; step-free access and seating.
Each strategy deals with a different barrier: not knowing about the sessions, not having a suitable activity, or not being able to get there and afford it.
Judging whether a strategy works
A strategy succeeds if participation in the target group rises and stays higher. Ways to judge this include:
- counting how many people attend, before and after
- asking participants why they came, and what would keep them coming
- checking whether people keep attending after the first few weeks
A campaign that brings people once, but not again, may have dealt with promotion but not with provision or access.
Exam tip
For an 'evaluate' question, say how well a strategy would work for the group in the question, and why, not just what it is.