# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Studio You features a wide range of fun and engaging videos for PE teachers to use during lesson time. We offer accessible and inspirational content that is suitable for every fitness level, delivers an engaging curriculum and empowers every student to move.

# data[].attributes.headline
women’s and girls’ game strategy 2024-28

# data[].attributes.subject
women’s and girls’ game strategy 2024-28

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Football Association on LinkedIn: Reaching Higher: The FA release 2024-28 strategy for women's and girls'…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We have changed the game for women and girls - but the job isn’t done yet. Introducing our new women’s and girls’ game strategy 2024-28… Our new…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Yiannaki - Futsal for talent development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dr Christopher Yiannaki of the University of Central Lancashire examines the scientific case for using futsal as a tool to develop talented footballers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to the Posh Virtual Academy. Train like a Posh Academy player with exclusive access to Academy coaches, training and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The coaching of our youngest children is now being recognised as one of the most important jobs anyone could do! Join us at The Session Collective as we share best practice ideas that will provide a positive and memorable introduction to sports and activity for our young children.

# data[].attributes.headline
The FA’s Pav Singh and Zahid Patel provide a six-week football session programme to help 12-16s develop their turning and dribbling skills

# data[].attributes.subject
The FA’s Pav Singh and Zahid Patel provide a six-week football session programme to help 12-16s develop their turning and dribbling skills

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Session programme: Turning and dribbling to score

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The FA’s Pav Singh and Zahid Patel provide a six-week football session programme to help 12-16s develop their turning and dribbling skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Through sport, we have the power to change lives.
Join us in creating gender equitable spaces for all.

WHAT IS THE BREAKING BARRIERS ACADEMY?

Sport keeps us fit, mindful and brings us together. It allows us to connect across gender, race, class, and religious differences. But unfortunately, access to sport is not equal. Work still needs to be done to break down barriers to allow women and girls to fully participate and reach their full potential. That's why we created The Breaking Barriers Academy - an online educational platform providing content, activities, and tools to help you take the first step towards creating a more inclusive and gender equitable space for all.

Examine the different ways to create an environment at your organization, team, or company that embraces unique ideas, perspectives, experiences, and people. This track is open to all but will be most useful for staff, employees, and volunteers within sports organizations, teams, and brands.

Participate in leadership training that will empower you to lead and coach gender-sensitive activities while developing your skills as an inclusive role model. This track is open to all but will be most useful for coaches, social workers, and instructors.

Gain key knowledge on how to access, retain, and recruit more women in sport while being a more inclusive coach and teammate. This track is open to all but will be most useful to anyone interested in engaging girls and women in sport activities.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can make your area of sport more accessible, inclusive, and safer for women and girls, you are in the right place. No matter how you identify, where you come from, and what position you hold within the sports industry, we need you to join us and take meaningful action in making the world of sport a safer and more inclusive place for women and girls. Because when women and girls thrive, we all thrive.

Equality means that all people deserve to have the same rights, resources, and opportunities. It is built on the assumption that everyone benefits from the same support. Equality only works if everyone begins from the same starting line and has the same needs to rise to the equal footing as their peers.

Equity means recognizing that each person has different needs and access to power, which should be addressed in a way that rectifies imbalances for everyone to reach equal footing. For example, one group may need more support than another to bring them all up to equal standing.

When systems are corrected and adjusted to offer every person the same benefits, consequences, and resources in society, equitable access is established. Social justice embodies a vision of an equitable society where all members are physically, socially, and psychologically safe.

EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN THE ORGANIZATIONS

This module is for staff members working in sport for development or for a sports team or company that would like to make their organization a more gender-equitable space.

EQUITY AND INCLUSION ON THE SIDELINES

This module is for instructors, coaches, sport teachers, trainers or anyone working on the sidelines and in a position of leadership in sport.

EQUITY AND INCLUSION ON THE PITCH

This module is for sports leaders and coaches interested in learning about the sustainable recruitment of women and girls in sport while becoming more inclusive leaders and teammates.

To address the cultural stigmas and systemic inequalities that women and girls face in sport every day, we partnered with gender equity experts streetfootballworld, Soccer Without Borders, and Women Win to develop the Breaking Barriers Academy.

This platform provides methodologies and tools to embark on a self-reflection journey. We cannot certify that learners who complete the whole course will become experts on achieving gender equity through sports. Instead, this platform should be used as a trigger to create more gender-inclusive practices and should be accompanied by practical and individual work in your organizations and/or on the playing field.

Finally, we are aware that gender-equitable practices vary according to the context. There are different tools and methodologies to use to achieve gender equity in the areas this platform focuses on. Therefore, the content here should be used for inspiration and should be adapted, if possible, to your own reality and needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Through sport, we have the power to change lives. Join us in creating gender equitable spaces for all. Sport keeps us fit, mindful and brings us together. It allows us to connect across gender, race, class, and religious differences. But unfortunately, access to sport is not equal.

# data[].attributes.headline
Abbas Khan: the trailblazing football official striving to break down barriers

# data[].attributes.subject
Abbas Khan: the trailblazing football official striving to break down barriers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Seeing a Muslim on the television, or at a live game, will hopefully strive to highlight to other young children, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to feel as though there are no barriers to them being involved in the professional game," says the assistant referee Abbas Khan when asked about being a role model for the next generation of match officials who are Muslim. "A large part of my religion is to serve my community and becoming a match official is an incredible opportunity to do that."

Khan, an assistant referee from Leicestershire, has been officiating games in League One and League Two for six seasons and is determined to demonstrate that the sky is the limit for other officials from ethnic minority backgrounds.

He is one of 42 officials participating in an elite referee development plan that aims, among other things, to open the pipeline from the grassroots to the professional game for officials from underrepresented backgrounds. The project is overseen by the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) and supported by the Premier League, Football Association and English Football League.

Quick Guide
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?

Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.

If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you're on the most recent version.

In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.

Turn on sport notifications.

Thank you for your feedback.

The initial cohort of 28 (30% of which are of Black, Asian or mixed heritage) were given more than 250 opportunities at higher levels during 2022-23 season. Those now primarily operating at a higher level now include Akil Howson, Sam Allison, Rebecca Welch, Farai Hallam and Emily Heaslip.

"It is incredibly important for these professional organisations to commit to diversifying their workforces to help to break down barriers to success," Khan says. "Not only religiously, but also, ethnically, I have faced many barriers in my life. Growing up, I have been victimised by large groups where I have inevitably been outnumbered, in terms of ethnic appearance and religious background.

"Having a more diverse workforce is incredibly important as it naturally encourages those working within it, to be curious, ask questions or others, learn more about each other, and better understand each other's backgrounds, cultural differences, religious beliefs and way of life."

Abbas Khan with the referee Samuel Barrott and Hristo Karaivanov at a Carabao Cup tie. Photograph: Alex Dodd/CameraSport/Getty Images

PGMOL and the anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out have announced a partnership under which they will join forces to champion equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in football.

Part of the initiative involves the creation of a digital learning space for PGMOL staff and match officials to take part in educational sessions via Kick It Out's online platform, The Academy. The next course that officials and staff will take part in is an introduction to Islam and Muslim communities.

PGMOL was the first refereeing organisation to sign up to a Muslim athletecharter and Khan would like clubs to do more to highlight the complexities involved with being a Muslim at the highest levels of the professional game.

"I believe that the biggest barriers at clubs for Muslim officials are prayer rooms, or somewhere quiet to pray and reflect before and after a game, as well as clubs' understanding and support of Ramadan," he says.

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Football Daily

Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion

"Clubs should actively be encouraged to promote Ramadan and educate supporters and social media content consumers that Muslims break their fast at hours when there are occasional conflicts with matches. As a result, it should not be seen as an extraordinary event when a Muslim breaks his/her/their fast during matches. But should be considered perfectly normal."

Khan highlights the power of social media for clubs to show their staff and players breaking their fast. "I believe this would gain more respect from fans, quicker," he says.

Khan says it is "heartwarming" to see initiatives being run to solve problems and create a more accessible-for-all environment. He will continue to hold organisations accountable and is delighted officials from underrepresented communities are shining in the professional game. "It is something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime," he says.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Abbas Khan: the trailblazing football official striving to break down barriers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Assistant referee welcomes work done to diversify the game and explains what clubs can do to further assist Muslims

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Faith Newton is an occupational therapist with over ten years experience of working with children, parents and schools. In this guest blog, Faith talks about the importance of PE for SEND Children and what inspired her to write her book. Faith will also be speaking at Inclusion Live for the Youth Sport in January 2024.

We know that physical activity has positive physical, emotional and mental health benefits. Engaging in sports and exercise can foster a sense of belonging and pride, and physical activity can boost academic performance and emotional regulation. However, too many children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) struggle with PE and miss out on these benefits.

I wrote 'Inclusive PE for SEND Children' because I wanted to change this. I wanted to make PE something that all children could engage in and enjoy.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
I had the idea for this book three years ago during my maternity leave. Originally I was going to write a book about making schools more active, with just a chapter on PE. However, as I started writing I quickly realised that this topic deserved to be a book in its own right.

I'm a Children's Occupational Therapist and mum to two Autistic children and I know the current SEND system isn't working. Asking school staff to deliver more and more individual interventions isn't practical anymore - schools don't have the resources and such a practice singles children out. Instead we need whole class strategies that will make lessons inclusive for all students.
Change for Children
I really wanted to prioritise the voice of children and so when I started writing the book I reached out to some parent carer Facebook groups, and asked 'can you share your child's experience of PE with me?'

The response was overwhelming.

So many people talked about how their child struggled to cope with the many demands of PE. Parents shared heartbreaking stories about children who would rather make themselves sick than have to participate in team sports, and hopeful stories about children who found physical activities that they enjoyed. Their experiences turned into the quotes and stories in the book, and became my driving force for writing it. One such story that was shared with me is 'Abby's'.
'My daughter, Abby, is significantly hypermobile...When she was in the school system, she struggled to keep up physically and suffered a lot of joint pain. There was zero understanding from teachers, so she took to sneaking back inside to hide in the loos when nobody was looking'. Change for Teachers
Teachers want to support students with additional needs but rarely know where to start. They often don't understand the challenges that children face in PE and don't know how they can change things.

'Inclusive PE for SEND Children' helps teachers understand the challenges and suggests simple changes they can make to make lessons more inclusive for all students. As Abby's mum writes, its small changes that can make a big difference:
'Abby loved the more fun activities that were done in short bursts, but structured group sports and anything involving a lot of running she simply couldn't do, and would be reduced to tears'.
Had Abby's teacher built in brief breaks into the lesson and structured fun activities in short bursts, she would have been able to participate.
Change for Parents
I also wanted to write a book that helps parents. Parents who know that their child dreads PE but feel helpless to do anything about it.

I've been the parent consoling my son after school swimming has gone wrong. I've been the parent in school meetings, trying to think of accommodations I can suggest that will make my child's time at school a bit easier. I wanted to equip parents with a toolkit of strategies that they could suggest to school to make PE easier. Strategies that would get implemented because they are practical and evidence based.
Conclusion
I know that changing small things can make a big difference to a child's experience of PE. 'Inclusive PE for SEND Children' helps teachers and parents understand the challenges that children face in PE. It then provides over 100 practical strategies for making PE more inclusive.

As the number of children with SEND continues to increase in our schools, I hope this book makes a real difference in making PE inclusive.

'Inclusive PE for SEND Children' is available now as an ebook or paperback. Get your copy here and look out for Faith's session at Inclusion Live next January. You can revisit what happened at this year's Inclusion Live event here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Faith Newton talks about the importance of PE for SEND Children and what inspired her to write her book.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sport and physical activity has a powerful and positive effect on mental health. That’s why we’re investing heavily in projects that are changing lives.

# data[].attributes.headline
I’m the first Black female swimmer for Team GB – it shouldn’t have taken this long

# data[].attributes.subject
I’m the first Black female swimmer for Team GB – it shouldn’t have taken this long

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome back to How I Made It, Metro.co.uk's weekly career journey series.

This week, we're chatting with Alice Dearing, 26, who is based in Loughborough and is the first Black female swimmer for Team GB.

In 2019 she started considering a career in swimming. A year later, she competed in the Olympics.

2020 was also the year she co-founded the Black Swimming Association, an organisation dedicated to reducing inequalities at the pool.

Swimming was the first sport Alice ever took up - and she ran with it. Here's how she made a successful career for herself.‌

Hey Alice. How did you get into swimming? ‌

I initially got into swimming when I was about eight years old through my mum.

She put me and my brother in for swimming club sessions, then it escalated from there.

It was never the intention when I started swimming that I would try and be any good, it was something new for me to try and explore whilst also keeping me busy.

It was the first sport that I tried my hand at, and I ended up falling in love with it.

‌My very first swimming-related memory was on holiday in Greece. I must have been around three years old, and I just remember standing on the shore watching my older brothers in the sea.

I didn't even actually go in the water but all I really remember is watching and feeling very jealous of them!
‌Were you always a natural?
Apparently! Everyone used to tell me and my mum that I was, but I never really believed them.

I think people would see I had talent but of course I can't actually see myself swim so never understood.

‌To be quite honest, I've always had self-doubt but then have found more confidence and self-belief through growing up, getting results and hard work.

It's all about having the confidence to give it a go, and I strongly believe that with perseverance and drive, you can do anything you put your mind to.
‌When did you begin to think it could be a career, and how did you go about making that happen?
I only really thought about swimming being a career in about 2019. Up until then it was really just a hobby I did alongside my education, which I was very focused on.

After studying hard and receiving decent GCSEs and A levels, I went to Loughborough University and now have two degrees from there. I continued to work hard and put effort into swimming throughout all stages of life, but it was only after university that I saw it as my future.

I started talking about my experiences being a Black woman in swimming, then people were interested and wanted to know more, thankfully.

Lots of people listened and people cared - I think my story resonated with a lot people and I hope it can inspire others to, especially younger girls and boys who may be facing those same challenges I did growing up.
I can imagine there have been lots of sacrifices to become as successful as you are - what are those?
My main sacrifice is probably missing out on doing things with friends and family. I also don't get to travel as much as I would like if I'm honest.

It's ironic that swimming has let me travel to some of the most amazing places that I wouldn't have ever thought of going to.

But then at the same time because of the training routine and because swimming is an eleven month, sometimes twelve-month sport, there's very little time to travel the world as I would like to.

But one day, one day I will!

However, the sacrifices are very worth making, always very worth making and I wouldn't be where I am today without making them.
‌What does it feel like to be the first Black female swimmer to represent Team GB at an Olympic Games?
I was very honoured, in a way. However, it was also a bit of a shame that it took so long and that we had to bring it into the public eye.

‌It would be nice if race didn't matter in life in general, but also especially in swimming, there has been myths and stereotypes around me growing up that Black people and Asian people weren't swimming.

‌I'd like to use myself as an example to show what is possible and what people are capable of when given a chance and also that they should give themselves a chance. It's kind of like a double-edged sword.

An average day in the working life of Alice Dearing
Did that motivate you taking part in the Disney 'Find Your Wonder' campaign?
‌When I was younger, I never thought I could swim at an Olympic Games.

‌I was 11 years old when the 2008 Olympic Games were happening, and I remember watching it on TV and being in awe of the incredible athletes and never truly believing in myself that I had that potential.

‌So, I think it's important that kids and adults as well, this applies to everybody, go and try something new. You never know, it could be something wonderful, and it could bring out the best in somebody else as well.
What do you love most about the job?
Honestly, the way it pushes me out of my comfort zone.

Believe it or not, I can naturally be very lazy. It sounds very contradictory to the sport I do, and especially the event I do, being a 10k marathon swimmer. But having it as my job forces me to go and chase something.

‌I also think I can be very single minded, and quite stubborn - if I want something, I'm going to get it. I like that swimming gives me that focus for my mind and chase something that's far outside of my comfort zone and far out of my reach.
‌What do you dislike the most?
It has to be the training routine, it's extremely brutal and tough.

I've been doing it for at a high level for 10 years now, and its difficult! Mentally, it takes a lot out of you, physically as well of course.

But it's what you've got to do to get yourself to your best! So, I persevere with it and keep moving with it as that's the only way to improve.
Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE : 'I'd hide when I was out of breath': What it's like when exercise becomes an obsession

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
I'm the first Black female swimmer for Team GB - it shouldn't have taken so long

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Alice Dearing, co-founder of the Black Swimming Association, wants to end stereotypes around who does and doesn't swim.

# data[].attributes.headline
Dual Coding Theory - How Learning Happens

# data[].attributes.subject
Dual Coding Theory - How Learning Happens

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dual Coding Theory - How Learning Happens

# data[].attributes.headline
The Pygmalion Effect and the Power of Positive Expectations

# data[].attributes.subject
The Pygmalion Effect and the Power of Positive Expectations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Pygmalion Effect and the Power of Positive Expectations

# data[].attributes.headline
Bojan, the anxious wonderkid, is back at Barcelona guiding next generation

# data[].attributes.subject
Bojan, the anxious wonderkid, is back at Barcelona guiding next generation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bojan, the anxious wonderkid, is back at Barcelona guiding next generation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The teenage sensation missed his Spain debut because of panic attacks but hopes to offer youngsters the type of support he received from Ibrahimovic, Henry and others

# data[].attributes.headline
Sport England announced 'shake up' in funding to tackle physical inactivity

# data[].attributes.subject
Sport England announced 'shake up' in funding to tackle physical inactivity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sport England ‘shakes up’ funding to tackle inactivity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sport England announces “one of the biggest shake-ups of funding in decades” with £250m redirected towards areas with the worst levels of physical inactivity over the next five years.

# data[].attributes.headline
Swimming Pool Support Fund keeps leisure centres afloat

# data[].attributes.subject
Swimming Pool Support Fund keeps leisure centres afloat

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Swim England's latest Value of Swimming report showed how swimming helps generate social benefits, such as improved communities, skills and education worth £2.4 billion a year.

Examples include the local authority-owned and operated John Warner Sports Centre in Broxbourne, which offers swimming lessons and sessions for people of all ages, and received almost £190,000 of funding, as well as the Bovey Tracey Swimming Pool, which received £5,600 to support an outdoor charity-run community pool.

The Government recently published its new sport strategy to get 2.5 million more adults and one million more young people meeting the Chief Medical Officer's guidance of 150 minutes per week for adults, and 60 minutes per day for young people by 2030.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Swimming Pool Support Fund keeps leisure centres afloat | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We've distributed £20 million of Government money to ensure pools stay open

# data[].attributes.headline
Dove x Nike: Our Body Confident Sport program

# data[].attributes.subject
Dove x Nike: Our Body Confident Sport program

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our new research has uncovered that low body confidence is the #1 reason girls quit sport. As experts in building self-esteem, we've partnered with experts in sport, Nike, to create the Body Confident Sport program.
Introducing Body Confident Sport
Body Confident Sport is a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based program that's clinically validated to build girls' body confidence in sport. We developed the programme over a three-year partnership with Nike, and world-renowned academic experts at the Centre for Appearance Research and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. It includes input from girls and coaches from six countries, including France, India, Japan, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S.
Body Confident Athletes
Building girls' body confidence in sport starts with making sure girls have the support they need. Positive coaching can help with promoting positive body image in athletes, but coaches need the right tools and training to build confidence in girls.

Within the Body Confident Sport program, we have Body Confident Athletes - an in-person programme aimed at 11 to 17-year-old girls and delivered by sport coaches or PE teachers in classes or after-school sport programs. The Body Confident Athletes sessions cover the following areas:

Coaches also have access to Body Confidence Coaches, an online training programme to get body confidence training themselves. You can read more about the benefits of sport for girls here.
How to get started with Body Confident Athletes
Body Confident Athletes is accessible for all at no cost - anyone with the URL can share the body confidence-building resources with a coach, and sessions can be delivered through a network of organisations in schools and sport clubs around the world, in groups of 10-20.

The programme can also be delivered by an adult with a trusted relationship with athletes within the organisation. For consistency and to create a team atmosphere, the same coach or facilitator should lead all three sessions of the programme where possible.

Parents play an important role in building a positive body image for their child. Simply send the URL to your child's coach via text, email or social media to get started on the journey.
Reaching girls around the world
As part of Dove and Nike's long-standing commitments to support women and girls, we're aiming to reach girls all around the world with the Body Confident Sport program - to improve body confidence on and off the field.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dove x Nike: Our Body Confident Sport program

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dove and Nike have launched Body Confident Sport, a body confidence campaign to make sport a place of belonging for girls. Find out what makes it so special.

# data[].attributes.headline
Brisk 22-minute walk could offset harmful effects of sitting, study suggests

# data[].attributes.subject
Brisk 22-minute walk could offset harmful effects of sitting, study suggests

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Brisk 22-minute walk could offset harmful effects of sitting, study suggests | Health | The Guardian

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
People who sit for long periods more likely to die earlier – but moderate-to-vigorous activity can eliminate risk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kitman Labs launch 'Football Intelligence Platform' for PL Academies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New partnership to develop operating system which supports holistic development of athletes and transformation of player pathways

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Zeenat's comeback

The video shows footage of Zeenat in their home and local area, showing them running and then rehabilitating after facing an injury. The video has a voice over and begins with an atmospheric track, which then switches to upbeat music.

We open on footage of a person running.

Voiceover: When you go running it's like you're flying,

it's like your feet aren't even touching the ground.

Close up on Zeenat's chest as they breathe heavily. And veins on wrist as they're pumping. And a close up of Zeenat's face smiling.

Voiceover: You can hear every part of your body.

You can hear your heartbeat

and you can hear your blood

and you can almost hear your hair growing.

We see photographs of Zeenat as a young child.

Voiceover: Coming from a conservative Pakistani Muslim family,

being gay was unheard of.

Present day Zeenat is jogging down the street and smiles.

Voiceover: Running helped me to eventually come out as trans, non-binary

and queer and I could just be free and be me.

Zeenat is lying down on the couch. They have a leg in a brace and a pair of crutches stand next to them.

Voiceover: Suddenly I was completely immobilised.

Zeenat is stood up, balancing on crutches.

Voiceover: I knew I wasn't going to be running for a long time.

We cut to a different shot, where Zeenat is helped up from the floor by their partner. We see Zeenat lift weights. We cut to another shot and see their partner is helping them walk down the street. Zeenat's sister joins them, and they hug.

Voiceover: To have my partner literally drop everything that week,

and both my little sisters be my big sister,

it allowed me to develop a healthy understanding of not just my identity,

but of what community was really about.

Zeenat is running again.

Voiceover: I won't stop until I'm walking

and then I won't stop until I'm jogging,

and then I won't stop until I'm running.

Titles appear on screen:

Make Your Comeback.

Find your community.

Join the This Girl Can club on Strava.

This Girl Can and Strava.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The This Girl Can campaign teamed up with Strava on their 'Make Your Comeback' campaign to help women get back into physical activity after some time away.

