Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean. Sport Wales Chair, Professor Laura McAllister looks forward at the opportunities that 2015 will present for Welsh sport�.
There is no doubt that 2014 was a magnificent year for Welsh sport. It was the year when sport was Wales�s biggest success story. A year in which records were broken, hauls of medals exceeded and we learnt to expect success as a norm not an exception.
But like all the best athletes and coaches, we must now set our sights on future successes and build on 2014. I said at our 2014 Sport Wales conference that you had my word that Sport Wales would not be sitting back and accepting that this would be the high water mark for sport; 2015 is the year when we must build even greater success on these strong foundations.
Last year was the start of something brilliant and each and every one of us owes it to our nation to now go the extra mile. We must aim for that �sporting revolution� that will bring huge dividends not only to our sector, but to health, education and communities across Wales.
Of course, that�s not to say that it won�t be a hugely challenging year. We have great opportunities ahead of us, but we must also face head-on, the difficulties and tests that the current economic climate brings. This will be a period of change and tough decision-making, but it is a transformation that is needed to ensure sport is at the centre of all that is good in Wales.
One of the biggest areas of opportunity in 2015 comes with Professor Donaldson�s review of the school curriculum for the Welsh Government. With this review, we have in our hands the potential to revolutionise Physical Education and school sport, placing physical activity at the heart of the school experience and, in the process, cement Wales�s status as a world-leader.
For those who still may be asking why this is so important, let me explain. This is a once- in- a- lifetime opportunity to invest in the future health of our nation, by preparing every single child, whatever their background, for all aspects of modern life, intellectually and physically.
We�d all agree that not having the right numeracy or literacy skills is detrimental to a child�s future life and career. We now need to understand that not developing the physical skills, confidence and motivation to be active throughout life is equally damaging to their future health, well-being and lifestyle.
Physical literacy is something that we will be talking about a lot more in 2015 as our partnerships with health and education bring dividends. We believe it holds the key to equipping children with the right skills, motivation, knowledge and opportunities to go on and be physically active and healthier adults.
Everybody will need to play a part in this, but it would be absurd to say that it could be achieved without our schools, head-teachers and teachers on board. Therefore, no matter the outcome of the curriculum review, we must strive to strengthen our relationships with the education sector. This increased partnership is the only way of ensuring that all children are obtaining the benefits that regular participation in sport can bring.
And 2015 will see a terrific opportunity for our sectors to work together as the biennial School Sport Survey comes around again. The last round saw us together achieve unprecedented responses, capturing the opinions of over 100,000 young people (a UK first).
These efforts provided a vital insight which is now helping us tear down and address some of the barriers stopping our children from participating - crucial in ensuring that we give every child the opportunity to become hooked and invaluable in our attempts to future-proof the health of our nation.
Results from the last survey were certainly encouraging, highlighting that that the number of young people in Wales regularly taking part in sport had increased by 50% between 2011 and 2013.
Other top level results from the 2013 Survey indicated that:
- 79% of boys and 73% of girls have taken part in extra-curricular sport at least once in the last year (an increase from 73% boys and 69% girls in 2011).
- Of those young people that have taken part in sport � 40% now take part in sport three or more times a week compared to 27% in 2011.
- 54% are members of a sports club compared with 45% in 2011. Overall, 61% of boys and 46% of girls are sports club members in 2013 (an increase from 52% boys and 38% girls in 2011).
We will be looking to improve on the 2013 success in 2015. It is of paramount importance that any developments and changes that we make are made from a sound and relevant evidence base. The 2015 survey will provide us with this. A real means for shaping changes that could transform the lives of all children and young people in Wales.
Our work with the health sector in the last 12 months has seen sport take on an increased importance; it is no longer a nice to have, but an absolute essential in the future of health of our nation.
We have in sport a real �prescription� to the serious pressures being placed on our health service and we are keen to play our part. 2015 will see real actions and outcomes developed from our Memorandum of Understanding.
We will be seeking to build on the work from partnerships such as that between Disability Sport Wales and the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to jointly deliver better options for more people to access sport and physical activity. We are also excited about the prospects that positive discussions with a number of Welsh Health boards are offering.
Our work with health is an area that presents exceptional levels of opportunity to be making a difference in 2015, it is also an area that presents the need for change. When we link ourselves with health, more than ever we must see it as a right of every citizen in Wales to take part in sport. It is therefore our duty to provide them with the opportunity.
I have no doubt that the next year will see huge inroads being made in tackling the stubborn participation gaps that we see among women and girls, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, those living with disability and those living in poverty.
We will see the announcement of the successful projects that have been identified through our Calls4Action initiative, an investment into reducing the participation gaps we see in sport. Projects that are promising great outcomes and major step changes, but this does not mean that the rest of us can become complacent in this area.
In this New Year, I�m sure we all want to redouble our efforts to appeal to the many different and unique groups that make up the communities of Wales. It is our duty to ensure everyone can benefit from participation in sport.
Now is the time to be bold in our approach, to make changes and to ensure that our offer is fit for today and the future, to invest in our developing relationships with health and education and to capitalise on these new partnerships. It is going to be a tough journey, but we are building from a strong base and, as I said, we now expect success as an outcome.
As we look forward to a year ahead of hard work, we must not forget to look forward to the opportunities for new found celebrations. What better way to support the work we are undertaking on the ground, than to inspire our nation to be active through major sporting events.
We are proud to be staging matches in the Rugby World Cup in Cardiff as it is hosted by our neighbour England this year; another chance we hope of seeing home grown talents achieving victory on British soil. And Wales itself will also proudly host a number of exciting sporting events; the Velothon, will see 15,000 riders take to the streets of our capital city and of course the Cardiff Half Marathon � now one of the most iconic routes in the UK, will welcome thousands of runners the year before it hosts the world HM champs.
No one can deny that the opportunities are there for the taking; this could again be a year full of success, a year of dramatic progress.
It remains our vision to get every child hooked on sport and we now have within our grasp, partnerships to support this and a common purpose to be achieving this. Let�s make 2015 the year that we made significant progress in giving every child the opportunity to experience the benefits of being active.
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