# data[].attributes.headline
Stop black women and girls missing out on sport

# data[].attributes.subject
Stop black women and girls missing out on sport

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I wonder how this experience might have been for my brothers - w ould they have felt so alienated? Or would the men's team sports have naturally swept them up as potential talent? I'll never know.

I am truly fortunate to be surrounded by many beautiful and brilliant black women and I salute my sisters by celebrating our community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Stop black women and girls missing out on sport | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Shereen Charles from Women in Sport blogs for Sport England on this year's Black History Month's theme - 'Saluting our sisters' - highlighting how the support around her helped keep her career as an athlete.

# data[].attributes.headline
Why health and wellbeing should be at centre of urban planning

# data[].attributes.subject
Why health and wellbeing should be at centre of urban planning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
{{#ticker}}

{{/ticker}}

{{heading}}

{{#paragraphs}}

{{.}}

{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}

{{/choiceCards}}

We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Look out for a message in your inbox in . If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why health and wellbeing should be at centre of urban planning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ticker}} {{/ticker}} {{#paragraphs}} {{.}} {{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}} {{#choiceCards}} {{/choiceCards}} We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Look out for a message in your inbox in . If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.

# data[].attributes.headline
Dr. Julie Gurner (Part 2): Caring Deeply, Challenging Directly [The Knowledge Project Ep. #172]

# data[].attributes.subject
Dr. Julie Gurner (Part 2): Caring Deeply, Challenging Directly [The Knowledge Project Ep. #172]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On the second of two special episodes, acclaimed executive performance coach and doctor of psychology Dr. Julie Gurner goes in-depth on a variety of strategies and actionable advice that will help you perform up to your potential. During this portion of her interview, Dr. Gurner discusses the standards we set for ourselves and others, cognitive ruts, curating friends and relationships, fighting up front, what success means, and much more.
Available now: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Transcript
Dr. Gurner has spent the past 14 years working with top-percentile executives, talent, and teams operating in fast-paced, competitive environments. She specializes in improving personal productivity, focus, and decision-making strategies, as well as developing high-performance cultures, teams, and executives emphasizing ownership and leadership.

Listen to part one of this interview here.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

How you bring people to the standard that you expect is incredibly important. You want to do it through a way where people feel inspired to rise and to hit their own potential because you are the person that they believe sees something in them that they do not see.

I think that it's very useful to see business or things that you care deeply about [as] the things that you do, not who you are.
People can take hard feedback from people that they know are in their corner.
I try to frame things always as opportunities, challenges, ways in which people can level up or improve in some fashion, [reach] the next kind of level of operation.

Rather than me and then you are the problem, it is "I'm pulling you to my side of the table and it's us together versus this problem that we're going to talk about."

The notion of fighting upfront is [that] if you do it right, it shouldn't be a fight. It should be something that you address early, as quickly as possible, in a way that can help to resolve whatever it is that you see as the threat.

And so these cognitive ruts we get in-sometimes we have to really think, Are we reinforcing our own rut and how can we begin to expand outside of it?

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:58 - The consequences of high standards
06:44 - The dangers of basing your identity on what you do
08:28 - How to remove blindspots in life and work
11:43 - How to have hard conversations
16:59 - Julie's strategies prior to confronting someone
22:25 - How to overcome emotions on days where things go wrong
25:25 - How to end toxic relationships
27:44 - Red flags to look for in bad relationships
29:35 - How to fight up front
32:58 - How to get out of 'cognitive ruts'
39:35 - What Julie has learned from her work that's made her life different
41:52 - What success is for Dr. Gurner

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On the second of two special episodes, acclaimed executive performance coach and doctor of psychology Dr. Julie Gurner goes in-depth on a variety of strategies and actionable advice that will help you perform up to your potential, including he standards we set for ourselves and others, cognitive ruts, curating friends and relationships, fighting up front, what success means, and much more.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Premier League’s camp for de-selected players: ‘Being released does not define them’

# data[].attributes.subject
The Premier League’s camp for de-selected players: ‘Being released does not define them’

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Wes Morgan can hardly believe how his career turned out.

At the age of 32, he led Leicester City to their Premier League title. At 37, he lifted the FA Cup as their captain at Wembley. Now, aged 39, he is enjoying a well-earned retirement. But before he got to receive those trophies, the former Jamaica international endured his fair share of difficult moments, none greater than being released by Notts County as a 15-year-old.

"I didn't get a youth-team contract," Morgan tells The Athletic. "It was hard to face that rejection. There was nothing like what the Premier League have provided today."

He is referring to the Premier League Preparation Programme, an annual camp at Loughborough University, just north of Leicester, to assist players aged 16-21 who have not been retained by their clubs' academies.

Morgan was invited to the camp because of what he experienced in the professional game, to offer advice and lead sessions for the young attendees. "The onus was on me to motivate myself and deal with the disappointment," he says. "That is why these camps are fantastic. It can be difficult for kids, facing rejection and not having a backup."

A 2022 Premier League study revealed that 97 per cent of players at top academies never play a minute of top-flight football. Another - from Football Family, a non-profit organisation for those who need help in such situations - showed more than 10,000 players aged between eight and 18 are released from academy football every year.

Rejection can be agony for the young footballers concerned, who often have tunnel vision when it comes to their futures and their ambitions to earn a career in the game. They work strenuously every day, their success dependent on someone in authority giving them a chance, but then, in an instant, their hope vanishes.

That subsequent feeling of loneliness and how detrimental it can be to a young player's mental health is something that David Rainford, the Premier League's head of education and academy player care, talks about at the camp.

"Mental health is a fundamental part of our programme," Rainford says. "Being released, or de-selected, is tough. It is a setback. We want to give them some context: that it does not define them. It is just part of the football journey. Football is not linear. Leaving a club is, for a lot of players, part of their football journey. Sometimes just showing them that they are part of a wider family of football, where this does happen, can help them get confidence in themselves - that they will come back from that.

"Here, we have 42 players who are all in that position. It is a bit of a community and helps our boys know that they are not the only ones going through this."

On the day The Athletic visits the camp, the mood among the coaches is upbeat despite the wet weather, with the players finishing off drills and small-sided games in the rain. Loughborough's 523-acre campus includes several football pitches, as well as sports halls and artificial surfaces. Its range of training facilities would not look out of place at the majority of Premier League training grounds.

The coaches wear blue jackets with Premier League branding, while some of the players are in the shirts of the clubs they recently left. After this outdoor session, everyone goes inside to have lunch before the seminars begin. In what has to be a tough time for any young footballer, being able to continue to train, eat, laugh and learn alongside their peers who share their anguish seems to be appreciated.

The camp is open to any player between the ages of 16 and 21 who has been released and not signed a professional contract. They stay for a week, making use of the university's student accommodation, which means they properly get the chance to bond. During their time at the camp, they have a schedule of breakfast, training during the day, and then workshops and seminars right through the week.

This is the sixth time the camp has been held. This year, the Premier League expanded its support to players who have fallen out of the professional game in the last three years, aiming to ensure they have all received the help they might need, including elite performance training, recruitment options, career and education guidance, tailored one-to-one plans and the chance to hear from and talk to special guests from within the industry.

Kelechi Etienne, a 19-year-old from north London who is without a club after being let go by Fulham of the Premier League and League One's Shrewsbury Town, told The Athletic: "It has helped me remind myself not to give up and that there will always be opportunities around the corner."

One of the players who benefited from the camp in the past and found future chances in the game is Morgan Brown, who left the academy at Aberdeen, of the Scottish Premiership, in 2019.

Born in Leicester, he attended the camp that year. Brown won the league title in Cyprus with Aris Limassol last season and followed it up with the Cypriot Super Cup in July. The 23-year-old came off the bench in his side's 2-1 win over top Scottish side Rangers in the Europa League group phase this month.

Martin Onoabhagbe was also part of that 2019 camp. He had been released from Crystal Palace but went on to study sports psychology at St Mary's University in Twickenham, south west London.

Dylan Thompson came in 2021 after being discarded by Everton. He later earned a full scholarship to play football while studying at the University of North Carolina in the United States.

Daniel Jinadu was at last year's camp, having been released by EFL club Barnsley. He went on to earn a first-class psychology degree at the University of East London and now hosts the Beyond Football podcast, discussing life beyond the game.

"We are trying to expose them to opportunities that they may not have considered before," says 44-year-old Rainford, who made more than 400 appearances across a playing career that included spells at EFL clubs Colchester United and Dagenham & Redbridge. "They can hear it from us, but they can also talk about it with their peers and it will sound different compared to an old man like me talking about it."

"The conversation between them, sharing their experiences, and their peer-to-peer learning is very important," Morgan says. "It is not just about the football side, but it's also about the educational side - looking at opportunities, career prospects, and what could be possible next is very important. There is a lot of training, and that could be an opportunity for some of this lot to get back into football.

"The kids here are listening and are eager to learn. They really wanted to take on the advice and probably look for a bit more direction, where they could be going, and what they should be doing. This is what it's all about."
(Top photo: Premier League)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inside the Premier League's 'de-selected' camp: 'Being released does not define them'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Behind the scenes of the Premier League's effort to help released academy players

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Addicted is a big word," Christian Norgaard says, recalling the anxious nights before away matches when his mind raced uncontrollably and a sleeping pill felt like the only cure for his insomnia. "There is a stigma about it. That's why it was a bit emotional for me to watch Dele Alli's interview. I never took sleepers other than the day before a game, but I think a lot of players struggle with sleep and it's not widely spoken about."

The Brentford captain was playing for Brondby in his native Denmark when he was first prescribed a sleeping pill by the club's doctor. The name on the bottle meant nothing, but the lure of a remedy was irresistible, with the toll of Norgaard's sleepless nights creeping

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How sleep became the new marginal gain in football

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Addicted is a big word," Christian Norgaard says, recalling the anxious nights before away matches when his mind raced uncontrollably and a sleeping pill felt

# data[].attributes.headline
Tackling Racism and Racial Inequality in Sport review

# data[].attributes.subject
Tackling Racism and Racial Inequality in Sport review

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Guidance and toolkits to help supporters and partners of the This Girl Can campaign create opportunities to close the enjoyment gap.

# data[].attributes.headline
Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England published

# data[].attributes.subject
Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England published

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England published | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England has been published to help us understand how our relationship with sport and physical activity changes over our lifetime.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England

The Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England has been developed to facilitate a shared understanding of physical literacy for those working in the sport, education, physical activity, recreation, play, health and youth sectors.

The statement is intended for colleagues who work in policy, sport development, research and practice.

Physical literacy belongs to everyone and therefore it's taken a number of organisations to come together to help unite perspectives on it.

The project to develop a Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England began in March 2022 and included desk research, two national consultations and the creation of an expert panel.

More than 50 organisations from the world of sport, health, education, academia, and community sectors came together to 'unite' perspectives on physical literacy.

This has been a truly collective process and the expertise, guidance and support of a number of organisations has proved invaluable in the creation of the statement.

Liverpool John Moores University led the work on developing the Consensus Statement and more detail on the process can be found on the their website.

The consensus statement helps us to recognise that everyone has a unique and complex relationship with sport, physical activity and movement.

What makes a positive experience for one may be a negative experience for another.

It isn't always easy to live an active life and we know that personal circumstances and wider socioeconomic factors make a significant difference.

We need to listen and respond to individual needs and circumstances, and recognise that these change over time.

We also need to provide a safe, inclusive and supportive environment.

The consensus statement helps us recognise that everyone has a unique and complex relationship with sport, physical activity and movement and collctively we need to use physical literacy as our guiding principle to develop the wellbeing of our nation at both a national and local level.

Download the Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England

Perspectives from sector leaders

We've captured the thoughts of sector leaders to highlight the essence of physical literacy.

Hear their thoughts

Primary PE and Sport Premium fund

Through the Department for Education, the government's investing into primary schools in the form of the Primary PE and Sport Premium fund.

To support the fund, we're working with other national partners and the government. Together, we've collectively developed this vision for PE and school sport:
All pupils leaving primary school physically literate and with the knowledge, skills and motivation necessary to equip them for a healthy lifestyle and lifelong participation in physical activity and sport.

Designed for primary school headteachers, Employment and Deployment of Coaches has more information and guidance on using sports coaches in primary schools.

Active Partnerships

There are 43 Active Partnerships across England that play a role in advocating, supporting and sign-posting schools to help them make best use of their premium funding.

Learn more about the Active Partnerships

Who are the national partners?

The Association for Physical Education is the only physical education subject association in the UK. It's committed to being the representative organisation of choice for people and organisations delivering or supporting the delivery of physical education in schools and in the wider community

Active Partnerships aim to improve lives by growing grassroots sport and physical activity. More information can be found here

UK Coaching is the lead coaching agency in the UK and has collaborated with national partners to produce a free-to-access web portal with all the information schools need to maximise the use of coaches in their school through the Primary PE and Sport Premium. For more information, visit the Coaching in Primary Schools portal

The Youth Sport Trust is a national charity building a brighter future for young people through PE and sport. Through 20 years' experience, it's developed a unique way of maximising the power of sport to grow young people, schools and communities through the development of qualities including creativity, aspiration, resilience and empathy.

Studio You

Studio You is a new digital platform for secondary schools that'll give PE teachers across England access to a free digital library of video-based lessons.

It's been created with teachers and young people to inspire less physically literate students to feel confident and comfortable being active at school.

We're investing more than £2million of National Lottery funding into a partnership with Hopscotch Consulting to create this video-on-demand platform, featuring less traditional disciplines such as yoga, boxing, dance, barre and Pilates.

Video lessons and supplementary teaching guidance have been designed with support from the Association for Physical Education, EMDUK and Activity Alliance, and the platform offers PE teachers practical support on how to use the video content in their schemes of work.

Insight informing the investment

Our Active Lives Children and Young People Attitudes Survey, published in March 2019, showed that enjoyment is the key driver to activity levels, with boys and girls who strongly agree that they 'enjoy sport' doing 33% more minutes of activity than those who don't.

The survey also shows that physical literacy declines with age for both boys and girls.

And children in Years 3-6 (ages 7-11) are more likely to report a positive attitude than young people in Years 7-11 (ages 11-16). Therefore, older children, especially teenage girls, are less likely to enjoy PE.

Focus groups conducted on our behalf by Future Thinking, suggested a resource that allows teenage girls to choose their own exercise programme may help these girls re-engage with PE.

With this resource, we aim to improve teenage girls' experience of PE in the years where the analysis tells us girls are least likely to be active.

This Girl Can

Studio You is part of our This Girl Can campaign that inspired more than 3.9 million women to get active.

In line with This Girl Can's focus on realism, Studio You features small groups of diverse and relatable young people in its videos and delivers lessons that help make PE accessible, fun and rewarding for inactive students.

Timeline

Studio You was piloted in 20 schools across the country in Autumn 2020 and is now available to schools across England.

Find out more

School Games

Through the School Games, we're inspiring young people across the country to take part in competitive school sport.

The Games are made up of four levels of activity: competition in schools, between schools, at county/area level and a national event for the most talented school-age athletes.

By providing competition in different formats, it makes competition more attractive and accessible for young people and ensures they can all take part in competitive sport irrespective of their experience, talent or ability.

The four levels provide pathways for young people to progress and develop:

National partners

The School Games is being delivered through partnerships. It consists of us and:

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who have overall policy leadership, supported by the Department for Education and the Department of Health

The British Paralympic Association, who bring the vision and inspiration of the Paralympic Games to the School Games

The Youth Sport Trust, which is commissioned by us to provide development support to schools, sports and other local partners. We work closely with the Youth Sport Trust to deliver the School Games at all levels.

Engaging young people through the School Games

The mission of the Games is to keep competitive sport at the heart of schools and to provide more young people with the opportunity to compete and achieve their personal best.

The vision of the Games was that, by 2020, they'd be continuing to make a clear and meaningful difference to the lives of even more children and young people.

In 2020, Everfi conducted independent research that outlines some of the impact the School Games is having on children, young people and schools, and how our partners have been working to make their vision and mission a reality.

With the school summer holidays almost upon us, parents and carers will be looking for ways to keep their children occupied - and importantly, to have some fun.

We know how important it is that children and young people are physically active - without it, many will not enjoy the health and social benefits associated with living active lives.

Our Active Lives Children and Young People Survey shows the pandemic has been disruptive, but children and young people have been adapting their habits and trying new things.

There are some key ways you can deliver your activity to appeal most to parents or carers and their children, and craft messaging that will highlight this.

We've summarised this below, together with some example social media posts, a link to free images you can use, activities you can encourage parents or carers to do with their children, information on some of the funds we have that you can consider applying for, and more.

Advice and ideas

Simple ways to help children and young people get active this summer

We've prepared some advice and ideas for activity providers based on the insight we have on children and young people's activity levels and attitudes about being active.

Our research shows that children and young people's activity levels are lower than they were before the pandemic and this is even more pronounced for those from less affluent families and from some culturally diverse communities.

On top of this, we know that some groups of children and young people have also been feeling less confident when taking part, aren't finding sport and being active as easy and aren't enjoying being active as much as they used to.

All of this is important to consider when designing and running activities and tailoring messaging for parents or carers. Here are some of the things to bear in mind:

What we know

While the pandemic has created many barriers to being active, choice has been key in helping to maintain older girls' activity levels and enjoyment in particular.

For some children and young people, the past 16 months have been a chance to do things differently - so some have enjoyed being active more than usual, using the extra time to take ownership of what they do and trying out new things in a way that feels safe, supported and free from pressure or judgement.

You can download these tips in a handy one-pager to keep and share with others.

Example social media posts

Encourage parents or carers to get active with their children

Looking for fun ways to keep the kids active? Discover a huge range of fun activities from Disney dancing to Cosmic Kids Yoga 🤸‍♀‍
https://www.sportengland.org/jointhemovement?section=get_active_with_the_kids

Who said being active couldn't be fun? Get inspired with 10+ fun ways to keep moving with your little ones this summer.
https://www.sportengland.org/jointhemovement?section=get_active_with_the_kids

Parents, need some new ways to keep the kids entertained, active and having fun?
Discover 100s of ideas from the Active Recovery Hub to bring the fun this summer!
https://www.yourschoolgames.com/active-recovery/

Got Disney-loving kids?
Get them dancing along to their favourite songs from Moana, The Jungle Book and more, with these 5 free & fun Disney dance-along videos
https://www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/activities/disney-workouts/

Only got 10 minutes?
These Disney and Pixar inspired bursts of fun will really get you and the kids laughing and moving!
https://www.nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up/shake-ups

National Trust have collated a great set of activities and ideas to help keep the kids active and, most importantly, having FUN! Take a look 👇
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/summer-family-activities-for-every-adventurer

Click below to see some social media posts you can use or tailor for your own channels.

Free images

We have over 250 free-to-use images of children and young people playing sport and getting active, which you can use with your messaging - from social media posts to leaflets, posters and more.

Once you've logged into our image library or registered, just click on 'refine search' and select 'children and young people' to find the images you need.

Image library

Funding

Return to Play: Small Grants
Our Small Grants fund is particularly encouraging applications from organisations working with communities who've suffered worse health outcomes and the most significantly reduced activity levels as a result of the pandemic - this includes young people aged 16-24, and girls and women.

The fund focuses on awards of between £300 and £10,000 that support clubs and community groups respond to the challenges of retuning to play during the pandemic, and getting people active for the first time after it.

Return to Play: Small Grants

Return to Play: Active Together
Active Together is a crowdfunding initiative helping sports clubs and their organisations to set up and run their own crowdfunding campaigns to help sustain themselves through the coronavirus crisis.

Support could come with a potential financial pledge from us to help you towards your crowdfunding target.

Return to Play: Active Together

Why work with families?

Our research has shown that families, parents and carers play a key role in shaping a child's attitudes to being active and their activity levels later in life.

They can model active behaviour by taking part with children, but can also model sedentary behaviour.

Adults often facilitate access to various opportunities for their children to be active and so it's important to support them in understanding the benefits of being active.

Most current opportunities involve children playing with other children, leaving adults sidelined, but the benefits to a child's development are different when they're active with adult family members compared to when they're active with their peers. And children can also play a role encouraging their parents or carers to be active.

More than half (51%) of children and young people enjoy taking part in sport and physical activity, and enjoyment is the biggest driver of participation.

Our research has shown that 93% of children and young people enjoy taking part with their family, and 96% of adults did too. So, engaging whole families can have a real benefit, on family relationships, mental wellbeing and motivations to keep active.

Our investment

As part of our current strategy, Uniting the Movement, we're continuing to focus on developing positive experiences of sport and physical activity for children and young people, including a focus on families in lower socio-economic groups as several research studies show that children from these families are less active than those from higher socio-economic groups.

We want to give families inspiration and confidence to be active together, allowing for quality family time.

And from our previous investment into 39 Families Fund projects, we've put together a series of resources that show what we've learned and the impact it made.

Find out more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Children and young people | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the work we're doing to build positive attitudes to sport and activity among children and young people as the foundations of an active life.

# data[].attributes.headline
Maintaining an active life as we get older

# data[].attributes.subject
Maintaining an active life as we get older

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
National partnerships lead for health and inactivity, Sport England

We are living longer, but not in better health.

Too many older adults are not able to enjoy the benefits of an active life.

This can impact both our health and our quality of life - our strength to lift the grandchildren, our mobility to see friends and our capability to remain independent in our own homes.

Regardless of your age, movement makes people happier and healthier.

What we did and how communities benefitted

Despite the positive benefits, we know that maintaining an active life as we get older can be challenging.

Work, family and caring commitments can understandably take priority and societal narratives often reinforce the notion that as we age, we will and should slow down.

And so, Sport England has worked with 25 Active Ageing partners over the past five years to support more than 30,000 older adults into sport and physical activity; and, to learn how to provide positive, inclusive physical activity experiences that support older adults to build more sport and physical activity into their daily lives.

Fund outcomes - 12 months after joining a project

9 in 10 participants maintained or increased their physical activity levels, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

8 out of 10 reported improved life satisfaction.

the benefits extended far beyond increased activity levels, such as:

Improved strength, stamina, fitness, mobility and balance

Improvements in health conditions and pain

Reduced medication use, less reliance on mobility aids and improved ability to carry out daily tasks.

Examples of our partners influencing physical activity policies beyond their projects

Our partners have also sought to create change in their communities to embed and spread these life transforming outcomes. For example:

Age UK

Age UK Milton Keynes have developed a walking befriending toolkit that has given organisations nationwide the knowledge and resources to incorporate walking into their home visit services.

Hertfordshire County Council

Following their Active Ageing test of concept, Hertfordshire County Council social care and public health teams, in partnership with Herts Independent Living Service, have continued to design in physical activity to their health services to enable vulnerable people to stay independent and reduce demand for social care support.

Greater Sport and Active Dorset

Both organisations are strengthening consensus across their local health system around the importance & enjoyment of being physically active as we get older - so that this becomes part of all conversations we have with health professionals.

What we've learned about maintaining and developing an active life as we get older

Our participants embraced all manner of activities from dance and gymnastics to coastal rowing - challenging stereotypes about what older adults would be interested in and that getting older means slowing down.

The importance of co-production across the project lifecycle

The example of 10 Today and its wonderfully charismatic presenter, Terry, shows the power of this approach. They created a strong sense of community and belonging through constant insight gathering and product testing with their audience to adapt the offer to respond to their evolving motivations, needs and physical capabilities of their audience.

Terry demonstrated seated and standing adaptations of the activities depending on how you might be feeling today, and the 10 minute broadcasts were filmed as if in Terry's home to help the activity feel more achievable within daily life.

10 Today - accessible, achievable and fun physical activity routines for older adults

Developed by Demos and co-produced with and for older adults, 10 Today is a set of fun 10-minute audio and video workouts to help get older people stretching and moving at home.

When the country went into lockdown, Sport England and Demos partnered with the BBC to make the content universally available on BBC Sounds and the BBC website, and it was also broadcast daily on BBC Radio 5 Live Extra and community radio stations.

10 Today increased activity levels, reduced social isolation, boosted mental wellbeing and provided participants with improved strength and balance to help with everyday tasks.

The project evaluation identified six things that made the content so successful: it was achievable, accessible, adaptable, simple, relatable and fun. You can read the impact report on the project here.

The co-production thread continues into our evaluation and learning activities.

Our partners co-produced more appropriate evaluation frameworks, data collection tools and accessible measures with their participants.

This helped more people to value and take part in the evaluation, so it could better reflect the full impact of the projects and be used to enhance participants' experiences.

You can see the learnings of this approach informing our evaluation and learning for Uniting the Movement.

The power of fun and age positive offers

This 'Dance On' video - from a community-based dance programme in Leeds, Bradford and Doncaster - showcases another example of how the right opportunity and support can reframe physical activity as a fun and achievable experience, irrespective of your age.

Their messaging, imagery, music and language are all person-centered with their promotional materials showing what the experience is like to reassure and alleviate any concerns.

And whilst health is a key outcome, their video highlight the fun elements - "I like all the jiggling about!" - and the positive impact on mood, friendships, and the ability to do every-day tasks. These tangible, short-term, benefits are more relevant and attainable for participants.

There's also a podcast sharing the conversation between two of the Tackling Inactivity partners, where you can hear more about systems approaches, how to secure local stakeholder buy in and how to measure the value/effectiveness of your work and deliver a legacy.

Infographics

Evaluation and project co-design

Trusted local venues

Volunteer-led and run programmes

Working collaboratively with local partners

Getting the participation experience right

Sustaining a legacy from your work

And last, but by no means least, we wanted to share those conversations that helped form the insight guide in a visual way.

So, we have developed a series of infographics that were captured live during the learning conversations covering collaboration, volunteers, getting the experience right, evaluation and sustaining a legacy.
Read more Read less

I would like to thank all our Active Ageing partners and the evaluation team at CFE research partners who have contributed to these learning resources and to a collective aspiration that collectively we can deliver more relevant, attainable and enjoyable physical activity and health offers for people as they get older.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Maintaining an active life as we get older | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sport England's Andy Coley-Maud discusses the Active Ageing programme and how we're keeping people active as they get older.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sport England launches £15m safeguarding network for children

# data[].attributes.subject
Sport England launches £15m safeguarding network for children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Show caption
Hands of girl in gymnast grips before performing on horizontal bar. Photograph: sportpoint/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Sport England is to invest £15m in a "gamechanging" network of 59 professional safeguarding officers to protect children and young people across sport, the Guardian can reveal.

The news, which will be officially announced on Wednesday, follows horrific stories of abuse in gymnastics and multiple other sports, as well as widespread concerns that complaints were not adequately reported or addressed.

The damning Whyte Review last year proved to be the final straw, with Anne Whyte KC finding that girls as young as seven had been sat on by coaches to "overstretch" their bodies, strapped to bars for long periods as punishment, and shouted and sworn at for needing the toilet.

Quick Guide

How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?

The review, which was based on more than 400 submissions, found that more than 40% of gymnasts had reported physically abusive behaviour, while elite athletes were starved, body-shamed and abused in a system that ruthlessly put the pursuit of medals over the protection of children.

Sport England's chief executive, Tim Hollingsworth, told the Guardian that from next month 59 welfare officers would be situated around the country to promote safe sport and ensure local clubs better protect the welfare of their members.
Campaigners slam British Gymnastics for 'betrayal' over banned coaches list
"This is the biggest intervention into welfare, safeguarding, and integrity in terms of investment that we've made in a very long time," he said. "And it has the potential to be gamechanging for the way that local clubs and community groups feel they're supported around safeguarding. It's not just in gymnastics. We can see it in other sports too where there's been some significant failure to properly address the issues within clubs."

Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.

If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you're on the most recent version.

In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.

Turn on sport notifications.

Sport England

News follows horrific stories of abuse in various sports

Hollingsworth hails 'gamechanging' countrywide move

The sport welfare officers will be tasked with working with governing bodies to report and refer safeguarding cases, mentoring and supporting club welfare officers, and visiting clubs to make sure parents and carers have no concerns.

However, the officers will not be responsible for conducting investigations, which will still lie with the relevant national governing body. That will leave some uneasy, given that only last week British Gymnastics' response to the Whyte Review was described as a "serious institutional betrayal" by campaign groups, who want more coaches banned for their behaviour.

Hollingsworth acknowledged that the present system was still not perfect, pointing out that the number of complaints about governing bodies into Sport England had nearly doubled in the past year.

However, he said he was encouraged by the fact the government's new sport strategy includes a "call for evidence" around a potential independent complaints service, or ombudsman, which could have greater oversight across the sports sector. "It's a real factor that we're seeing more complaints," he said.

"And it's a challenge for us. We're not a regulator. We don't have investigative powers. But obviously people are looking for somewhere to go and I think that's the question that needs answering. How do you make sure that if you're a parent of a child in a community sports club, or if you have an experience or you see something that is wrong, it is not only reported but properly dealt with? Where can people go, if they feel their case to a governing body is not being heard?

"That's where I'm actually really supportive of the government to include the call for evidence in their new strategy."

That strategy, published last month, stressed the need for greater emphasis on transparency around sport integrity issues and the need to identify opportunities for improvement. "Crucially, we need to ensure that we are developing the right solutions for the right problems," it said.

"The language is all about what can be improved and what can be strengthened," Hollingsworth said. "And I think that that's recognising that some form of more independent system for those complaints to be heard is part of the jigsaw. I think it is the most comprehensive and considered approach by the government towards the issues faced. And I think it's a realisation that the status quo is not an option."

{{#ticker}}

{{/ticker}}

{{heading}}

{{#paragraphs}}

{{.}}

{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}

{{/choiceCards}}

We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Look out for a message in your inbox in . If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sport England launches £15m safeguarding network for children | Sport England | The Guardian

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sport England is to invest £15m in a “gamechanging” network of 59 professional safeguarding officers to protect children and young people across sport, the Guardian can reveal.The news, which will be officially announced on Wednesday, follows horrific stories of abuse in gymnastics and multiple othe…

# data[].attributes.headline
Levelling the playing field: the physical education subject report

# data[].attributes.subject
Levelling the playing field: the physical education subject report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Levelling the playing field: the physical education subject report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For many pupils, physical education (PE) will be the first and only place where they are taught safe, efficient and intelligent movement. In PE, pupils are also taught important health-related knowledge to help them make informed decisions about how to live a healthy, active life. When taught well, high-quality PE challenges myths, misconceptions and ingrained inequalities that can limit participation for all. In addition to timetabled PE lessons, schools also offer extracurricular experiences that can provide additional time for high-quality instruction, practice and feedback to increase pupils’ competence and confidence in PE, physical activity and sport.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About the PE and sport premium

Into its tenth year, the Primary PE and Sport Premium supports schools to ensure equal access, support all pupils to be active for 60 minutes a day and ensure the delivery of two hours of quality PE for all pupils.

You can read the full guidance, including examples of how to and how not to spend your premium, on the DfE website.

Additionally, the Youth Sport Trust has a range of practical tools to help you navigate the funding including our Primary Membership offer which, this year, has many elements specifically aimed at the application and reporting requirements of the premium.

In September 2023, the DfE, AfPE, and Youth Sport Trust held a webinar which outlined changes to the Primary PE and Sport Premium guidance and reporting procedures for 2023/24. The video is available to watch here, and slides from the session can be downloaded here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The PE and sport premium defines the £320 million of government funding provided to primary schools to support them with making sustainable improvements to the quality of the PE, physical activity and sport offered through their core budgets.

# data[].attributes.headline
Maggie Alphonsi: ‘There weren’t many black girls like me who played rugby’

# data[].attributes.subject
Maggie Alphonsi: ‘There weren’t many black girls like me who played rugby’

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Show caption
Maggie Alphonsi: 'The abuse strengthens my momentum to keep going. It's not about me, it's about the next generation.' Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

Maggie Alphonsi considers the racism which still stalks English rugby and then, calmly and thoughtfully, she explains when she feels it bearing down on her most. "It's when I've talked about wanting to be the president of the RFU, and the reason I've been singled out is because of my skin colour," she says. "My gender has been less of an issue even if people still go: 'As a woman, what do you know about rugby?' or: 'You're just ticking the boxes, woke this, woke that.' But my skin colour seems to matter more because I get tweets which say: 'This country is only 3% black people so why don't you go back to where you came from?'"

Alphonsi comes from Edmonton, in north London, and she smiles patiently at the prejudice and stupidity that motivate her to seek radical change in the game she loves. She won the Pat Marshall award for world rugby personality of the year ahead of Richie McCaw in 2011, helped England to become world champions in 2014 and, as a brilliant and intensely physical flanker, changed the way in which women's rugby is played in this country. Alphonsi is now on the Rugby Football Union council and she will again be a pundit on ITV when the men's World Cup begins next week. Her experience and knowledge of rugby is profound and yet, as a black woman, she still endures a stream of abuse.

"I've got lots of screenshots of negative tweets and that's why I don't stop," she says of her undented desire to introduce English rugby to a wider demographic. "If anything it strengthens my momentum to keep going, because it's not about me - it's about the next generation."
Wales' Keira Bevan: 'Taking our kicks closer to the posts was a bizarre suggestion'
Sitting alongside a rugby pitch in High Wycombe, Alphonsi talks with a generosity and warmth of spirit that would shame any of her racist and misogynistic trolls if they were ever fortunate enough to spend an hour in her sparkling company. "I'd love to not talk about it," she says of racism and sexism. "But how do we get to that stage where it's not even an issue?"

Alphonsi understands discrimination in a deeply personal way. "I'd grown up in a single-parent family on a football‑obsessed council estate," she writes in her moving and important new book. "I'd been born with a club foot and walked with a limp. I was a girl. I was black. There simply weren't many people like me who played rugby."

She is also a gay woman and a mother to two young children, and Alphonsi's passionate desire to transform rugby burns brightly. "We have an untapped population. There has been criticism of diversity in women's football but they have tapped into an environment where people think: 'I could play that. My kids could represent my country at football.' How can we unlock that in rugby? How can we reach people who have been ignored by rugby so that they now go: 'This sport represents me.'"
England women's rugby union team
Rugby has always been admirable in the way it suits an array of body shapes and diverse characters. "It's one of our unique selling points," Alphonsi agrees. "We offer a place for you whatever your size or shape. But how do we say to people from very different backgrounds to the usual ones in rugby that 'there is a place for you in our sport'? That's the next step and we are moving in the right direction. Some really good people are trying to create that change. But it's making sure the leadership, from the [RFU] council to rugby committees across the country are willing to open up rugby to people from different socioeconomic backgrounds."

Alphonsi grew up on a racially mixed council estate and she was so comfortable in her own skin that she only really understood that she was black when she was nine years old. In April 1993 Stephen Lawrence, a black teenager from south-east London, was murdered by a group of white men. "Until then, I didn't appreciate that my colour would lead to people hating you in a way that could cost you your life," Alphonsi says. "I was very young and naive and I wasn't exposed to [racism] until then. But the Stephen Lawrence case was visible. It was in the news. My mum spoke about it, people I hung around with who were of different colours spoke about it. It's also a story that stayed alive for years because the people [who killed Lawrence] didn't get prosecuted. It has a resonating impact on me to this day."
English rugby needs urgent rescuing before being cast away indefinitely | Robert Kitson
As a teenager, with her Nigerian mother working two jobs to sustain them, Alphonsi lost her way. She liked fighting boys, as well as girls, and she was in minor trouble with the police. Her mother's disappointment encouraged her to change but it was only when she discovered rugby that Alphonsi found herself. She was lucky she was so fascinated by the black eye sported by her PE teacher.

"Liza Burgess was the Welsh women's captain, the first woman to be on the Welsh Rugby Union Board, a hall-of-famer in world rugby," Alphonsi says of the woman she once knew only as Miss Burgess. "When she was my teacher she was playing for Wales and Saracens. I was so intrigued by her black eye. It was after a Saracens match and I asked her about it and she told me about rugby - which was never a sport I had associated with women.

"She encouraged me to take up the sport by focusing on my strengths and saying they were suited to rugby. I wasn't used to praise but she focused on the things that make me unique. It made me feel valued and appreciated. So I went down to my local rugby club, which was Saracens in Bramley Road [in Southgate]. The game gave me a freedom which I never found in any other sport."

Alphonsi was a natural and, when she eventually switched from centre to openside flanker at the outset of her England career, she found her defining position. "The chaos and freedom of being a No 7 suits my personality," she says with a grin.

The former England flanker on racism, sexism and how social media trolls motivate her to keep going in her quest to bring diversity to rugby union

But Alphonsi learned that opportunities for men and women in rugby were rooted in inequality. When England won the men's World Cup in 2003, and their players enjoyed huge financial bonuses, her £18,000 lottery funding was in the midst of being cut. She travelled to her first World Cup, in Canada in 2006, with the expectation of gleaming stadiums and vast crowds. The opposite was true. "The games were on a playing field and the spectators were mainly parents of the players or people just walking their dog. It didn't sour the experience of a World Cup, but it's not what I thought it would be."

At the 2010 World Cup, held in England, Alphonsi remembers being in a launderette with Anna Richards, the New Zealand fly-half who is a "legend" of the women's game, and Australia's Debby Hodgkinson, one of her "most fearsome back-row opponents". All three women waited for their World Cup kit to be washed.

Four years later, when Alphonsi and England finally won the World Cup, they did not receive any bonus payments from the RFU. Their only financial reward came from an anonymous donor who wanted to thank them for all they had done for English rugby. While Clive Woodward was awarded a knighthood for coaching England's 2003 World Cup winners, Alphonsi's coaches, Gary Street and Graham Smith, were laid off within six months of them helping England to become world champions.

Maggie Alphonsi in action for England against France at Twickenham in 2013. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Alphonsi had to supplement her modest income as a professional rugby player by working for the RFU as a club coach officer, developing a talent pathway for girls and women in and around London. Alphonsi's office was "a rickety Portakabin in a corner of the north car park at Twickenham with all the gravel and dust that kicked up in your face. The stadium towered over us and those Portakabins represented the women's game in England."

Even in 2016, after she became "the first former England women's player and the only person of colour to become an elected national member of the RFU council", Alphonsi saw women were not expected to feature in positions of power in English rugby. Every council member wears an RFU blazer. As they did not consider the need for female jackets, Alphonsi was sent a men's blazer that "hung on me like a tent".

The current mess of English rugby is exemplified by the crisis surrounding the men's national team as they limp towards the World Cup having lost five of their past six games with two of their key players, Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola, banned from the vital opening match against Argentina because of ill‑discipline. In her book, Alphonsi remembers the moment when, as a 26-year-old, she brought down Farrell with a hard but fair tackle when he was the 18-year-old star of the Saracens academy. Reflecting on his latest suspension for a high tackle, Alphonsi smiles: "Come to my tackle school, I'll show you how it's done."

There is no malice in her joke - just frustration that England's men are in such an abject state. She points out that the muddled thinking is obvious in the selection of Vunipola as the only No 8 in the squad even though he has often been injured. "People say I'm banging on about it or that it's boring but England are reliant on one No 8 who's now not available for the first game."

'How can we reach people who have been ignored by rugby?' Maggie Alphonsi is keeping pressure on the RFU to improve grassroots diversity. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

Owen Farrell should come to my tackle school. I'll show him how it's done!
Alphonsi has the clarity of thinking and impassioned purpose that English rugby needs so desperately. She did not succeed in her attempt to become RFU president but is she willing to try again for election in a few years? "It is still a goal. Even if it doesn't happen, hopefully I've paved the way for others to come through. It's great we've got Debbie Griffin taking over as the RFU's female president in 2025 when we host the women's World Cup. But how do we take another step forward and get more diversity in that presidential role?"

She mentors Zainab Alema, a black Muslim mother of three who quit her nursing job "to pursue her dream - she wants to become the first Muslim woman to play rugby for England. I'm like: 'Oh my God, you aim high, and you go for it.' Zainab's come into my life over the last two seasons. She said she was inspired by me as a person of colour playing the sport. She's a person of colour, her faith is Muslim and she wears a hijab. She is a prop and we mentor each other. I hope she makes it because it's a similar situation to mine where people didn't believe in me. But I believe in her 110% because when someone backs you that's the right energy you need."

Alphonsi gazes at the empty rugby field and then she nods and smiles again. "This is what I'm most passionate about. How can we improve and open up our game so that people in rugby are treated fairly? I want to keep doing it because I really believe in good governance, change and ensuring that we can influence the game in the most positive ways."
Winning the Fight by Maggie Alphonsi is published by Polaris

Maggie Alphonsi's autobiography, Winning the Fight, is published this week. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Maggie Alphonsi: 'There weren't many black girls like me who played rugby'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Maggie Alphonsi considers the racism which still stalks English rugby and then, calmly and thoughtfully, she explains when she feels it bearing down on her most. "It's when I've talked about wanting to be the president of the RFU, and the reason I've been singled out is because of my skin colour," she says.

# data[].attributes.headline
Honestly, Why On Earth Aren't Sports Bras Part Of All Teen Girls' PE Kits?!

# data[].attributes.subject
Honestly, Why On Earth Aren't Sports Bras Part Of All Teen Girls' PE Kits?!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When I reflect on my time doing PE (aka physical education) at secondary school, it makes me squirm.

As a bright-eyed Year 7, we were given a list as long as our arms with all the kit we needed for the start of term. Blazers, trousers, skirts, ties, jumpers, and then the PE kit: the polo shirts, joggers and gym knickers (the latter was my idea of hell in a garment, 'cause you really want to be wearing teeny pants when you're a self-conscious pre-teen).

There was no mention of sports bras being an essential for PE - despite most of us having boobs at that point in time (no matter how big or small). And sadly it seems that's still the case for many teen girls.

In fact, 84% of school girls say sports bras aren't on their kit lists, according to a survey by Women in Sport and activewear brand Stronger. This means just 36% of girls aged 11-18 wear a sports bra when participating in PE or sport at school.

The impact of not wearing sports bras is wide-ranging

Anyone with boobs will know how difficult it is to really move when you're wearing an ordinary bra. There's a lot of jiggling and sometimes breasts manage to free themselves - which is embarrassing at the best of times, but especially when you're a teen.

It's also very much a health issue. As Dr Teodora Gratziela Crisovan previously told Stylist: "As breasts are made of tissue that is supported largely by skin and Cooper's ligaments [bands of flexible connective tissue that shape and support your breasts], they require support during exercise.

"If they don't get that, it can lead to severe backache, sagging and irreparable damage to the ligaments and tissue." And this is the case no matter how large or small a person's breasts are.

Not wearing sports bras can also have a negative impact on a girl's experience of sport, with more than two-thirds (69%) admitting they cannot jump or run about freely and 72% saying they feel self-conscious about movement or bounce.

Most girls believe they're essential

Of the 1,000 secondary school girls questioned, 84% believe it's essential to wear the right bra for sport and exercise, yet more than half (57%) of girls wear their ordinary bra during sport.

Not owning a sports bra (37%) and the expense of sports bras (19%) are among the reasons for not wearing one - such bras can cost anywhere between £10 and £50.

But a lack of knowledge and education about their changing bodies also plays a part, with 45% of girls admitting to not thinking about wearing a sports bra for PE.

Lots of girls are falling out of love with sport

There is a real problem when it comes to getting girls in particular to engage with sport and PE in their teens - and it's through no fault of their own. A previous survey by Women in Sport found more than one million teenage girls who once considered themselves 'sporty' disengaged from sport following primary school.

Mostly this is due to a fear of feeling judged by others (68%), as well as lack of confidence (61%), pressures of schoolwork (47%) and not feeling safe outside (43%).

The latest research reveals that adding further fuel to this fire is the fact other items of PE kit can make adolescent girls feel uncomfortable. Girls aged 15-18-years-old feel PE kit is not suitable to wear when having a period (69%), dislike wearing shorts or skorts (60%) and feel self-conscious (63%) in the required clothing.

They also anecdotally reported that gendered school PE kits made them feel 'sexualised'.

Wearing sports bras makes a big difference

While the matter of having access to sports bras might seem like a relatively small thing, it could mean the difference between a teen girl exercising or not.

The latest survey found when girls do wear a sports bra for exercise there is a significant increase in their levels of comfort (80%), confidence (45%), and ability to run and jump without anxiety (46%).

Boxer Fran Hennessy is now leading a petition calling for the UK Government to subsidise sports kit, including sports bras, for girls from lower-income families, in order to give girls a more positive experience during PE and sports lessons.

"I wear a sports bra almost daily, which I am lucky enough to be able to afford," said the boxer. "It's upsetting that many girls can't, who have dreams of a professional sporting career.

"Sports bras are such an essential part of kit and they should be on all girls' kit lists, no question. Without better access and education around sports bras, we could be jeopardising girls' sporting careers, as they won't feel comfortable or confident enough to excel in their chosen sport at a young age."

"Sports bras are such an essential part of kit and they should be on all girls' kit lists, no question."

And it's not just about sporting careers, it's about setting girls up so they actively enjoy sports and exercise, and don't see it as a chore in later life, which will only have positive repercussions for their overall health.

Stephanie Hilborne, CEO of Women in Sport, said: "Throughout their lives, girls are bombarded with messaging about how their bodies should look rather than about what their bodies can do.

"When girls then face female puberty and the onslaught of social media, the very least we should do is to ensure our girls have suitable, supportive clothing to move their bodies without fear of being judged or feeling pain."

Sport is not only physically beneficial, but it can also boost mental health, which is hugely important given the immense pressure teens find themselves under.

"By failing to provide girls with the right clothing we are perpetuating the exclusion of girls from sport," said Hilborne.

"Schools should include sports bras on their uniform lists and give girls a voice and choice in the sports kit that is right for them, so they can enjoy the joy and freedom of sport and exercise."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Honestly, Why On Earth Aren't Sports Bras Part Of All Teen Girls' PE Kits?!

# data[].attributes.headline
9 brilliant podcasts, video series and books about women’s sport to help you keep your head in the game

# data[].attributes.subject
9 brilliant podcasts, video series and books about women’s sport to help you keep your head in the game

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
9 brilliant podcasts, video series and books about women's sport to know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Missing the Women's World Cup? Keep your head in the game with these brilliant explorations of women's sport and everything it has to offer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Guidance and toolkits to help supporters and partners of the This Girl Can campaign create opportunities to close the enjoyment gap.

# data[].attributes.headline
Psychology Shorts: The Importance of Emotions

# data[].attributes.subject
Psychology Shorts: The Importance of Emotions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Abbey and Fountaindale School, winner of the Youth Sport Trust Outstanding Inclusive Practice Award 2023 shows us how they support every child achieving their absolute best through belief, belonging and butterflies.​

In this video case study for #NSSW2023 we hear how one school, catering to children with a range of complex and multiple needs, ensures their young people achieve much more than that.

Boost for children with SEND accessing inclusive PE and sport​. Read more here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This Autumn term discover how we're breaking boundaries and reshaping possibilities. Explore our collection of interventions, stories, and resources dedicated to Equalling Access for All creating positive experiences in PE, play, sport, and beyond.

# data[].attributes.headline
Play Their Way’: New scheme to change the way you're coached in sport

# data[].attributes.subject
Play Their Way’: New scheme to change the way you're coached in sport

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sport England research into the amount that children are active, showed "that a child-first coaching approach is the key to helping young people develop a genuine and lifelong love for being active."

Play Their Way is hoping to do just that.

We met some young rugby players in Yorkshire to see what they think of this new style of coaching.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How the way you're coached in sport could be changing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
'Play Their Way' is a new campaign hoping to change the way children and young people are coached in sport and physical activity.

# data[].attributes.headline
‘This generation won’t think of football as being just for boys’: how the Lionesses have changed sport for girls

# data[].attributes.subject
‘This generation won’t think of football as being just for boys’: how the Lionesses have changed sport for girls

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Show caption
Summer Westlake of the Kesgrave Kestrels in action. Photograph: Ali Smith/the Observer

"Wooh! Good finish," calls out coach Ian Westlake as 10-year-old TJ Spurling fires a shot at goal. "Set it," he shouts to the next player in line, "and then run. You want to come off your left foot."

It's halfway through the Kesgrave Kestrels' regular 90-minute Thursday evening training session - somewhere between the opening drills and the finishing game - and a brisk southwesterly wind is blowing in from the Suffolk coast nine miles away, gusting across the pitch of blue artificial turf.
Women's football

100,000 more girls are playing football in England than they did in 2017. At a training session near Ipswich, we meet the under-12s who love the game

Volunteer coaches Westlake, 39, Dan Spurling, 46, and Paul Berry, 42, formed the team three years ago, but really it was started by their daughters. Summer, TJ and Hettie had played together at one of the more than 1,700 FA-backed Wildcats football centres across the country, established in 2017 to bring football closer to young girls and introduce them to the game.

When they were old enough to join the local league their fathers, a little reluctantly, raised their hands. Today their daughters are among 150 girls playing in 11 teams across the age groups at Kesgrave Kestrels, inspired by the sportsmanship and success of England's national women's team, the Lionesses.

While the parents, gathered on the sidelines in sunglasses and T-shirts, grew up in a world of routine dismay at England men's national footballing defeats - "years of England dross with the men's team," as one puts it - their daughters live in another dimension: one of women and winning.

"It's bizarre," says Berry, a lifelong football fan and player who took his daughters to the Euro 2022 final, which the Lionesses won. "I was saying to my girls when we took them to Wembley: 'This isn't normal! We've spent our entire lives watching England not win anything!'" When his kids have a kickabout they pretend to be Lucy Bronze, Ella Toone or Lauren James.
We're starting to close the gender gap in sports, but there's a long way to go
The rise of the Lionesses, and with them the uplifting of women's and girl's football, can feel precipitous: from niche to mainstream in little more than the short lifetime of the Kestrels' U12s players. But it's really more restoration than breakthrough: the absence of women from football is a 20th-century anomaly.

The world's oldest football dates back to the 1540s and was found in the private chambers of Mary Queen of Scots. The women's game thrived through the 19th century and boomed during the first world war, when women worked in factories while men fought abroad, and all-female factory teams played matches that drew crowds in the tens of thousands.

In 1921, as the postwar patriarchy sought to reassert itself, the FA declared: "The game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged", imposing a ban that suffocated the women's game and was not lifted for 50 years.

The recovery of women's football was slow at first but races ahead now, with the Lionesses reaching the semi-finals of the European Championship in 2017 and the World Cup in 2019, winning Euro 2022 and, today, taking on Spain in the final of the World Cup in Australia.

With success has come increased support, attendance at matches, participation in the game and growing influence. After winning the Euros, the England players wrote an open letter to the then Conservative candidates for prime minister, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, saying: "We want every young girl in the nation to be able to play football at school ... The reality is we are inspiring young girls to play football, only for many to end up going to school and not being able to play."

Seven months later, Sunak's government committed itself to providing girls and boys with equal access to sports at school, including football.

Coach Dan Spurling with Sophie Stuart, 10, at the Kesgrave Kestrels practice. Photograph: Ali Smith/the Observer

"We're starting to close the gender gap in sports, but there's a long way to go," says Kate Dale of Sport England, citing figures that show 100,000 more girls playing football now than in 2017, and 75% of schools currently offering equal access to football in PE lessons.

"We are seeing an impact from the Lionesses on showing girls -and boys - what's possible," Dale adds. "This generation won't think of football as being mainly for boys but as something that both girls and boys can do."

Last season, the Kesgrave Kestrels entered an U11 girls team in the local boys league. Berry says there was "a little bit of resistance" at first, but the competitive matches (regularly won by the girls) had changed attitudes among coaches, parents, and kids.
'We've come so far from saying women can't play football': girls gather to cheer on the Lionesses
"Boys still think girls won't be as good," says Kathy Cooke, whose daughter Florence plays with the Kestrels. "But even the boys' coaches now say: 'These girls can really play', and they're getting that respect."

"It's exciting," she adds, "because it feels like we're at the beginning, that these girls can really do something."

For the young players it's less about gender equality and equal access (though they do love beating the boys' teams) and more about having fun and hanging out with their friends - an attitude that is so often displayed by the Lionesses through their camaraderie, team spirit and joy.

"I like running and having fun outdoors, and I like scoring lots of goals," says Hettie. And how does she feel when she watches the Lionesses? "Like I want to play football."

{{#ticker}}

{{/ticker}}

{{heading}}

{{#paragraphs}}

{{.}}

{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}

{{/choiceCards}}

We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Look out for a message in your inbox in . If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'This generation won't think of football as being just for boys': how the Lionesses have changed sport for girls

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Wooh! Good finish," calls out coach Ian Westlake as 10-year-old TJ Spurling fires a shot at goal. "Set it," he shouts to the next player in line, "and then run. You want to come off your left foot."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The insight-based Coach Learning Framework helps coaches grow and develop their coaching knowledge and their confidence to deliver great sessions. It equips coaches with a toolkit of skills to enable them to support participants and enhance their enjoyment and performance in sport and physical activ…

# data[].attributes.headline
World Rowing Championships: Callum Dixon on severe dyslexia

# data[].attributes.subject
World Rowing Championships: Callum Dixon on severe dyslexia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Coverage: Watch live finals on Saturday (12:00-14:35 BST) and Sunday (12:00-14:10 BST) on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website & app, with highlights on Sunday on BBC Two (16:00-17:00 BST)

It has long been said that sport is a great leveller - an escape from reality, the arena in which differences are put aside in pursuit of one common goal.

It is certainly the case for Callum Dixon. In sport, he says, "nobody's going to ask me to do something that I think I can't do".

In so-called "real life", his severe dyslexia means he can only read about 25 words. He cannot read a book, or a menu in a restaurant, or differentiate between toilet doors that say 'men' or 'women'.

But what he can do is row - and the Olympics are in his sights.

Dixon, now 23, was around eight years old when he noticed he could not do the things his peers could with apparent ease.

The alphabet never stuck. "I remember never quite understanding what even it was, struggling to say the names of the letters. It was such a hurdle," he tells BBC Sport.

"I couldn't understand why I couldn't get it at any level. At maybe age 12, 14, you wonder if it's going to happen at any time? Why hasn't this happened?"

Growing up in the Mile End area of east London, Dixon and his three siblings were home educated. In the afternoons and evenings, he took part in every 'after school' club, sports team or Scouts group he could squeeze in.

He did attend school for a very short period of time, and recalls struggling to read his teachers' questions written on the board.

"I understand that just knowing what the question is shouldn't be the difficult part," he says. "The difficult part should be answering the question.

"I remember starting to travel on my own, using the Tube. The difficult part probably shouldn't be reading the station you need to get off at, trying to memorise every stop on a certain line so you knew what was coming and where you were."

Today, Dixon still relies heavily on the support of others, in particular his parents. They help him pay his bills, and fill out forms, and his mum played a huge part in him being awarded a degree in psychology through the Open University.

"She read everything, and wrote all my answers," he says. "She read every single word of my degree with me."

He fears what the future will hold, what he will do when he has to "self-sustain" and has to get a "real" job after his athletic career. "It still feels so unattainable, that is going to be such a big hurdle," he says.

But for now, he has sport - and "the best job in the world".

Dixon started out as a sailor, joining his local club as a child before progressing up the ranks and joining the British team in 2016.

A member of the under-23 squad, he was set for a successful future in the Finn class, one that likely would have included becoming an Olympian - a dream he had held since being captivated by London 2012.

But when in 2018 World Sailing announced it was dropping the Finn - a class dominated by Britain's Sir Ben Ainslie and Giles Scott at recent Games - from the Olympic programme from Paris 2024 onwards, Dixon had to change sports if he was to make his dream a reality.

Enter rowing, suggested to him by Scott as his brother, Nick, was head of performance at British Rowing at the time. Fast forward to 2022 and Dixon was making his World Cup debut as a rower.

Dixon's height means he suits rowing, but it is a sport that also suits him because "it is all numbers", not words.

"We do like doing the same things every day. We get our programme and I just need to know how far I'm going today," he says.

Earlier this year, he was selected in the men's quadruple sculls for the European Championships, finishing fourth, and it is in the quad that he will again line up at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, this week.

It is a competition that brings added incentive. Dixon and his crewmates George Bourne, Matt Haywood and Tom Barras have the chance to qualify the British boat for next year's Olympics, with seven quota places up for grabs.

"I'm very excited. I think this one is a bit more special because it's qualification as well, so it's got an added layer of excitement and nerves," says Dixon.

"I definitely feel the extra pressure. You build throughout an Olympiad, this isn't the end goal for sure, the end goal is Paris but it's a big stepping stone in making Paris a reality.

"Going to the Olympics would be pretty special. That's something that has been a dream for almost as long as I can remember.

"For it to actually happen, I don't quite know how I would feel but I am excited."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The rower with severe dyslexia chasing Olympic dream

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
British rower Callum Dixon has dyslexia so severe he can only read about 25 words, but he is determined to make sure it doesn't get in the way of his Olympic dream.

# data[].attributes.headline
UK Coaching welcome new government strategy to get 3.5m people active by 2030

# data[].attributes.subject
UK Coaching welcome new government strategy to get 3.5m people active by 2030

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UK Coaching welcome new government strategy to get 3.5m people active by 2030 - UK Coaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has this week published the government’s new strategy, Get Active: a strategy for the future of physical activity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
August 23, 2023 | by Nabillah Akhtar

Sunday 20th August saw England Boxing host its first ever Inspire Summer Camp initiative for female school and junior boxers, and was held at the home of GB Boxing, EIS in Sheffield.

This initiative was for girls who have never been on any level of the talent/performance pathway or have not been selected by their regions to attend the Women's Aspire Programme since the programme started.

76 school & junior boxers from all over the country attended the day, which was designed and delivered by coaches from the Women's Coach Development Programme with support from England Boxing Pathway coaches.

The day was based on the 5 pillars of boxing in line with the performance and development pathway and gave the girls a taster of what it's like to train at the lions den, in a hope to inspire them to stay in the sport, train hard to reach their potential and hopefully be back one day as part of the pathway.

To top the day off we had two-time unified welterweight World Champion and holder of 4 World titles Natasha Jonas, who came to chat with the girls, share her experiences, with a Q&A session and had photos with all the girls.

Women & Girls officer Laura Sargeant said "The girls have had an absolutely fantastic day! Top class training sessions from amazing coaches and being able to train in the place where Olympians train, is such an amazing opportunity for them. I originally allocated 50 places for the camp but had such a huge response, I had to extend it! This was a great way for them to raise their aspirations, and to inspire them to dream big and stay in the sport. It's also great development for the coaches."

And if that wasn't enough Natasha dropped in to further Inspire them. "I honestly can't thank Natasha and Boxxer enough for getting behind this initiative and taking the time to come and speak to the girls. Their faces when she walked through the door made my day, they were so excited, and Natasha was brilliant with them. She gave them a talk on everything from training to social media awareness, the girls then had the chance to ask any questions and finished with a photo shoot with all of her belts. For these young boxers it was definitely a dream come true!"

"I would also like to express my thanks to all the coaches involved in the day, from the planning to the delivery and helping make theses girls dreams become a reality."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inspire Camp Successfully Delivered - England Boxing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sunday 20th August saw England Boxing host its first ever Inspire Summer Camp initiative for female school and junior boxers, and was held at the home of GB Boxing, EIS in Sheffield.

# data[].attributes.headline
A GROUNDBREAKING DEVELOPMENT PLAN: BUILDING THE FUTURE OF FRENCH FUTSAL

# data[].attributes.subject
A GROUNDBREAKING DEVELOPMENT PLAN: BUILDING THE FUTURE OF FRENCH FUTSAL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Amidst the anticipation of the 2023-2024 futsal season's kickoff, a groundbreaking development plan has emerged, poised to reshape the landscape of French futsal.

In a significant move aimed at advancing the structural growth of futsal, key figures from the French Football Federation (FFF) presented an elaborate development plan on Thursday, August 24. Philippe Diallo, the FFF President, Philippe Lafrique, a member of the Executive Committee, and Hubert Fournier, the National Technical Director, jointly revealed the comprehensive strategy.

( Main picture - Philippe Diallo, the FFF President, Philippe Lafrique, a member of the Executive Committee, Raphaël Reynaud, coach of the Futsal Blues and Hubert Fournier, the National Technical Director - photo Germain REZÉ / FFF)

With just ten days remaining before the kickoff of the 2023-2024 futsal season, which will witness the debut of D1 championship matches preceding the Elite Tour qualifiers for the 2024 World Cup, the FFF leaders unveiled the federal blueprint dedicated to fostering top-tier French futsal.

"The captivating allure of futsal among the youth has made it a sport of immense significance over the years. This is evidenced by the substantial and promising number of licensed participants," remarked Philippe Diallo. "Futsal stands as the primary school sport for both girls and boys, boasting nearly 200,000 young practitioners. A few months back, I stood before you to present the development plan for women's football. Futsal, as our second top priority, is now in focus. This development scheme builds upon the foundation laid by Noël Le Graët. Today, we're accelerating to shape the future."

In the presence of Raphaël Reynaud, the National Futsal Team coach and manager of national selections, the three officials outlined the plan, structured around three principal axes:

Elevating the elite level through national teams, notably the French National Team contending in the 2024 World Cup qualifiers, and the creation of the first-ever French Women's National Team.

Enhancing competitions, marked by the introduction of the U18 national challenge one year after the launch of the women's challenge.

Strengthening the structure to promote training and excellence across all categories.

The FFF, dedicated to making futsal a cornerstone of its developmental strategy alongside women's football, is allocating a record budget to this effort. President Philippe Diallo disclosed, "The Federation is making an unprecedented commitment, with an investment of nearly €18.5 million spanning 2022 to 2025. This represents a significant and crucial effort. Our ambitions are high. Through this plan, we aim to propel France to the forefront at both European and global levels."

"Our objective is for our team to advance from the qualification stage to compete in the 2024 World Cup. This achievement would be a first in such a tournament. To support this elite endeavor, we are establishing a comprehensive training pipeline in collaboration with the National Technical Directorate. This investment in training is the key to our future success. Additionally, it was imperative for the FFF to endorse women's futsal, leading to the creation of the Women's National Team. Moreover, our aspirations encompass bidding for the hosting of the UEFA Euro 2026. Such an accomplishment would send a resounding message, solidifying our commitments."
Vital Figures in Futsal

€18.4 million: The total budget allocated to Futsal by the FFF from 2022 to 2025.

38,328: Registered Futsal players (+14%), including 3,739 females.

1,582: Futsal clubs, 126 of which are certified.

200,000: Participants in school sports (40 specific sections in middle school; 18 in high school).

Highlighting a consistent annual growth of about 10%, the Futsal license category boasts approximately 40,000 registered players, with nearly 250,000 participants overall. "Futsal is the foremost sport in schools. Our objective is to establish a futsal program in every district. Every league has one now; progress is gradual," expressed Philippe Lafrique, a member of the Executive Committee. Futsal's popularity has surged, and its prominence in the realm of school sports is evident.
National Team Developments French National Futsal Team

Elite Tour qualifiers for the 2024 World Cup: Six matches scheduled in September, October, and December against France, Slovakia, Germany, and Croatia. Home matches will take place at the Espace Mayenne in Laval.

Objective: First participation in a World Cup final phase, set in Uzbekistan from September 14 to October 6, 2024.

Raphaël Reyanud, the coach of the French National Futsal Team, recalled, "We achieved our goal of qualifying for the Elite Tour, the final stage before the World Cup. We secured the top spot in our group ahead of Serbia and Norway. Qualification matches are approaching rapidly; we'll be in Slovakia on September 16 before hosting Germany. Our matches in Laval are sold out, with more than 3,000 attendees. Croatia poses a significant challenge, being historically strong. Our aim is 2026, with the prospect of potentially hosting the European Championship, featuring more mature players developed through the French system. However, our primary focus is on being present at the 2024 World Cup in Uzbekistan."
Bid for Euro 2026

The FFF's candidacy for hosting UEFA Euro 2026, is scheduled from January 20 to February 8, with the final dossier submission in mid-October. A decision will be reached by the European governing body in December 2023.

Philippe Lafrique explained, "Our candidacy is the pinnacle of the FFF's commitment. Following the letter of intent, we're due to submit the final dossier on October 11. Other contenders include Latvia, known for hosting futsal competitions, Lithuania, which hosted the previous World Cup, Belgium, an established futsal nation that hosted the Euro in 2014, and Finland, a rapidly advancing country that excels in youth competitions and invests significantly. The verdict will be delivered during UEFA's Executive Committee meeting in mid-December."
Creation of the Women's National Futsal Team
Following the introduction of the U23 squad in 2022, which bolstered the roster of existing youth national teams (U19 established in 2017, U21 in 2008), the FFF's Executive Committee approved the creation of the Women's National Futsal Team, set to begin competing in the 2023-2024 season.

This inaugural women's team, led by Pierre-Étienne Demillier, former coach of the U21 futsal team from 2019 to 2022, will participate in the preliminary qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2025 next spring.

"Our intentions with the women's team were to avoid any lag, which we experienced with the men's team. This approach aligns with the establishment of a national competition," said Raphaël Reynaud, paving the way for the newly appointed coach, Pierre-Étienne Demillier. "We are embarking on an uncharted journey, with an empty canvas to write the first pages. It's a venture that ignites great enthusiasm. Our goal? To establish this team effectively, lay solid foundations, portray futsal positively, and strive for excellence. We will hold our first four-day training camp at CNF Clairefontaine in a month, with around thirty players. Our inaugural match will take place in November against Finland."
Youth Development

U19: Competing in the Euro 2023 final phase from September 3 to September 10 in Croatia, alongside the host nation, Portugal, and Spain. In preparation, the FFF has hosted Ukraine for a training camp in August.

U21: Participating in the traditional Futsal Winter Cup before Christmas.

U23: Engaging in the World University Championship in June 2024.

"The U23 squad was established last year and will compete in the World University Championship in June 2024. The U19 team has secured qualification for the European finals for the second consecutive time. This accomplishment is a testament to our nurturing system," affirmed Raphaël Reynaud, also the Director of Lyon's Futsal Pole, who will pass the baton to Benoît Subrin this fall. Lyon's Futsal Pole, a unique European structure, accommodates around twenty players for three years. The fruits of this labor are gradually emerging, contributing to the success of the French national team. The upward trajectory is evident among our youth."
Futsal Competitions D1 Futsal

Expanding to 12 teams, including 3 promoted sides: Hérouville, GOAL FC, and AC Ajaccio.

Unprecedented reigning champions: Étoile Lavalloise FC (double champions of both the Cup and Championship), qualified for the Futsal Champions League.

Playoff return since the previous season, with the final scheduled for June 1, 2024.

Around 20 French international players will compete in the D1 Futsal this season, including Abdessamad Mohammed, Souheil Mouhoudine, Sid Belhaj, and Nelson Lutin. Nine professional clubs possess futsal sections: Olympique Lyonnais, FC Lorient, RC Strasbourg, Stade Brestois, FC Metz, AC Ajaccio, Valenciennes FC, Grenoble Foot 38, and USL Dunkerque. In D2 Futsal, 19 clubs are divided into two groups.
Women's Futsal

The National Women's Futsal Challenge was introduced in the 2022-2023 season, with Nantes Métropole Futsal defending its title (final held as a prelude to the D1 Futsal final on June 1, 2024).

The U18 Challenge debuts this season (final held before the Futsal National Cup-Trophée Michel-Muffat-Joly final on May 18, 2024).
Structural Enhancement

The FFF's commitment to enhancing the structure of futsal in France, ultimately fostering excellence across all levels, is evident in a multi-faceted developmental plan. Approved by the Executive Committee on March 9, 2023, and ratified by the Federation Assembly on June 10, the development plan encompasses several key goals:

Establishment of a National Technical Advisor for elite-level futsal from 2023-2024.

Anticipated launch of a second futsal center by 2024-2025. The first center, situated in Lyon and inaugurated in 2018 under the leadership of Raphaël Reynaud, the current National Team coach, will transition to the stewardship of Benoît Subrin for the U23 and U21 squads.

Aim to establish at least one futsal program in each district by 2024-2025.

Creation of a U17 male team by 2024-2025.

Introduction of a new club license.

Hubert Fournier, the National Technical Director, emphasized, "Structural enhancement stands as a cornerstone of our President's vision. We're allocating resources and urging clubs to invest in this domain for greater resilience. Concerning training, the 2024-2025 season will see the opening of a second futsal center. An increasing number of candidates are applying, and it's disheartening to turn away talent due to limited capacity."

"We're committed to supporting our regions by offering a futsal program across all our districts. It's a resolute decision, and our regions are fully engaged. Furthermore, the club license will accompany club development. Futsal is an enriching addition to French football. Similar to our Spanish and Portuguese counterparts, we aim to integrate it into youth development. Indeed, some professional clubs are already doing so."

The National Technical Directorate has also organized specialized training for referees and coaches wishing to engage in futsal, preceded by comprehensive training for technical advisors to offer guidance.
A Promising Dawn for French Futsal: Charting a Path to Excellence
This is a groundbreaking blueprint, poised to reshape the very foundation of French futsal. A sweeping development plan that not only underscores the sport's latent potential for growth and transformation but also symbolizes a defining moment in its evolution. A meticulously crafted roadmap setting the course for futsal's elevated journey in France.

The countdown to the 2023-2024 futsal season's inauguration holds a special resonance. This heralds the advent of D1 championship matches, a thrilling prelude to the Elite Tour qualifiers for the 2024 World Cup. At this juncture, the FFF's resolute vision for the ascendancy of French futsal takes center stage, as it stands poised to become a force to be reckoned with.

At the nucleus of this plan lies the resounding call to elevate elite performance. The spotlight shines brightly on the French National Futsal Team, on the cusp of embarking on the journey to secure a coveted spot in the 2024 World Cup finals. The fixtures against formidable opponents like Slovakia, Germany, and Croatia are illuminated like guiding stars, underscoring the arduous path ahead in their quest for World Cup glory in Uzbekistan.

Yet, the FFF's vision stretches far beyond tournament triumphs. It reaches toward the future, toward hosting the prestigious UEFA Euro 2026. A candidacy that stands as a testament to unwavering commitment, it holds the potential to etch Futsal's legacy on a continental scale. The imminent submission of the final dossier marks a significant step, heralding the possibility of an event that could redefine the narrative of European futsal.

Venturing into uncharted territories, the creation of the Women's National Futsal Team emerges as a beacon of gender equity in sports. Guided by the capable leadership of Pierre-Étienne Demillier, this pioneering squad embarks on a journey to establish a foundation that elevates women's futsal in France. Their participation in the UEFA Euro 2025 qualifiers stands as a milestone, reflecting the strides made toward a more inclusive future.

The contours of this plan encompass not just matches and tournaments, but a comprehensive restructuring of French futsal's framework. The establishment of a National Technical Advisor and the impending launch of a second futsal center resonates as testaments to the growing allure of the sport. Envisioning a landscape where futsal thrives across age groups and regions, underpinned by robust training programs, this approach sets the stage for a brighter future.

As the curtain rises on this futsal development plan, it paints a vivid tapestry of the sport's future in France. Its implications ripple beyond the court, resonating within the broader sports ecosystem. A symphony of strategic endeavors, it pledges to nurture talent, foster excellence, and construct a holistic framework. This symphony echoes the FFF's steadfast commitment to propelling futsal to unprecedented heights, ensuring its legacy for generations to come. With this roadmap unfurled, the journey commences, promising an exhilarating trajectory for the ascent of French futsal.
The author of the article
Stephen McGettigan was born in the Republic of Ireland but grew up in Belfast. He is the founder of Futsal Focus, a Football Industries MBA graduate from the University of Liverpool Management School, and he has worked in the Football and Futsal industries for 15 years.
Organ Donation
Futsal Focus is a supporter of Dáithí Mac Gabhann and his family's campaign to raise awareness of Organ Donation. We encourage our readers to learn more about Organ Donation: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/
Futsal Focus
You can read more articles about domestic futsal by going to the top navigation bar or by clicking here

If you like this article and would like to keep updated on Futsal news, developments, etc then you can now follow Futsal Focus via Google News by following our page which will send you an alert as soon as we publish an article so please click here and follow us on Google.

You can also keep updated on Futsal news, developments, etc then please submit your email below in the Subscribe to Futsal Focus option.

Follow Futsal Focus by clicking on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram or on the social media buttons on the website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A groundbreaking development plan: Building the Future of French Futsal - Futsal Focus

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore the future of French futsal with a visionary plan backed by €18.4 million. Elevating the game, fostering talent, and aiming for glory

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy, privacy policy, and Terms of Use. terms of use.

# data[].attributes.headline
This new campaign wants to empower women and girls to be active on their periods

# data[].attributes.subject
This new campaign wants to empower women and girls to be active on their periods

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A new campaign wants to empower women and girls to be confident and active on their periods

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bodyform and This Girl Can partner on periods in sport campaign to empower girls to stay active and confident whilst menstruating.

# data[].attributes.headline
Cuts to PE hours should be immediate national concern, say charity

# data[].attributes.subject
Cuts to PE hours should be immediate national concern, say charity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Dan Roan

BBC sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

Cuts to the number of hours England's secondary school pupils spend doing physical education and sport "should be a matter of immediate national concern", the Youth Sport Trust says.

Figures released by the government show 4,000 hours were lost in state-funded schools in the last academic year.

There has also been a 12% drop since the 2012 London Olympics.

The children's charity says the latest data reveals a "further threat to the wellbeing of young people".

In March, the government announced that schools in England would be required to deliver a minimum of two hours of PE per week, and ensure equality of access to sport for girls and boys.

Members of England's Euros-winning women's football squad - who on Sunday finished runners-up in the World Cup - campaigned for all girls to have equal access to school PE.

The team highlighted that only 63% of girls could play football in PE lessons, according to a Football Association (FA) campaign published last year.

A report by England Football, part of the FA, said only 44% of secondary schools in England offered girls equal access to football in PE lessons.

The latest government figures reveal that 326,277 hours of PE and sport were delivered in secondary schools in England in in 2011/12.

That had fallen to 290,033 in 2021/22 and then to 285,957 in the last 12 months.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won Olympic heptathlon gold at the 2012 Olympics said: "It's hugely disappointing. Some young kids have the opportunity to do sport outside of school. They have the set up and the funds to do that.

"However a lot of children need that access to sport and get into grassroots level sport at school. I think it's really important that we have skilled lessons, the hours within school hours, to be able to identify young kids who are performing well within sport. And to give them the opportunity."

YST chief executive Ali Oliver MBE, said: "Fewer than half of children in the UK currently meet 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity which is the chief medical officers' minimum recommended level.

"This is contributing to a nation where too many children are missing out, have poor wellbeing and lack a sense of belonging. The evidence is clear: unhappy and unhealthy children do not learn and just this week we are seeing proof of this as high levels of persistent absence and mental ill health have been cited as undermining pupils' GCSE results."

In December, funding agency Sport England said children and young people's activity levels had recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with 47% of children meeting recommended activity level. But in April it also revealed there were nearly half a million fewer active young people, aged 16-34, than six years ago.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Charity says cuts to PE should be national concern - BBC News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New figures show 4,000 hours of PE have been lost from the curriculum in state schools in England.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
At the Youth Summit in July, we asked young people from across the UK to tell us their views on topics ranging from representation in sport to the barrier young people face in accessing sport, and importantly what leaders in sport can do to make a change.

Hear what they had to say below, and follow along with the conversation on our social channels #YouthSportTakeover.
Youth Summit
In July 2023, over 80 young people from across the UK joined us at the Youth Sport Trust Youth Summit to lead the development of a series of Calls to Action for all leaders and young leader in sport.

The Calls to Action centred around 3 themes of:

Click the links above to find out more about each theme.

Soon we'll be launching a new film which explains the Calls to Action developed at summit and what we need sport leaders to do about them. Again keep an eye on our social channels as we launch this over the summer.
We're recruiting for the Youth Sport Trust Youth Board
If you're a young person who is passionate about sport and play and levelling the playing field for all, we want to hear from you.

We are looking to recruit up to 10 new youth board members aged between 16-24 years old from anywhere in the UK.

We are looking for Youth Board members who are passionate about youth development, committed to promoting the values of the Youth Sport Trust, and eager to contribute their ideas and perspectives.

Find out more here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At the Youth Summit in July, we asked young people from across the UK to tell us their views on topics ranging from representation in sport to the barrier young people face in accessing sport, and importantly what leaders in sport can do to make a change.

# data[].attributes.headline
2022/23 UEFA Women's Champions League technical report overview: High pressing and speed queens

# data[].attributes.subject
2022/23 UEFA Women's Champions League technical report overview: High pressing and speed queens

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The 2022/23 UEFA Women's Champions League was another thrilling campaign, which ended with Barcelona beating Wolfsburg 3-2 in a classic encounter in Eindhoven as the Catalan giants won their second title.

UEFA's technical observers have picked out some of the most interesting findings from the season, including analysing the fastest players, the effectiveness of high pressing against a low block and Aitana Bonmatí's outstanding performances.

Full technical report

1) 3.5 goals per game

The 211 goals at 3.46 per game represented a marginal downturn (4%) on the previous season. The group stage yielded 177 and the 13 knockout games a further 34, even though the first legs of the quarter-finals all ended with a 1-0 scoreline, three of them in favour of the away team.

Barcelona's impressive figures of 25 attempts per game on average and 3.6 goals put the champions well ahead of the field in terms of attacking potential. Interestingly, Roma (18.8 attempts), Lyon (18.6) and Wolfsburg (18) were their closest rivals, yet Lyon's shot conversion rate was surpassed by all the knockout teams and six of the group fallers. Only Slavia Praha and Zürich posted lower averages than the defending champions' 8%.

The percentage of headers among goal attempts offers an indication of playing styles. Wolfsburg, playing to the aerial strengths of Alex Popp (33% of her attempts were headers) and Ewa Pajor (38%), topped the team rankings with 27%. They were ahead of Lyon, whose frequent use of far-post crossing meant that 25% of their finishing was with the head (as were 41% of the attempts by striker Melvine Malard), while Chelsea's supply to Sam Kerr was influential in their high average of 23%.

The remainder of the knockout teams ranged between Arsenal's 15% and Barcelona's 19% while the group fallers generally produced lower figures - notably Benfica, whose preference for low deliveries from wide areas meant that only 6% of their finishing was with the head.

2) High pressing v low blocks

"Defending in the opposition half with high collective pressing made a clear impact," the technical observers commented, "with many teams more courageous in holding high lines than in the previous season." During the group stage, 23% of the 130 open-play goals resulted from moves of five passes or fewer, with multiple examples of regains near the opponents' penalty area followed by one or two passes prior to the finishing touch.

Arsenal, cited as a "high-level counter-pressing team", scored three times after collective work had secured regains - two in the mid-third, one in the final third - during their 5-1 victory against the defending champions in Lyon, a result which sent shockwaves across the continent. "Lyon trusted their 1v1 abilities to the extent that they left spaces," the technical observers remarked. After one point from two games, Sonia Bompastor rectified this facet, allowing her team to qualify via four successive clean sheets.

High scores punctuated a group stage that yielded 177 goals, emphasising that teams, maybe dominant in their domestic leagues, require well-structured defensive strategies when they take on Europe's elite. Top sides often struggled to pierce well-organised mid-to-low defensive blocks. Bayern München's 2-1 home win against Rosengård was mentioned by technical observers as a case in point. Renée Slegers' 4-5-1 set-up allowed the visitors' midfield to obstruct passing lines to the front and restricted Bayern's opportunities to play between the lines.

Although the hosts had 69% of possession and overall control, Slegers commented: "Our organisation in defence was very good. We closed down the spaces they wanted to get into and we didn't over-commit." Even though 39% of open-play goals were scored against structured low or mid blocks, the Swedish team highlighted the value of collective discipline and hard work when implementing defence in a compact low block.

3) Transitions to attack

Being careful about over-committing when pushing forward emerged as a factor when lower-ranked teams took on elite opponents. The combination of high pressing and low defensive blocks sometimes left the attacking side short of space for penetration after high regains.

During the group stage, only 11% of open-play goals could be clearly attributed to classic counterattacks. Debutants Roma illustrated the point during the 3-0 win over Slavia Praha that clinched their place in the knockout rounds. Despite a 61% share of the ball, Alessandro Spugna's charges failed to make a breakthrough until they delivered a successful counterattack following a regain when defending their own penalty box - a facet of the game they would later try to exploit in their quarter-final against Barcelona. In some matches, the observers remarked, it was evident that the stronger teams were intentionally beckoning their opponents forward to secure space for a fast counter.

4) Speed queens

The season demonstrated that benchmarks are being consolidated at the peak of club football, underlining the relevance of pace and stamina in job descriptions all around the team. Six of the previous season's top ten in terms of sprint speeds maintained their positions in 2022/23, but the emphasis on pace in the wide areas was slightly watered down. Attacking spearheads Ewa Pajor and Kadidiatou Diani were joined by two Barcelona signings: Brazilian attacker Geyse and Salma Paralluelo, a 19-year-old sprinter who parked a career in athletics to accelerate a career in football.

Even though some of the names remained the same, the wide players took on a slightly different complexion. Delphine Cascarino, for example, worked inner channels in the Lyon attack, creating space for right-back Ellie Carpenter to become the protagonist along the touchline. Wolfsburg's Sveindís Jónsdóttir, as she demonstrated in the final, operated in more of a box-to-box role than as an outright winger.

Dealing with pace in attack requires pace in defence - as demonstrated by the presence on the list of Wolfsburg centre-back Kathrin Hendrich. For the second successive season, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Laurina Fazer also topped 30km/h during her box-to-box duties, which included activity in the team's high press.

The top speed of the season, however, belonged to Barcelona right-winger Caroline Graham Hansen who clocked in at 32.4km/h during the home leg of the quarter-final against Roma. "She is a player of high value," commented Joe Montemurro after watching her decisive contribution in the semi-final against Chelsea. "She has pace and quality and something proactive is going to happen when she receives the ball wide or in the channel between full-back and centre-back. Whether running with the ball or playing neat combinations in and around the box, she is a constant threat."

5) Player of the Season: Aitana Bonmatí

The Barcelona midfielder's five goals and eight assists added up to a goal-contribution greater than any other player in the competition. But there was more to Aitana Bonmatí than that. UEFA technical observer Gemma Grainger, watching her in action in the semi-final first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, saw her "dictating the tempo, demanding the ball to ensure Barcelona dominated possession and, with a strong interchanging understanding between the two players, linking very well with Mariona Caldentey".

Joe Montemurro, technical observer for the return match at the Camp Nou, added: "She worked selflessly to regain the ball and make things happen proactively. Her influence when Barcelona are in possession and her positioning off the ball were a delight to watch."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2022/23 UEFA Women's Champions League technical report overview: High pressing and speed queens | UEFA Women's Champions League

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The 2022/23 UEFA Women's Champions League proved another fascinating campaign as Barcelona won their second title.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There are seven million children aged five to 15 in England, and nearly four in five are not doing the recommended daily amount of exercise.

The Chief Medical Officer in England recommends that children do at least 60 minutes of activity every day. For one reason or another, this isn't the case for the majority of young people.

We want to change that.

We want everyone in England regardless of age, background or level of ability to feel able to engage in sport and physical activity, and need a sport sector that welcomes everyone, meets their needs and treats them as individuals.

We're currently focusing on families in lower socio-economic groups. A number of research studies show that children from families in these groups are less active than those in higher socio-economic groups.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our Families Fund is investing in projects that give families what they really want and need to get active.

# data[].attributes.headline
World Cycling Championships 2023: The best of cycle ball

# data[].attributes.subject
World Cycling Championships 2023: The best of cycle ball

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Skills, tackles & nutmegs - the best of cycle ball

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Watch some of the best moments from the final day of the cycle ball event at the World Cycling Championships in Glasgow.

# data[].attributes.headline
UK Sport announces £2.4m Winter Sports funding uplift

# data[].attributes.subject
UK Sport announces £2.4m Winter Sports funding uplift

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
UK Sport has today confirmed an additional £2.4million of funding for winter Olympic and Paralympic sport.

The boost is designed to support athletes preparing for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina, and follows in the wake of an extraordinarily successful 2022-23 season, which demonstrated the potential of British athletes in a wide range of winter sports.

Last season, the first in the Milan-Cortina cycle, was the most successful on record for British winter athletes. They won nine world championships medals across five Olympic sports (including four gold medals), and another nine medals in three Paralympic sports.

Two sports, Bobsleigh and Skeleton, will each receive more than £850,000 in additional funding for their programmes. Britain's four-man bob finished second at the World Championships, the nation's first medal in the event in 84 years and stood on the World Cup podium in seven of eight four-man races. While in Skeleton, Matt Weston won individual World Championship Gold and there were two medals in the new mixed team event.

Athletes across a number of sports delivered performances that have led to additional support, including:

Ice dance pair Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear, who finished fourth at the World Championships, their best result to date and reached No.1 in the world rankings;

Speed skater Cornelius Kersten, whose World Championship bronze in the men's 1,000m was Britain's first in the sport since 1951;

Speed skater Ellia Smeding, who recorded a top-eight World Championship finish;

Para Nordic athlete Scott Meenagh, who won silver at the World Championships, GB's first ever medal in this discipline.

The uplift in investment was confirmed by the UK Sport Board when it met earlier this week, with the details as follows:

Dr Kate Baker, Director of Performance at UK Sport said, "Today's announcement of additional financial support for five of our Olympic and Paralympic winter sports recognises the incredible potential of our current crop of athletes.

"They delivered several extraordinary sporting moments last season, and we are excited to see them back in action later this year as we continue to pursue our ambition to become an ever-greater force in Winter Olympic and Paralympic sport.

"Of course, we wouldn't be able to continue to invest in these talented young athletes without the incredible support we continue to receive from National Lottery players who power Olympic and Paralympic sport in this country."

Natalie Dunman, Performance Director at British Skeleton said, "We are very grateful to UK Sport for their continued investment in the British Skeleton programme. Their support is invaluable, and we are very pleased with the outcome of this year's review.

"We enjoyed a fantastic year across all levels of our programme in 2022/23 and we are thankful to UK Sport for their recognition of the progress made. We are determined to build on that success this season, with the ultimate aim of medalling at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, and UK Sport's continued backing gives us the best opportunity to do that.

"We now continue our preparations for the new sliding season and are looking forward to getting back out on ice in October and starting where we left off last season."

Mark Silva, Performance Director at British Bobsleigh said, "We're really pleased with the outcome of the funding decision. The team have worked really hard to ensure bobsleigh in this country is in a positive position and it's fantastic to see that being recognised by UK Sport.

"Last season's achievements were really special and this uplift in funding gives us a real chance to ensure that success continues.

"We're obviously very grateful to UK Sport for their backing but we'd also like to thank everyone who plays the National Lottery - without them, it wouldn't be possible for us to continue competing with - and beating - the best in the world."

Victoria Gosling OBE, Chief Executive at GB Snowsport said, "It has been a record-breaking season at GB Snowsport, with the Olympic and Paralympic teams winning more medals than ever before, including one in every discipline we represent.

"This has taken incredible skill and resilience from the team and the additional UK Sport funding will be crucial as we ramp up our preparations for Milan-Cortina. We want to give our athletes, like Scott Meenagh, every chance of success and are grateful to the National Lottery for their continued support and investment in such a special group of individuals."

Jon Eley, Head of Performance at British Ice Skating said, "After an outstanding season from our athletes and support team, I am delighted that UK Sport have recognised their achievements with an increase in support on the team's journey to Milan.

"I would like to thank UK Sport and The National Lottery, and extend my congratulations to our athletes, coaches and staff on their performances. We look forward to seeing the team continuing to reach it potential."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UK Sport announces £2.4m Winter Sports funding uplift

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
UK Sport has today confirmed an additional £2.4million of funding for winter Olympic and Paralympic sport.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mental träning för vinnande tankesätt Mental Performance coaching Breath work coach

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nextlevelperformance.se Om bra kan bli bättre varför nöja sig med bra? Vi gör dig bättre, vi hjälper dig att prestera som bäst när det gäller som mest, Med rätt mental träning blir du bättre på och utanför idrottsarenan. Boka nu idrottspsykologi Mental träning Coachning nextlevelperformanceNextlevel…

# data[].attributes.headline
Women’s World Cup: why are there so few female coaches in football?

# data[].attributes.subject
Women’s World Cup: why are there so few female coaches in football?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the Women's World Cup - fielding a record 32 teams - shows that women's football is in a healthier state than ever.

According to the FA's women's and girls' football strategy update, across all levels the number of registered female players in England increased by 17% between October 2021 and 2022, while there was a 30% increase in the number of female teams. The number of female referees has increased by 21%, and female coaches have risen by a whopping 75%.

The women's Euros final in July 2022 enjoyed a sell-out 87,000 crowd at Wembley - and a TV audience of 17.4 million - to see England win its first major trophy since the men's World Cup in 1966. The FA Women's Super League (WSL), which turned professional in 2018-19, is now shown live on a weekly basis by both Sky Sports and the BBC. And the women's FA Cup Final at Wembley in May - when Chelsea beat Manchester United - drew a record domestic crowd of 77,390.

In Spain, Barcelona are setting the standard for world record attendances, with 91,648 fans watching their Women's Champions League game against Wolfsburg in April 2022. A few weeks earlier, 91,553 fans turned up to see El Clásico - the much-anticipated fixture against their big rivals, Real Madrid.

However, only 12 of the 32 countries that have been competing in the Women's World Cup are coached by women: England, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, Brazil, China and Panama.

A similarly low number exists in the WSL, and across Europe in France and Spain. Italy, with two female coaches among ten top-division posts, and Germany, with just one of 12, fare even worse.

So, why is there such a dearth of female coaches in women's football? With the female game on the up, and coaches such as current England boss Sarina Wiegman, and Chelsea Women's manager Emma Hayes now well-known faces, why is there such a problem in elite women's football - and why does it matter?

Women need women for inspiration

Many would argue there's a need for female coaches at the top levels of women's football to act as an inspiration for young, aspiring female coaches (and players too, of course). Any young woman considering a career in coaching might be put off by the dominance of male coaches in top roles in the women's game.

Recent research led by my NTU colleague Jyoti Gosai has suggested there are a range of factors affecting female coach recruitment, progression and retention in the UK, which combined, make this a complex issue with no simple answer or obvious solution.

These include (at various levels): individual confidence and knowledge; difficulty connecting with other coaches in what may still be seen to be an "old boys' club"; male-led coach education programmes; and gender role assumptions in wider society. These myriad factors present a minefield when attempting to identify solutions to this complex issue, especially when the barriers may be insidious and hard to recognise.

Some of Gosai's additional research explains the challenges female coaches face through the "Goldilocks dilemma". Drawing on anecdotal evidence, many female coaches appear to encounter stereotypical gender bias through three distinct elements.

The first of these suggests when female coaches act in ways that are consistent with gender stereotypes (for example, when they are nurturing), they are often viewed as less competent coaches. However, when female coaches act in ways that are inconsistent with gender stereotypes - meaning assertive and decisive - they're considered unfeminine. As such, they are never "just right".

The second element relates to the high competence threshold - women coaches in elite sport face higher expected standards but lower pay than male coaches. And the final element identifies how female coaches can be perceived as competent or likeable, but rarely both. It is possible to be good but not liked, or liked but not good - but not the two together. These insights shed interesting light on the issue.

A bright future?

We know more girls and women are now watching and playing football. And more are refereeing and coaching. At the elite level, for the first time we now have a generation of players who are full-time professionals, just like their male counterparts. So what does the future hold for elite female coaches?

Some of the current crop of elite female players will naturally be expected to move into coaching when their playing careers come to an end. Young women and girls getting into football can now see a pathway - whether that's playing, officiating or coaching, and role models are becoming highly visible at every level. Coaches such as Wiegman and Hayes are changing entrenched mindsets. Through their knowledge, skills and profiles, they are helping to show that female coaches can understand and teach the game as well as any man.

In early 2021, my Conversation article about how female coaches can help bring professional men's football into the 21st century suggested that women have much-needed qualities that could benefit the men's game. This followed the story of Hayes being linked with the manager's job of the men's team at AFC Wimbledon, potentially becoming the first woman in men's professional football.

In the end she didn't take it, but in June 2023 this huge barrier was finally breached - Premier League side Brentford appointed Lydia Bedford, the former Leicester City Women's manager, as head coach of their men's under-18 team. This was followed in July by Hannah Dingley becoming the first woman in Britain to coach a professional men's first team, when she took up the post of caretaker manager at Forest Green Rovers.

One day soon, we could be seeing female coaches in the men's game at Championship or Premier League level, as well as dominating team management at the next Women's World Cup in 2027.

But for that to happen, deeply entrenched stereotypes need to be broken down. This may take time, but at least progress is being made on various fronts for the girls and young women coming through. They deserve the game's, and society's, best efforts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Women's World Cup: why are there so few female coaches in football?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Just 12 of the 32 teams at the Women's World Cup have female coaches. The game needs to break down some deeply entrenched attitudes to bring more women in as managers at all levels.

# data[].attributes.headline
Coach Education and Development – Who? What? How? Why?

# data[].attributes.subject
Coach Education and Development – Who? What? How? Why?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About the coaches' coach

Background

The Coaches' Coach is a platform to bring the best coaches and mentors together with coaches to provide the very best coaching practices. The Coaches' coaches are experts in their field with many years of experience and qualifications.

The Coaches' Coach was set up by Dr Harvey Anderson, who had seen the huge gap between coach education and what everyday sports coaches needed to know. Sport Coaching is a complex and challenging vocation, that is both highly rewarding and highly demanding. We want you to make a difference in what you do, and what you stand for.

Dr Harvey Anderson

Dr Harvey Anderson is the founder of the Coaches' Coach platform. He has been a coach for over 30 years and a Coach Educator for 25 years. He holds a Doctorate of Professional Studies in Sport Coaching, an MSc in Sport & Exercise Science and BSc (Hons) in PE and Sport Science. Dr Anderson has presented research around the world including in the USA, Australia, Japan and at several Europeans Conferences. Dr Anderson has acted as an External Advisors to many Universities in the UK and overseas.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harvey-Anderson-2

The Coaches' Coach Philosophy

We believe passionately in the use of evidence-based practices to enhance the coaching practices of our coaches. We hold strongly to the belief that athlete development comes before performance outcomes. We believe that high quality coaching and mentorship can enhance the coaching practices of other coaches.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Coach Education and Development - Who? What? How? Why?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this third blog (Blog 1; Blog 2) focussing on Coach Education and Development (CED), I will look at some of the issues that surround what should and shouldn't be in a good system of CED, who should build it, what shou...

# data[].attributes.headline
Youth Sport Trust responds to School Sport and Activity Action Plan update

# data[].attributes.subject
Youth Sport Trust responds to School Sport and Activity Action Plan update

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You can read the full plan here.

In responding to the update, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust Ali Oliver said;

"The Youth Sport Trust works tirelessly to promote the importance of physical activity and sport in the development of children and young people. We help schools understand the fundamental place of physical activity, play and sport in the education and development of young people, and children get their right to play and be physically active.

There is much we welcome in this Action Plan, not least the clear unequivocal statement, PE and sport is integral to what makes an excellent school. The significant commitment to investment, alongside clear expectations and accountability is much needed. However, we believe this should only be seen as the first step - less than half of children and young people meet the Chief Medical Officers guidance of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day; which impacts on their physical and mental health, as well as progress and achievement in the classroom. The Youth Sport Trust stands ready, alongside partners to work with schools and the government over the longer term to increase opportunities for activity throughout the school day, ensure equal access, and develop an understanding children learn better when they are active.

The principles of improving quality, extending access, and embedding equality are all fundamental to transforming PE and school sport. We have partnered across the sport and education sector to call for a number of things which we welcome the inclusion of in the plan:

We are pleased to see schools continue to be encouraged to deliver a minimum of two hours of PE for all pupils each week and equal access to all sports for boys and girls. This is fundamental to the development of physical literacy and gives every child the opportunity to find a sport they love and start to build a lifelong habit.

Building on the success of the School Games, and the extension of funding for the School Games Organiser network alongside opening school facilities and the Holiday and Activities Food programme will ensure all children, particularly those from more disadvantaged backgrounds and more marginalized groups will get the chance to play. We are pleased that the School Games Mark will be used to celebrate schools delivering in this area, which will increase transparency and accountability, and encourage the culture change so no child misses out on the basis of their gender.

Improving the use of the Primary PE and Sport Premium and what makes the biggest difference will ensure its effective use and give greater visibility of its impact.

This Action Plan sets out important policy and investment for the next two years which will be significant in taking much needed urgent action. However, we believe this should only be seen as the first step. What is needed is a long term, more radical and transformational strategy that addresses the scale of the wellbeing issues and inequalities facing schools, and which embraces the voices and influence of young leaders.

For primaries, there is also new guidance to support schools with the planning, reporting and recording of the Primary PE and Sport Premium. It is imperative that all schools in receipt of funding read the new guidance. The Youth Sport Trust will be working with afPE and DfE to support schools in adopting the new guidance. A webinar will be held at the start of the new academic year. The new reporting template for 2023/24 will be ready in September.

Abhishna Yogarajan - Youth Board Member said:

"Physical activity is so important for mental health and wellbeing, I'm really pleased to see the government committing to two hours a week of PE in every school but continue to believe that activity every day should be prioritised. It's important that this is extended to every young person regardless of the area they live in or the school they attend, has the opportunity to play and be active."
Stephen Munday, Chief Executive, The Cam Academy Trust, and Past President, the Chartered College of Teaching
"We greatly welcome the publication today of the School Sport and Activity Action Plan Update. We are absolutely clear about the fundamental role of physical activity, play, physical education and sport in the proper education of all young people, regardless of their stage of education. These things are crucial in strengthening attendance, pupil achievement and positive behaviour by young people. We very much welcome the funding announced by Government to help to embed this in the curriculum of all schools across the country."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Youth Sport Trust responds to School Sport and Activity Action Plan update

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today, the Department for Education published the School Sport and Activity Action Plan Update.

# data[].attributes.headline
Nike and Adidas urged by MPs to promote female football boots

# data[].attributes.subject
Nike and Adidas urged by MPs to promote female football boots

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In its response, Puma said: "One hypothesis might be that women have grown up with the notion that the best way to challenge male domination in football (and all spheres of life) is to challenge it head on and refuse to be seen as any less capable than men, or different to men.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nike and Adidas urged by MPs to promote female football boots

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MPs are investigating the lack of boots designed for women and girls, amid concern about injuries.

# data[].attributes.headline
Goalball: The largest sport solely for blind and visually impaired athletes

# data[].attributes.subject
Goalball: The largest sport solely for blind and visually impaired athletes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Goalball: The largest sport solely for blind and visually impaired athletes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Everthing you need to know about Goalball - the largest sporting competition solely for blind and visually impaired athletes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Creative Practices in Sports Coaching Report

Sports Coaching is not keeping up with the global trend for creativity and critical thinking skills, with little deliberate uptake of creative thinking processes and techniques.

Empirical evidence shows that many coaches continue to think in the same old ways to solve the increasingly diverse problems encountered in modern sports coaching.

Coaches need to apply creative problem solving techniques to resolve complex coaching challenges they face at every level.

This report presents established creativity definitions, and explains types of creativity and creative problem-solving perspectives, to demonstrate how each could be applied in sports coaching - by individuals, by clubs, and by coaching organisations.

It ends with a series of recommendations to introduce more creative thinking into sports coaching to improve coaching performance and outcomes.

Sports organisations that coach; coaching educators and trainers; individual coaches

Sports coaching; creativity; problem-solving; creative thinking techniques; cross-disciplinary; creative self-belief

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
white Paper report on the need to apply creative problem solving techniques to resolve the complex coaching challenges sports coaches face at every level

# data[].attributes.headline
Engage – building positive relationships with your young athletes’ parents

# data[].attributes.subject
Engage – building positive relationships with your young athletes’ parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We are thrilled to announce that over the next few weeks we will be releasing a brand new learning course for coaches - 'Engage - building positive relationships with your young athletes' parents.'
Having led the way in this field in the coach education sector over the last few years delivering globally to thousands of coaches both in person and online across a multitude of sports, we are delighted to have refined and created this online course for all of the coaches and sporting organisations that we work with.
WWPIS have been trusted to deliver this course by National Governing Bodies, Football Academies, International Sporting Organisations, Olympic Programmes and a variety of different sporting pathways to their coaches in recent times.
It is a groundbreaking resource that incorporates all we have learnt to date, has been trialled by coaches both at grassroots and high performance level and brings to coaches everything they need to build confidence in 'Engaging and Working with Parents.'
This is the first of 4 courses that will be released over the coming months with courses also being created for Sporting Organisations, the Parent Coach and Parents based on the WWPIS live sessions which are recognised as world leading in this space.
The content has been brought to life by our new partnership with learning course provider etrainu who have been bringing their wealth of expertise to the project and who already provide high quality online training and LMS systems for organisations across the world.

As with all WWPIS products this course will be available for purchase as an individual course but can also be bought by sporting organisations in bulk who wish to resource and support a larger number of coaches within their programmes.

We have also built in the flexibility for sports to add and tweak elements of the course to make it really specific to them allowing it to have the biggest impact in their communities.
We can guarantee that along with the highest quality learning experience this new course has been priced in the most cost effective way that will allow as many coaches as possible to access the course and for organisations to resource coaches on a huge scale.
If you would like to find out more about the course or discuss potential opportunities for collaboration then please email us here at [email protected].

Have you checked out our exclusive ' Members Area '. ?' Over 300 blogs, videos, infographics and resources to support organisations, coaches and parents.

A lot of this material has never been made available to parents and coaches before unless they are playing at elite level or playing professionally in the world of sport.

Sign up and become a member today, we look forward to welcoming you into the WWPIS community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New Coach Education Learning Course Coming Soon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We are thrilled to announce that over the next few weeks we will be releasing a brand new learning course for coaches - 'Engage - building positive relationships with your young athletes' parents.'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
iPlayClean is a novel anti-doping education programme that features information, videos, and questions for you to answer. It is fully funded by the International Olympic Committee and the purpose of the iPlayClean education programme is to provide high-level athletes aged between 14 to 18 years of a…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Rebecca Anderson Project manager, Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Birmingham 2022 – one year on | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One year after the opening of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Sport England’s Rebecca Anderson blogs on how their investment has helped the region to be more physically active.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sean Cumming on maturation in youth football

# data[].attributes.subject
Sean Cumming on maturation in youth football

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Part 1: Growth in childhood and adolescence
The first step towards understanding the way young athletes mature is to study growth in childhood and adolescence. In the first section of his presentation, Professor Cumming explains that while growth is generally steady and predictable in both boys and girls during childhood, puberty sees major growth spurts in height and weight, accompanied by significant physiological changes that can leave young athletes more vulnerable to injuries. With that in mind, it is very important for coaches to be aware of the "adolescent growth spurt" and modify training accordingly.

Part 2: The adolescent growth spurt
Given the importance of the pubertal growth spurt, it is worth exploring it in more depth. In the next part of the session, Professor Cumming outlines the specific challenges associated with puberty in young athletes. These challenges are compounded by the fact that children go through puberty at different ages, meaning that two players playing in the same age group can demonstrate marked differences in size, athleticism, and physiology. These variations can have enormous repercussions for both talent identification and development.

Part 3: Maturity timing and selection biases
Particularly in boys, individual differences in the timing of maturation can often give rise to selection biases. From the onset of puberty, early developers tend to be bigger, stronger, faster and more powerful than late developers of the same age, making them more likely to be selected for age-group teams. Indeed, studies suggest that perhaps 60-80% of all U16-U17 academy players are early developers, prompting concerns that many players are retained in the academy system because they are physically superior to their peers, not because they are better footballers.

Part 4: Concerns for youth development and how to address them
In the final section of the presentation, Professor Cumming considers how academies can counteract this bias and mitigate the risk of losing a great talent who happens to be a late developer. As Sir Alex Ferguson was well aware, keeping late developers in the system and giving them time to flourish can bring enormous rewards. By contrast, writing off a late developer can prove costly, as Arsenal found out after they released a young striker by the name of Harry Kane.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sean Cumming on maturation in youth football

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Children mature physically at different rates. Prof Sean Cumming examines how this variation can affect performance, and how coaches can address it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Supporting her through every life stage as her body grows and changes.Helping her to be her brilliant best.

# data[].attributes.headline
What is the purpose of coach education and what is its future?

# data[].attributes.subject
What is the purpose of coach education and what is its future?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About the coaches' coach

Background

The Coaches' Coach is a platform to bring the best coaches and mentors together with coaches to provide the very best coaching practices. The Coaches' coaches are experts in their field with many years of experience and qualifications.

The Coaches' Coach was set up by Dr Harvey Anderson, who had seen the huge gap between coach education and what everyday sports coaches needed to know. Sport Coaching is a complex and challenging vocation, that is both highly rewarding and highly demanding. We want you to make a difference in what you do, and what you stand for.

Dr Harvey Anderson

Dr Harvey Anderson is the founder of the Coaches' Coach platform. He has been a coach for over 30 years and a Coach Educator for 25 years. He holds a Doctorate of Professional Studies in Sport Coaching, an MSc in Sport & Exercise Science and BSc (Hons) in PE and Sport Science. Dr Anderson has presented research around the world including in the USA, Australia, Japan and at several Europeans Conferences. Dr Anderson has acted as an External Advisors to many Universities in the UK and overseas.

The Coaches' Coach Philosophy

We believe passionately in the use of evidence-based practices to enhance the coaching practices of our coaches. We hold strongly to the belief that athlete development comes before performance outcomes. We believe that high quality coaching and mentorship can enhance the coaching practices of other coaches.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is the purpose of coach education and what is its future?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Working in Coach Education for around twenty-five years, I have been a strong advocate for the need and value of coach education and development (CED). High quality CED provides minimum standards, should provide quality ...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sporting Equals partnership

sportscotland has partnered with Sporting Equals to develop the sport workforce and organisations so they can empower ethnically diverse communities and individuals, offer expert advice on sport and race equality, and build allyship and share good practice.

Development and networking for diverse ethnic communities in sport

Through Sporting Equals' LeaderBoard Academy, sportscotland plan to provide development, mentoring, networking and shadowing opportunities for diverse ethnic communities in sport. In June, the sportscotland head of communications and corporate marketing manager attended a one-day workshop run by Pass the Mic, an organisation created by anti-racism activist Talat Yaqoob to tackle the under representation and misrepresentation of women of colour in Scotland's public life and media.

Sport media workshops

sportscotland will be working in partnership with Scottish Television (STV) on their media workshop initiative STV Expert Voices. Later this year, they will deliver sport-specific workshops providing practical tips and advice to underrepresented groups, equipping them with the confidence and skills required to appear on STV's programmes.

Investment in anti-racist initiatives

sportscotland has invested £12,000 across several anti-racist learning opportunities and initiatives since the last update, including the race and racial equalities conference which explored the role of sport in increasing opportunities, removing barriers and engaging diverse communities. They sponsored the Herald Gen Analytics Diversity conference looking at topics such as pushing through barriers, data, AI and inequality. They have also committed to further funding for the Diversity Awards later this year.

They also sponsored the British Kabaddi League finals at Bellahouston Sports Centre, and the two Scottish teams - Glasgow Unicorns and Edinburgh Eagles, with sportscotland Head of Communications attending with Sports Minister Maree Todd.

Diverse International Women's Day celebrations

For the first time sportscotland supported and attended the Scottish Ethnic Minority Sport Association's International Women's Day celebration in March.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Two-year update on race in sport review | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sport England and the other UK sports councils give a 24-month update on the Tackling Racism and Racial Inequality in Sport (TRARIIS) review, published in 2021.

# data[].attributes.headline
UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 one year on: impact study shows major boost across Europe

# data[].attributes.subject
UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 one year on: impact study shows major boost across Europe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Following the release of the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 post-tournament flash impact report last October, UEFA and the English Football Association (The FA) have unveiled the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Post-Tournament Report.

The report outlines the key post-tournament impacts, including developments in participation and interest in women's football, the opportunities created at the highest levels of the professional game, economic growth and the longer-term legacy of the tournament across football and wider society.

Nadine Kessler, UEFA Managing Director of Women's Football:

"It is already one year since the start of UEFA Women's EURO 2022, but its legacy continues to deliver and underline the power of football.

"Not only has the tournament left a lasting and unshakeable legacy on women's and girls' football in England, but it has touched people and inspired change across Europe and the world. There are more girls and women participating in the game, more fans of the game attending matches in domestic leagues, and more visibility of the game than ever before - UEFA Women's EURO 2022 has undoubtedly played its part in that."

View the full Ernst and Young report

Key findings of the impact study

Economic benefits of hosting Women's EURO

Tournament host cities enjoyed significant economic benefits from hosting UEFA Women's EURO 2022. This was driven by record crowds, the high proportion of international visitors among these attendees, and their spending patterns during their stay. The expenditure incurred as part of tournament delivery and the legacy programme were also key drivers of economic activity and employment.

The FA via Getty Images for the

The tournament generated economic activity of £81 million (approximately €94m) across its eight host cities. UEFA Women's EURO 2022 also supported 1,200 full-time equivalent jobs (created and supported by the total direct, indirect and induced effects of the tournament) across the host cities.

Attendances of women's football matches rise across Europe

Professional women's football has experienced a significant surge in interest throughout Europe over the past 12 months.

The UEFA Women's Champions League 2022/23 season (group stage onwards) achieved a total attendance of 681,175 - a 23% increase on the 2021/22 season and a record average match attendance of 11,166. There were also several national attendance records broken and domestic women's competition crowds continued to rise across the continent.

UEFA via Getty Images

Here are some examples:

* In England, the total attendance during the 2022/23 Women's Super League (WSL) season surpassed 680,000, 172% higher than the 2021/2022 season, with average attendance per game-week nearly tripling. This was supported by the use of larger stadiums.

* In Germany, the women's Bundesliga achieved a 231% attendance increase during the 2022/23 season compared to 2021/22.

* AS Roma broke an attendance record for a women's football match in Italy during their UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final home leg with 39,454 fans.

* In Portugal, attendance records fell one after the other in recent months, including a record 27,000 fans in attendance at the Lisbon derby between Benfica and Sporting at the Estádio da Luz.

* In Wales, Wrexham AFC set a new women's domestic fixture attendance record with 9,511 spectators, breaking the previous record of 5,175 set in October of 2022.

Participation increase and change of perceptions

The FA reported the highest year-on-year participation increase among girls under 16. Data provided by the FA were based on estimated figures of total participation in any type of football - capturing formal and casual football participation - and showed there was a 140% increase in participation levels in the season following the tournament, followed by women aged 16 and older (53% increase). This amounts to 2.3 million more women and girls playing football post-tournament compared to the prior season. Additionally, 84% of surveyed spectators say that UEFA Women's EURO 2022 has improved their perceptions of women's football.

Getty Images for The National Lo

Already prior to the tournament, an increase in female participation was noticeable across the continent. Between the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons, there was an increase of 14% in registered female players under 18 across Europe, and a 7% rise in players aged 18 and older. Additionally, UEFA's bespoke initiatives, including 'Football in Schools' and 'UEFA Playmakers', have seen a rise in participation of 19% and 49% respectively across Europe year-on-year in 2021/22.

View the full Ernst and Young report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UEFA Women's EURO 2022 one year on: impact study shows major boost across Europe | Inside UEFA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The most-watched Women's EURO ever has been a catalyst for attendance, economic and participation growth.

# data[].attributes.headline
New IOC Mental Health Action Plan to further focus on well-being of athletes and promoting psychologically safe environments

# data[].attributes.subject
New IOC Mental Health Action Plan to further focus on well-being of athletes and promoting psychologically safe environments

# data[].attributes.headline
Charity welcomes major review of Women's football

# data[].attributes.subject
Charity welcomes major review of Women's football

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The review makes 10 key recommendations including the need for Government to deliver on the recent commitments around equal access to school sports for girls. You can read the recommendations in full here.

In responding to the review Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust Ali Oliver said;

' The Youth Sport Trust is a charity that works to ensure every child can access the benefits of play and sport in education, we therefore welcome the recommendations made by Karen Carney within the government review of Women's Football. The stubborn and persistent gap in participation between girls and boys has been driven by inequality in all aspects of women's sport from access and participation to profile and recognition. The repeated message this gives to young women and girls is sport is not a place where they belong.
For the past 4 years, the Youth Sport Trust has worked alongside The FA to deliver the Barclays Girls' Football School Partnerships programme, which is focused on ensuring all schools within England offer girls equal access to football. Boosted by the passionate fight of the England Women, the percentage of schools providing access and opportunity for girls to play football has dramatically improved showing what's possible, and revealing a huge demand which is excellent news for overall physical activity levels and participation in sport. However, as highlighted by this review, we are aware of just how much there is still to do. We will continue our work to ensure ALL schools are offering equal access to football, and support other male dominated sports which are also addressing this challenge too. We are committed to ensuring, in future, no child misses out on participating in sport because of their gender.'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Charity welcomes major review of Women's football

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today former England and Great Britain footballer turned pundit Karen Carney MBE published her major independent review into the future of domestic women's football.

# data[].attributes.headline
‘You’ll have more empathy, you’ll have more fun’: the man who wants to transform our relationship with sleep

# data[].attributes.subject
‘You’ll have more empathy, you’ll have more fun’: the man who wants to transform our relationship with sleep

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
rofessor Russell Foster CBE, head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford, has some relationship advice. One of the things he's asked most often at public talks is what to do if your partner snores. First, check with your doctor if a serious condition like sleep apnoea might be to blame. Second, get some ear plugs. Third: "If you have an alternative sleeping space, then use it. It's not a reflection of the quality of your relationship. I would say that in many cases, it's the beginning of a better one. You'll be more rested, you'll be less irritated with your partner, you'll probably have a better sense of humour, you'll have more empathy. You'll have more fun."

Is he speaking from personal experience? "Perhaps ... " Who's the snorer in his marriage? "We'll gloss over that," he says with a chuckle. And what about so-called chronotypes - whether you're a lark or an owl. Can a mixed marriage work? Oh yes, he says, again drawing from personal experience (he's an "evening type", while his wife, Lizzie, likes to get up early). The data actually suggests that these kinds of partnerships tend to last longer. "Now my cynical colleagues say that's because you don't see much of each other. I prefer the explanation that if you can accommodate your partner's sleep habits, then actually, it shows you have a reasonably flexible disposition. And then all the other crap that is thrown at you in a relationship can be [dealt with] appropriately."

Sleep is like shoe size, and it would be crazy to suggest that everybody should wear the same size shoe

We're speaking over a cup of tea on the sidelines of the Hay festival, where the cheerfully avuncular Foster is due to give a talk about the biological clock, the subject of his bestselling book Life Time. People flock to these events, seeking understanding but also reassurance. Part of the motivation for writing it was "this incredible anxiety about sleep", which Foster puts down to the awesome pile-up of evidence about how intimately it is linked to our health and wellbeing.

This knowledge is useful, but it's a double-edged sword - particularly when it's not properly explained. For example, people tend to want a specific answer to the question of how much sleep they should be getting. "I can't tell you because it depends upon your individual needs, how old you are, and all the rest of it," Foster says. Before writing the book, he admits, he was "very frustrated with the sort of sergeant majors of sleep, screaming: you must get eight hours. Sleep is an immensely dynamic part of our biology. Sleep is like shoe size, and it would be crazy to suggest that everybody should wear the same size shoe."

At the same time, he says, it's actually pretty simple to figure out if someone's getting the sleep they need. "Am I able to function optimally during the day? Do I feel as if I'm firing on all cylinders? Does it take me a long time to wake up? Do I feel groggy? Do I need a nap in the middle of the afternoon? Do I seem more irritable? Do I - and this is a critical one - oversleep on weekends or free days?"

While sleep tends to monopolise the Q&A session whenever Foster is in front of a crowd, it's not his first love. He's also the director of an ophthalmology lab, his interest in sleep a byproduct of his fascination with the eye: the organ we see with, but also the one that sets our circadian rhythms, whose effects extend into cognition, mood, immunity, reproduction, you name it. His biggest scientific achievement is the discovery that light-sensitive cells in the retina unrelated to vision synchronise us to day and night. If these are lost or damaged things can get seriously out of whack (Foster mentions a blind war veteran who found himself mowing the lawn at 3am). In some who've lost their sight, however, those cells are preserved, meaning that even though they have no vision, it's still important their eyes are exposed to daylight.

Russell Foster at the biochemistry building in Oxford. Photograph: Suki Dhanda/The Observer

For his next book, Foster plans to look even more closely at light itself - one of those things, like circadian rhythms, which he says is "so obvious, we've ignored it". It sounds like a more freewheeling, esoteric work than Life Time, which was practical, stuffed with information, and occasionally a bit textbook-like. His aim is to explain the science, but also spur a sense of awe. "Just think about the formation of a photon in the centre of the Sun, which then takes a million years to get to the surface, and then six minutes to get to Earth. And what does it do?" He reels off a list of wonders: photosynthesis, the liberation of oxygen, the evolution of complex life, all the way to the creation and enjoyment of great art ( Turner, naturally, is his favourite painter, and there's a fair amount of art and philosophy in the new book).

It's a departure, but not out of character: Foster's natural bonhomie is at least three-quarters nerdy delight in the subjects he's explaining, with the rest a desire to inspire the same enthusiasm in his audience. That nerdiness has deep roots. "When I was a kid I remember putting a fly in a glass tube and Sellotaping it to a turntable. I was curious to see: would it get dizzy? And then, you know, it flew off perfectly well, telling me that its balance mechanisms must be fundamentally different from the sorts of systems we use. I've always been fascinated with mechanisms." He's also extremely keen on helping people, and tells me excitedly about a drug he's identified that could reset the clock in people who've become desynchronised, from the blind to those with neurodevelopmental disorders or severe mental illnesses. "If I can end my scientific career having given that sense of time to the timeless, I will die very happy indeed," he says.

Given this altruistic streak, why didn't he become a doctor? Two of his daughters are medical students, but he considers himself "too emotional" for it. "I could not deal with telling a mother her child's going to go blind or something. It's just so overwhelmingly upsetting. And that would make me a very bad doctor indeed." Wouldn't it make him a compassionate one? "Yeah, but you've got to keep your emotions under control. Somebody blubbing is not going to help anybody." Instead he focused on fundamental science. It was only when he felt that his specialism had become mature enough for translation - in other words, ripe for practical application - that he took on his current roles at Oxford.

Sleep disruption affects our capacity for empathy. Divorce rates among night workers are six times higher

Those applications range from the relatively narrow - that drug to kickstart the clock, for example - to the mind-bogglingly broad, including changes to the way we work and even the structure of the family. Indeed, the circadian science Foster has made it his mission to explain to the world suggests a far-reaching political programme, as well as a self-help one.

Take shift work, for example. Being awake at night has all sorts of horrible effects on our physiology, making us active when we're supposed to be in rest and repair mode. The long-term consequences can be dire, from diabetes to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Sleep disruption even affects our capacity for empathy, one explanation for the fact that divorce rates among night workers are apparently six times higher than the norm.

That's important to know, but what are people supposed to do about it if that's the only way they can earn a living? "There's a duty of care from an employer to the employee," Foster says. Companies should provide extra health checks, nutritious food and transport home (in the US, an estimated 100,000 car crashes are caused by drowsy driving every year). They should offer extended breaks from night work - maybe five years on, five years off. Surely businesses aren't going to volunteer to do this stuff, though? "I think it's going to come to the point where people will start to bring class action suits," he says. "They're going to say: 'Look, just read the scientific literature.' There's a hell of a lot out there."

He predicts a gradual change in attitudes, along the lines of smoking. Education will be an important part of this, although he's frustrated that the findings he's made in that area haven't been more widely applied. Foster ran a pilot study for schools involving eight 30-minute lessons about sleep circadian rhythms. "Before [the lessons], about 20% of kids were showing levels of insomnia that would probably be clinically relevant. Afterwards, the average went out of the danger zone."

But they quickly discovered teaching wasn't the only intervention needed. "We asked a bunch of questions, one of which was, do you share your sleeping space with anybody else - expecting that yes, bedrooms would be shared as kids. We didn't ask the question: do you have a bed? And it became clear that many didn't. Their bed was the family sofa. So that quality of sleep was really poor, and they would start school the next day chronically sleep deprived." It's a vicious cycle: poverty affects sleep, which affects education, which in turn affects life chances. One study in America saw outcomes improve when children were given good pillows, but it's clear this is about more than just bedding. "It's the poorest sectors of society that are clobbered the hardest. And so we need to be more kind and generous to that group of individuals. Perhaps I'm being somewhat naive - but I don't see anything wrong with trying to protect the most vulnerable."

One area where poor sleep is surely just par for the course is parenthood, right? Well, not necessarily. "All primates have extended childcare," says Foster, with family members sharing the burden and allowing parents to catch up on sleep. "We've had a complete loss of this, so childcare is now on the shoulders of just the parents, and usually just the mother. And that's not fair: we've not evolved to do that. So first of all, you shouldn't feel guilty that you're not coping, because you're tired. We should introduce extended care wherever possible, with friends and families playing a greater part."

No stage of life is untouched by sleep, so no area of policy is, either. For example, elderly people in residential care get much less access to natural light than the rest of us. As a result "the sleep-wake system begins to slide and you get all the problems associated with that". Foster cites a "wonderful study from the Netherlands" where an increase in the amount of light in the nursing home boosted levels of cognition by 9-10%.

Does he appreciate that there are quite big political implications to some of these findings? "I haven't really thought about it in those ways. It's really been more: what's the problem? This is what I think we should do. But you're quite right. It does have a major impact across many sectors of society."

And ways you might never have imagined, too. Did sleep deprivation nearly bring down the world economy? "I think the banking sector has been the classic one for me, you know, the crash of 2008. You had a bunch of jocks, chronically sleep deprived. And what we do know on the basis of the science is that [this creates] overly impulsive, non-reflective behaviours. And that's not what we need. We need a society that can be empathetic and make the appropriate judgments. And what we know is that sleep can enormously enhance our capacity to do that."

What would a better rested society look like? "I would hope it's a kinder, more reflective, more constructive, more intelligent society ... We're so incredibly arrogant. We think we can do whatever we like, whatever time we choose, and can ignore 200 million years of evolutionary baggage. Think of Shakespeare - 'O gentle sleep, nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee' - he knew intuitively the power of sleep. Yes, we have been able to achieve a huge amount, but we've got to get the balance right."

Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and Health by Russell Foster is published in paperback by Penguin. To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'You'll have more empathy, you'll have more fun': the man who wants to transform our relationship with sleep

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From snoring to shift work, Russell Foster explains the myths and misconceptions that get in the way of a well-rested society

# data[].attributes.headline
Recognizing and Responding to Teen-Dating Violence: Implications for Women Coaches

# data[].attributes.subject
Recognizing and Responding to Teen-Dating Violence: Implications for Women Coaches

# data[].attributes.headline
Morning exercise linked to healthier brains and happier children

# data[].attributes.subject
Morning exercise linked to healthier brains and happier children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Morning exercise linked to healthier brains and happier children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A study of overweight children in Spain found that children who had more physical activities early in the morning had healthier brain white matter microstructure. These children also tended to be happier compared to those who had fewer activities in the morning. The study was published in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
WARNING: This article contains descriptions of racism and other offensive and discriminatory language and behaviour.
An obscene joke about a Muslim cricketer's prayer mat and "predatory behaviour" towards women were some of the "absolutely horrific" stories heard by a damning report into discrimination in cricket.

The long-awaited Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report was published on Tuesday and said racism, sexism, classism and elitism is "widespread" in the English and Welsh game.

Chair Cindy Butts said stories told to the commission showed the sport's culture is "rotten".

"We heard of women being constantly stereotyped, demeaned, facing predatory behaviour," Butts told BBC sports editor Dan Roan.

"We heard from women who are having to walk into score boxes and face signs that say 'no bras allowed'. This is 2023, not 1923."

Butts described "routine" use of racial slurs, including one 13-year-old on a talent pathway being racially abused and told to "go back home".

"We heard from a former Muslim player who had to endure the indignity of his team-mates laughing and joking about one of the players using the prayer mat to clean up after sex," Butts added.

"The stories were absolutely horrific and it goes to show that the culture in cricket is rotten."

'Women subjected to sexting and harassment'

The report looked into recreational and professional cricket and the evidence gathered came from more than 4,000 respondents.

Among those to give evidence were England men's Test captain Ben Stokes, women's captain Heather Knight, former men's captain Joe Root and World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan.

"We heard that there are problems throughout cricket, including the England dressing room, at the recreational level, at the board level, including for young pupils as well, and people on the on the talent pathway throughout cricket," Butts said.

As well as racism, the report was particularly damning when highlighting sexism - saying that women are treated as "subordinate" to men at all levels of the sport.

"What we what we've seen is that women are vulnerable when around a drinking culture, they are subjected to sexual harassment, lots of sexting," Butts said.

"We've heard from a number of women who talk about being vulnerable and being exposed and having unwanted advances made on them by men."

Improving is our 'single biggest priority' - ECB chair

The report made 44 recommendations, including that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) makes an unreserved public apology for its failings.

Speaking to BBC Sport, ECB chair Richard Thompson offered a "heartfelt apology" to those who have been "discriminated against and excluded".

He said making improvements on the back of the findings is the game's "single biggest priority" and reiterated his desire, stated last September , to make cricket the country's "most inclusive sport".

"I think this report will accelerate that process now," said Thompson, who was appointed last year.

"At the time I said it will probably take us five years to achieve that. And I think I think now we've probably got a bigger hill to climb based on what we've read in this report in terms of achieving that level.

"But cricket does reach communities that no other sport does."

The report acknowledged that "the problems we identify are not, sadly, unique to cricket. In many instances they are indicative of equally deeply rooted societal problems".

What else did the report say?

The report found racism in cricket is "not confined to pockets or a few bad apples" but is "widespread and a serious problem".

It said there is "a culture in which overt discrimination often goes without serious challenge", which includes "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and ableist comments and actions, and a 'laddish' drinking culture that can sometimes make women vulnerable and at risk of unwanted or unwelcome behaviour, as well as alienating others due to religious and/or cultural beliefs".

Fifty percent of respondents had experienced discrimination in the last five years.

It recommended the historic Eton versus Harrow and Oxford against Cambridge fixtures should not be played at Lord's from 2023 onwards, in order to stop the message of elitism, and questioned why the England women's team has not played a Test at the venue.

"It's absolutely shocking that women haven't had the opportunity to play a Test match at the so-called home of cricket," Butts said.

"I think that's awful.

"And when you know that Eton and Harrow have an automatic right to play at Lord's, I think that is absolutely disgraceful. I think it speaks to the elitism in cricket."

Criticism of the fixtures was part of what the report called a prevalence of "elitism and class-based discrimination".

A lack of cricket in state schools and a talent pathway structurally aligned to private schools is partly to blame for "elitism and class-based discrimination", it said.

Butts said: "We have concluded that it is it and it's not just institutionally racist, we say that it's institutionally and structurally sexist and has class-based discrimination.

"We have thought long and hard about using that term, but we believe it's a term that applies when you look at the evidence that exists."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'Horrific' cricket report 'shows rotten culture'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Absolutely horrific" stories found by damning report into discrimination in cricket show game's culture is "rotten", says report chair.

# data[].attributes.headline
Pippa Grange: Working on the soul of the team

# data[].attributes.subject
Pippa Grange: Working on the soul of the team

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Written by Simon Austin - November 8, 2019

BACKGROUND

Pippa Grange: I am an Englishwoman born in Yorkshire. I consider myself a global citizen. I've been 20 years in Australia and a couple of years in California as well, so I'm recently back to England discovering the joys of winter. I live over in the Peak District, which is fabulous, and I have had a long 20-year plus career in elite sport and business culture-coaching.

I've done a lot of work in Australia - predominantly in Australian Rules Football teams that many of you may not know anything about, but they're very famous. New Zealand rugby, rugby league, Australian Olympic teams and some extreme endurance athletes as well.

I'm a psychologist by trade but I think of myself as a culture coach. I guess that people ask me what would be the base mantras that you have and I think that excellence can be found anywhere. Love is definitely stronger than fear when it comes to performance.

WHAT DOES YOUR JOB INVOLVE?

I guess there are two things - to understand resilience and work on the soul of the team. That means making sure that the tone is right, that the relationships are solid, that it's not fake, that it feels good and that people are genuinely in it together. That's the stuff that wins.

Resilience isn't just about the ability to bounce back from something that's gone wrong. Toughness is like a block of concrete, it's immovable, it's hard, whereas resilience is more like a sheet of flexible steel and it's got give in it.

Resilience requires us to have moments where we're on the lower side of okay. Sometimes we get a little bit caught up in the idea that resilience means always being positive, always okay, always brilliant. That's not what it is.

With a challenge mindset we can know which of our own skills to draw on to get us through something that's difficult.

People have an impression of you spending hours a day with a player to get something right. The schedule of elite sport just doesn't work like that though, especially in high-turnaround sports like football.

It's important for me to be able to work through the other people who are front-line. The kit man is definitely a psychologist, the physio is a psychologist, the massage person is going to be spending an hour with somebody working on their back or their hamstrings and they're going to hear a lot.

So how do I help them get really good at culture? How do I help them do what they imagine I do, so we connect the dots? I guess most of the time I'm trying to see patterns and connect the dots.

If I'm making everyone else in the staff, including the coaches, brilliant at culture, we're going to be a lot further ahead.Yes, you can improve the culture and lose a game.

And you can win lots of games and not improve the culture at all, because winning is not the same as good culture. The two go hand-in-hand but they're not necessarily causal - culture doesn't cause winning. But sustained winning is absolutely underpinned by good culture.

RELATIONSHIPS

This is the common theme for sustained performance for the truly great. There's an enormous protective element to quality relationships that are characterised by care and intimacy.

It doesn't mean friendship, but it means knowing that person is going to be authentic and there's going to be an exchange that's compassionate.

Those things are enormously protective for wellbeing but also for performance. I've seen it time and time again - where the relationships are fickle, fake, or too agenda-ed, it is much less stable.

If you don't have great relationships, you may have a honeymoon period - with a new coach or a star player or amazing talent - but it won't be sustained.

So the first thing I always look for is the quality of relationships. Who's in good relationships and where are the relationships sour or tense or not yet connected? That's everything in high performing teams.

The second thing I look for is 'where is the power'? The power isn't necessarily with the top guy or the coach or captain. The power might be in a really old hand, a veteran, somebody with real battle scars who's very revered or feared in the team.

Or it might be with somebody who's really disruptive in a team who's a troublemaker and gets in the way of culture but nobody knows how to deal with them. So I look for who's got the real power and the quality of relationships - unravelling those two things is key.

PART OF A PACK

I think about the Rugby World Cup that England won (in 2003). The Jonny Wilkinson kick. The smart things to understand about the psychology, whatever the outcome, is how that person is connected to the group before and after the event.

If somebody feels like, 'okay, I'm standing with my pack at that moment', it's a big deal. There's nothing the coach can do from the sideline at that point - or the psychologist, or anybody else - it's them.

I think the England cricket team this year - as well - have shown some really good examples of that. The team behind the team or team within the team that have been super beneficial.

BIGGER CAUSE

In Olympic sports, people are literally competing with each other for funding or a spot on the team. But they are supposed to be a team and that's very tough.

Anything you can possibly do to elevate it to an identity - in that case a national identity - that is bigger than the individual identities or areas that they come from is precious.

For there to be something they want to belong to that is appealing, that they can love, that they can connect to in a really deep and meaningful way; and also feel that the people who went before them and the people that come after them will still will also believe deeply.

COACH AS CUSTODIAN

The coach is the custodian of the culture. He or she needs to be talking about it. They need to be explaining why it matters, what it is, how it feels.

He or she is the author, the orator for culture. And I think that's a really important role of the leader in any team, in business or in sport.

If that person is the storyteller and is leading people in a direction, then it's very easy for other people to follow.

So yes it is ours, it's the performance group's, and there are moments where the player or the individual business performer is there on the line. But actually that sense of the culture being narrated by the leader is critical.

If you have a situation where the leader goes missing in terms of the storytelling and in terms of speaking about the culture and describing what's happening - even though it might seem obvious - that can be really detrimental in moments of high pressure and high performance.

If a leader defers to doing the technical work, if a leader goes and sits in the middle of the orchestra rather than conducting out the front, that can be really detrimental, because people need that guidance at that point of pressure.

It seems like such a simple thing, such a humble thing - to stand and talk about what's happening when people can clearly see what's happening - but it's immensely powerful.

STORYTELLING

The stories we tell are just so important around culture. The narrative that is underpinning everything is massive. I've done a lot of work on that across my career.

Explaining who we are, what we're doing, why we're doing it and having everybody else in a position where they're into it.

In an ideal situation, they would be specifying 'these are the things we care about'. You can't impose culture, just like you can't impose values. But you can inspire them and storytelling is a great way to do that.

The other was much less extroverted, but really highly-regarded and highly loved and respected by the players. He took a chair and sat in the middle of the circle of players at half-time and said, 'Boys, what do you think we need to do next? Here's the story I'm seeing unfolding, here's my view, but you're out there with the mud on your boots. What do you think?'

He still narrated the story. He still orchestrated the story.

I also remember seeing a piece about a coach who I really respect in the AFL, when his team had just lost the Grand Final. It was devastating for them and he had a moment of leadership that I think was brilliant, where he actually said at the end of the game, 'I don't know how to lead you now boys at this moment in time. What I can tell you is that I'm super proud of you and I'm inspired by your effort. But right at this moment I don't know how to lead you'.

And I thought that was wonderful role-modelling for culture. The practice of standing and talking intimately and authentically about how they feel and what they care about and why they're proud and what didn't go well.

AUTHENTICITY

It works if it's true for you. The whole strength in the ability to tell stories and be believed is if you're being yourself; if the player can feel you as authentic. Players, like most of us, can smell a fake a mile off.

They don't respond to inauthenticity or over-engineered over-glossed dramatics. But if that person is genuinely impassioned at that moment and is likely to be fairly extroverted normally - I imagine that's how Jurgen Klopp normally is - then that's the right way to address it.

If it's not the next person's way, then do it your way.

Failure is a brilliant teacher, but it's a hard teacher, because you only work it out after the fact. You've got to go through the test and the pain before you work it out.

It's so important that we actually spend time making the lesson of what happened. When you come back off a big event like a World Cup or an Olympics or something like that, the emotional hangover work that you do is really important.

How do I make meaning out of this? What are the lessons I'm going to take out of this?

Because it's too easy to go 'it's done, full stop, move on'. If you're emotionally drained, leave it some time and come back and make sense of it.

When you talk about a coach who's experienced adversity, I think that the the critical bit is 'how are they making sense of what happened?'

It can make them more relatable, so long as they've worked out the failure and learnt the lesson. And as long as they can tell stories about it well.

Admiring from afar is much less powerful than if that person has the vulnerability to stand up and talk about it. And not with loads of gloss, but in a real, human way.

I think Brene Brown taught us lots about vulnerability in that way. If you want to be whole and seen as somebody who can be resilient to things like shame or pressure, then in some ways you've got to also be willing to be vulnerable.

CHANGING ROOM BEFORE THE MATCH

It's amazing. It's awful. It's a mixed bag of emotions. A couple of hours before going out onto the field it's really like a quiet buzzing vibe. People are getting ready. That's a time when they're getting in their own zone. It's tunes, it's headphones on. Some people sit back, some clown around.

Whatever they need to do to let go of their energy, to get in the right space. There's a lot of side chats between captain and player, between coach and player, that might be tactical, or just making sure people know what's to be achieved.

The physios are strapping, the kit men are running around. It's a really interesting quiet energy, a building energy. The pre-address before you go out is usually quite tactical. There's a strong emphasis on belief and 'we'll love you whatever happens'. That's good stuff to be talking about.

After that, it's all the backslapping. I love that bit. The last few minutes before they get out into the tunnel it's loud. You never get so many hugs in your whole life. It's really boisterous for a minute and then in the tunnel it's pin drop silence. I don't know if anybody remembers that scene from Gladiator, where they're all about to go out? It's really like that, apart from the bit where the guy pees down his leg!

I need to say first of all I did not do the unicorns. That was Bryce Kavanagh, who's a physical prep guy. He's a genius and that was his idea. The basis for anything like that is, 'can you create the conditions for somebody to have a laugh?'

Can you allow people to release tension and to just feel like, 'Okay we're done with that performance, we can reset, we can have some fun, we can just be.'

One of my favourite examples was before the New Zealand v Australia Rugby League World Cup final in 2013. We were a few days out from a massive game. I was with New Zealand.

There was a lot of tension in the camp. The arrangement was that we were gonna go to a haunted house in London. So we've got these enormous burly tough guys, a lot of them had had quite tough upbringings, and on the bus on the way to the haunted house there was all manner of giggling and all sorts of 'I'm not going at the front, you're gonna go at the front'.

I have never heard such high-pitched screams in my life. But it was just such an enormous tension release.

They had heaps of fun for a half hour and then had a Nando's and went home and went to bed and it was a couple of days out from a game and it was a really good reset.

Those moments where we can create fun or an opportunity to break out of the deep focus are hugely powerful in performance.

But you don't have to create fun. If you create conditions for it, people will find their own fun. Play is very natural to us. Laughter, fun, oxytocin, endorphins have massively positive effects on brain chemistry.

Psychological space, to me, is a mental freedom. It's about where you can be something other than a performer for that moment in time, where you genuinely turn off.

Sometimes I think we drive really hard for the next thing. 'We've got to stay focussed and stay in the zone'. But in reality you can't even stay focussed for more than 90 minutes you know. So it's a ridiculous idea.

It's almost a higher value than the time we spend on the foundational pieces of physical stuff like sleep or nutrition or exercise.

If any of us stay in a mode where we're performing all the time we're going to burn out. Or even if we don't burn out, it's going to be boring or much less fun than it could be.

Your actual peak performance moments, whether it's in business or in sport, are relatively small in comparison to what you doing with the rest of the day. And if we try and stay in a performance zone all the time, there's no quicker route to burn out or boredom than that.

So we have to recognise that there's off time. There is a peak performance time, a build-up and readiness time, recovery time. And then there's an off-time. And that's the same for all of us in life.

Having those opportunities where they're not on show, they're not in the public domain and where they're not being judged on something critical are really important. That can just be going to Nando's and going to bed early.

With elite athletes, everybody wants a piece of them all the time. But it's so important that they just have a moment to Facetime the kids at bath time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Training Ground Guru | Pippa Grange: Working on the soul of the team

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DR PIPPA GRANGE, England's first Head of People and Team Development, outlines her philosophy regarding culture and performance psychology.

# data[].attributes.headline
FA Disability Cup finals weekend illustrates that football is for all

# data[].attributes.subject
FA Disability Cup finals weekend illustrates that football is for all

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
hyce Ramsden is an electric winger with a silken touch and a floppy centre parting. When he plays he gets clattered from pillar to post. He was man of the match on Saturday as his team won the trophy they covet the most and he did it on one leg. As far as nicknames go, 'the amputee Jack Grealish' sounds about right.

"You know what they're calling me? Not Jack Grealish, but Fat Grealish," said Ramsden, after his Everton side ran out 4-2 winners over Portsmouth at the FA Disability Cup finals. "I'll take it though. Being here playing in the cup, never mind winning it, it's surreal, it's mad."

He also confirmed there will be no four-day bender to follow. "I might treat myself to a McDonalds on the way home, but that will be it."

Amputee football is a version of the national sport that is fast, highly technical and acutely dangerous. Ramsden may be stocky but he has the acceleration of a sprinter and according to one of his coaches "could beat a two-legger in a straight line race".

During the final he twice had a crutch chopped in half by an unsparing Portsmouth tackle. However, he also finished a cute one-two to open the scoring, killed a long ball at pace, then rolled a shot past the keeper for his second. He then laid on a decisive assist that bisected a massed defence.

Rhyce Ramsden with his player of the match trophy. Photograph: BT Sport

He stood out, but he was hardly the only impressive player on display; the amputee final was as enthralling and accomplished as anything you might have seen in mainstream football last season.

The Disability Cup finals were first staged in 2016 and now take in six different disciplines of football. Alongside the amputee match on Saturday, there were also partially sighted and blind finals. On Sunday, the cerebral palsy, deaf and powerchair showpieces will follow.

Each game has its own variations on the rules; from simple things such as the number of players or size of the pitch to more distinct complexities such as, in the blind game, the necessity of saying the word 'voy' to announce your presence before challenging for the ball. But at heart the sport remains assuredly the same, the point of the finals being not only to determine success and reward endeavour, but to broadcast that football is for all.

Matches are held at St George's Park, the bucolic 'Home of England' in the Staffordshire countryside. The messaging within the complex reinforces the theme of inclusion: on a wall of shirts belonging to 'England heroes' the scarlet effort worn by Paul Scholes when scoring a hat-trick against Poland in 1999 sits next to that of David Clark who scored 128 goals in 144 games for England's blind team and finished fourth in the world championships in 2010.

It is not easy to score goals in blind football: small goals and fully sighted goalkeepers further complicates a version of the sport where outfield players lack the sense that defines the non-disabled game.

Brighton claimed a narrow victory over the Royal National College for the Blind, a rematch of last year's final that was decided by Hamed Ebrahim's low left-foot drive in the first half. Abdullah edged RNC's England international Rainbow Mbunagi as the game's dominant player, but both shared the close control and shooting instinct that are the decisive characteristics of the game.

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Football Daily

Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion

Hamed Ebrahim fires home to give Brighton victory in the blind final. Photograph: BT Sport

It is also worth noting that Brighton won their first Disability Cup after signing RNC's captain, Darren Harris, last summer. Harris, who is England's most decorated blind player with 157 caps and an icon of the game, exhibited excellent footwork, indefatigable running and elite timewasting, dancing slowly across the pitch to take a corner late in the second half before charming the referee. "I love this game," he whispered to the man in black.

Harris, Mbunagi and Ramsden are now benefiting from the exposure of TV coverage, with BT Sport showing the games live and Channel 4 airing a highlights package from next weekend. Visibility is what disability football needs, both to encourage participation and to grow the elite end of the game (the England amputee team, which won its first international tournament in 15 years last week, is not affiliated to the FA and remains a charitable operation).

Scorpions FC celebrate their victory in the partially-sighted final. Photograph: BT Sport

The presence of the cameras also boosted some of the performances, especially in the partially sighted final, where Scorpions FC beat Merseyside Blind & VI 2-1, to scenes of jubilation on the St George's Park futsal pitch.

Captain Tom Lamb not only poked home Scorpions' second goal (the first was an astounding backheel flick from Daniel Angus), he claimed the man of the match award and did a Jordan Henderson bum shuffle in lifting the trophy.

He said the visibility provided by TV coverage was key. "Playing at the home of football, not a lot of people get to do it," he said. "It's really important that young disabled people can see it, to know that it's possible.

"Sport gives so much and can really help people grow. So a day like today is really great."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FA Disability Cup finals weekend illustrates that football is for all

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
St George's Park hosts the event that contains six different disciplines, each with its own rule variations, over two days

# data[].attributes.headline
Abbey and Fountaindale School - Youth Sport Trust Outstanding Inclusive Practice Award Winners

# data[].attributes.subject
Abbey and Fountaindale School - Youth Sport Trust Outstanding Inclusive Practice Award Winners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Abbey and Fountaindale School - Youth Sport Trust Outstanding Inclusive Practice Award Winners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This blog examines the I.D.E.A Principle which seeks to explain how a player assesses and interprets information on the pitch in what is an ever changing, dynamic environment with time and space continuously being compromised.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We needed to focus on retention - how can we make the experience great? How can we help to shine a light on those providing brilliant experiences? How can we challenge some of the culturally resilient attitudes and beliefs that had come to become normalised in sport?

The sort of beliefs that accepted children being 'encouraged' to train for hours and hours at crazy times, children being selected and deselected for 'elite squads', children sitting through games as substitutes and not getting to play as much as others, children being forced to do laps, getting lectured or waiting in line, children having to do drills and only getting a game if 'they behaved'.

But how do you address culture? How do you challenge the status quo when it's so embedded?

There is an old African saying, 'if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together', and this was in the minds when we brought together a group of organisations that had all expressed a desire to address this challenge.

The ' Children's Coaching Collaborative ' was born.

Developing Play Their Way

We spent time working through the issues and one thing we found that kept coming up in the discussion was the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A few of the articles jumped out: the right to play, the right to be heard, the right to appropriate education, the right to be free of discrimination and abuse.

These rights became our 'truths'.

We looked for ways to articulate these ideals simply and embrace some of the other research we had explored.

We landed on 'voice', 'choice' and 'journey' - more on those later.

We call this way of thinking and being 'Child-first coaching' - it is an approach that is less 'coach-created' and more 'co-created', less 'coach down' more 'child up'.

I would love to invite colleagues to be part of this movement and going to the 'Support the movement' tab on the Play Their Way website will allow you to access the digital toolkit and start to spread the word.

Child-first coaching

Play their way is a movement of child-first coaches, organisations and people changing the game from the ground up.

Child-first coaching is an evidence-informed approach that prioritises the fundamental rights of all children and young people in sport and activity.

There are three key ingredients of this approach which reflect the rights of children and young people to be heard, to play and to develop:

Voice - space to share their views, which are acted on together in a meaningful way.

Choice - they how they play and participate.

Journey - they develop holistically, in their own way.

Long-term benefit

Coaches are the unsung heroes of our society, with evidence shows that children who receive coaching are 82% happier (Coaching in the UK, 2019).

We believe that building a grassroots movement of child-first coaches across the country is the key to getting more children active.

Many of the 2.6 million coaches across the country will already use a child-first approach and Play Their Way will further provide the support and resources they need to achieve our shared vision of increasing activity levels of children and young people, and giving more of them a positive experience of physical activity and sport.

Great coaching has the ability to inspire every young person. Our goal is for all children and young people to develop a genuine and lifelong love for being active.

Whether as parents, coaches or young people, we all have a role to play in helping create a huge cultural shift in the way we engage children in physical activity, to help them become healthier and happier and to develop them as people.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To mark coaching week, Sport England's Stuart Armstrong blogs on why Play Their Way, the child-first coaching campaign, came about and why it's so important.

# data[].attributes.headline
‘I like being different’: Amina Hanif on playing football with the hijab

# data[].attributes.subject
‘I like being different’: Amina Hanif on playing football with the hijab

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
mina Hanif remembers the day she turned up for her first football trial. She was 14 and eager to impress the coaches at Watford with her nimble footwork and sheer pace. But, as she made her way from the car park to the training ground, she asked herself some serious questions.

"I questioned my life decisions there and then," says the 22-year-old, who now plays for the Women's National League side Chesham United and the Pakistan national team. "We were walking to where all the coaches, players and parents were and I remember my mum turning to me and saying: 'They're all staring!' and, after wishing me luck, she headed straight back to the car and left me to fend for myself!"

Born into a British-Pakistani family and growing up playing with a hijab, she has often felt out of place in the sport. "I used to think I stand out so badly wearing a hijab, and that lowered my confidence and distracted me from my game," she says.

These days, however, Hanif wears the headscarf with pride and wants to be an inspiration for young girls like her as she plies her trade in the fourth tier of English football. "After a while something just clicked and I stopped caring about pretty much everything. It feels really good when nothing affects you," she says.

"I like being different - the hijab means I stand out on the pitch more. The only challenge I have nowadays is readjusting my headscarf after heading the ball or hiding my pins from the referee before the game. I've been offered a Nike hijab, but I'm counting on my own becoming iconic," she says.

Hanif recently made her debut for Pakistan, who returned to international football last September after an eight-year hiatus. The Green Shirts were inactive between 2014 and 2022 after the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was suspended by Fifa on several occasions in that time.

Amina Hanif (top row, second left) and her Pakistan teammates line up before kick-off in their Olympic qualifying match against Tajikistan. Photograph: Courtesy of Fifa

She has already helped to make history for Pakistan: her defence-splitting pass set up Zahmena Malik to score the only goal when they recorded their first-ever win in the women's Olympic qualifiers, defeating Tajikistan 1-0.

Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament, held in the Tajik city of Hisar, after defeats by Hong Kong and a Philippines side preparing for the 2023 Women's World Cup, but Hanif believes there were positives to take from the qualifiers.

"My goal was always to play at the highest level. However I had never heard much about the Pakistan women's team until the opportunity came along. It goes to show you never really know where life will take you."

"The Pakistani community in the United Kingdom is not recognised within a lot of sports. But by being a part of the team I am hoping this will inspire other girls to take up sports and follow their passions in both Pakistan and the UK," she says.

Having grown up watching Pep Guardiola's Barcelona and trying to copy the playing styles of Neymar and Dimitar Berbatov, among others, Hanif has played in midfield and across the forward positions at Watford, Denham United and now Chesham. She was deployed as a central defensive midfielder by the head coach, Adeel Rizki, for the Olympic qualifiers.

"I am constantly scanning and communicating with my teammates when on the pitch. Playing as a defensive midfielder, I was not able to show a lot of my attacking side so grabbing an assist was satisfying. I was praying Zahmena would finish, and she did," Hanif says. "Pakistan has such a huge population and trust me, there's talent out there - both boys and girls. It's just a shame there's no real setup or scouting in place. I hope by bringing more success with the national team, other girls will feel it's worth the time and effort to pursue their dreams."

Back in the UK, Hanif can feel attitudes shifting slowly in women's football, and even more palpably at home. "I knew some family members didn't entirely agree with me playing football, but that wasn't a problem for me, nor did it affect my relationship with any of them," she said. "If anything, it was a good laugh turning up on Eid in my Barcelona jersey. They are happy for me now and will probably be concerned if I stopped playing football."

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Moving the Goalposts

Informative, passionate, entertaining. Sign up to our weekly round-up of women's football now.
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion

Hanif feels there is plenty to do when it comes to ethnic-minority representation in women's football. "There was not a single person of colour when I went to Watford for my trials, but you find more black and Asian footballers these days in the lower divisions," she says. "[Diversity] is improving and there are Asians in academies now. So more girls are getting involved with the sport and with a higher chance of reaching the highest level."

Recommended viewing

Uppsala suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Linköping in Sweden's Damallsvenskan on Saturday, but their consolation goal was highlights reel-worthy as Matilda Eriksson Kristell's curling delivery into the box wrong-footed the opposition goalkeeper, Cajsa Andersson.
Have a question for our writers - or want to suggest a topic to cover? Get in touch by emailing moving.goalposts@theguardian.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'I like being different': Amina Hanif on playing football with the hijab

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
mina Hanif remembers the day she turned up for her first football trial. She was 14 and eager to impress the coaches at Watford with her nimble footwork and sheer pace. But, as she made her way from the car park to the training ground, she asked herself some serious questions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Duty to Care Digital Badge - UK Coaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Earn our new and improved, nationally recognised Digital Badge as a testament to your understanding of and commitment to the principles of Duty to Care

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Play Their Way - Play Their Way | A Hub for Child First Coaching in Sport

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join a community of coaches who are supporting young people to play their way!

# data[].attributes.headline
British Cycling to ban transgender women from competing in female category

# data[].attributes.subject
British Cycling to ban transgender women from competing in female category

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Dan Roan BBC sports editor

Last updated on . From the section Cycling

British Cycling is to ban transgender women from the female category of its elite competitions following a nine-month review and consultation.

Under a new participation policy that the governing body said was "predicated on fairness", such athletes will compete in an 'open category' with men.

The female category will be "for those whose sex was assigned female at birth".

The changes will prevent rider Emily Bridges - the country's highest-profile transgender cyclist - potentially being part of the British women's team.

Last year she was stopped from competing in her first elite women's race by the UCI - cycling's world federation - despite meeting the rules at the time.

British Cycling's policy had allowed transgender women to take part in elite female events if they met testosterone-based regulations.

But with the governing body at the heart of the debate over balancing inclusion with fairness, its regulations were suspended amid mounting controversy about Bridges and a review was launched.

"Research studies indicate that even with the suppression of testosterone, transgender women who transition post-puberty retain a performance advantage," said British Cycling.

"Our aim in creating our policies has always been to advance and promote equality, diversity and inclusion, while at the same time prioritising fairness of competition.

"We recognise the impact the suspension of our policy has had on trans and non-binary people, and we are sorry for the uncertainty and upset that many have felt during this period."

Transgender women will be able to participate in non-competitive recreational and community cycling without restriction.

The new policies will be implemented by the end of the year.

What's the background?

Having been a highly promising competitor in junior men's events, Bridges came out as transgender in 2020, starting hormone therapy as part of her gender dysphoria treatment.

She then became eligible to compete in elite women's events under British Cycling's transgender regulations, which required riders to have had testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for a 12-month period prior to competition.

But days before the 2022 National Omnium Championships, the UCI said Bridges' participation could only be allowed once her eligibility to race in international competitions was confirmed, dashing her hopes of competing for Wales in the Commonwealth Games.

A group of elite female cyclists called on the UCI to "rescind" its rules around transgender participation, claiming female athletes in the UK were "willing to boycott" events over their "concerns about fairness in their sport".

Bridges said she felt "harassed and demonised" and had "little clarity" on her eligibility. She added that she "does not have any advantage" over her competitors, and could prove it with data.

While British Cycling suspended its rules, the UCI then toughened its regulations, doubling the qualification period to two years and lowering the required testosterone threshold for transgender women riders to 2.5nmol/L.

But this month, after Austin Killips became the first transgender woman to win a UCI women's stage race at the Tour of the Gila, the world governing body re-opened consultation on the issue, saying it "hears the voices of female athletes and their concerns about an equal playing field for competitors".

'Paucity of research' - British Cycling boss

"We acknowledge the paucity of research at this time, but can only look at what's available to use," said British Cycling chief executive Jon Dutton.

"I am confident that we have developed policies that both safeguard the fairness of cycle-sport competition, whilst ensuring all riders have opportunities to participate.

"We have always been very clear that this is a challenge far greater than one sport. We remain committed to listening to our communities, to monitor changes in the scientific and policy landscape, to ensure that sport is inclusive for all."

In March, UK Athletics also banned transgender women from competing in the female category in its competitions and events. There have been similar moves in and both codes of rugby.

A number of studies have suggested transgender women retain cardiovascular and strength advantages compared to female athletes, even after taking testosterone-suppressing hormones.

Critics of transgender athletes' participation in some women's sports argue that gives them a disproportionate advantage over their peers and limits opportunities for their rivals.

However, others argue there is not enough detailed research in the area, that the science is not clear, and that with very few elite transgender athletes, sport should be more inclusive, with open categories criticised for being discriminatory.

British Cycling said its women-only community programme "will continue to remain open and inclusive for transgender women and non-binary people" who can "continue to participate in a broad range of British Cycling activities in line with their gender identities".

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
British Cycling to ban trans women from elite female events

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Dan Roan BBC sports editor Last updated on . From the section Cycling British Cycling is to ban transgender women from the female category of its elite competitions following a nine-month review and consultation. Under a new participation policy that the governing body said was "predicated on fairness", such athletes will compete in an 'open category' with men.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Play Their Way - Play Their Way | A Hub for Child First Coaching in Sport

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join a community of coaches who are supporting young people to play their way!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The guidance seeks to help planners, designers and everyone involved in delivering and managing our places to create and maintain environments that encourage people to move more.

And our chair Chris Boardman, who is also the National Active Travel Commissioner for ATE, believes this guidance holds the key to many issues currently facing the country.

"It's hard to underestimate the benefits of Active Design," he said. "Creating places and spaces that both enable and entice us to move more in our every day lives, benefits us in so many ways - from saving money on travel to giving children transport independence, both of which will create healthier communities which, in turn, reduce the strain on the NHS.

"But we will only move more on a regular basis if it's easy, attractive and safe. How to create an environment that enables that, is exactly what this guide is about.

"Enabling activity in our neighbourhoods is the core focus of the Active Design Guide but to be truly transformative for a nation, we need to extend the principles, so people can get to schools, shops and workplaces a bit further away, under their own steam.

"Sport England has worked closely with Active Travel England, so this vision can be delivered by future-thinking authorities and developers, passionate about designing wonderful places to live, that will stand the test of time.

"Who wouldn't want to live in area like that?"

Active Design focuses on three themes; supporting active travel; active, high-quality places and spaces; and creating and maintaining activity - within which each of the 10 principles sit.

The guidance has been developed with planners, urban designers and developers in mind but is relevant to anyone involved in delivering and managing the built environment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New Active Design guidance published | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The guidance seeks to help planners, designers and everyone involved in delivering and managing our places to create and maintain environments that encourage people to move more. And our chair Chris Boardman, who is also the National Active Travel Commissioner for ATE, believes this guidance holds the key to many issues currently facing the country.

# data[].attributes.headline
Obese patients cost NHS twice as much as those with healthy weight, study says

# data[].attributes.subject
Obese patients cost NHS twice as much as those with healthy weight, study says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Obese patients cost the NHS twice as much as those within a healthy weight range, according to research.

Using the health records of 2.4 million adults in north-west London, researchers found spending increased for heavier patients, primarily for obesity-related conditions. Patients of a healthy weight cost the NHS an average of £638 annually, the study found.

The results, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Dublin, laid bare the cost of obesity for the NHS as the government faces scrutiny for its failure to address the chronic policy issue.

The study found the NHS spent an average of £1,375 annually on morbidly obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40 - more than half of the study's participants. Obese patients with a BMI of 30 to 35 cost the health service an average of £979 annually, which increased to £1,178 for those with a BMI between 35 and 40.

If everyone were a healthy weight, the study suggested, the NHS would save nearly £14bn annually.

The lead researcher, Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, a public health lecturer at Imperial College London and head of health analytics at the Lane Clark & Peacock consultancy, said the cost was borne not only from living with obesity but the myriad related conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.

"As weight increases through the BMI categories - from healthy to overweight to obese - costs increase and use of healthcare resources increase," Pearson-Stuttard said. "The ill health and costs associated with obesity compound over time. Not only is that impacting individual health, but also costs to the NHS and the economic workforce."

In England, 63% of adults are living above a healthy weight, according to government figures published in May, and among them half are living with obesity.

For successive UK governments, obesity has long posed a threat to public health. With the third-highest obesity rate in Europe, after Malta and Turkey, in the last 30 years there have been four strategies and 689 policies to counter obesity, as well as the creation and later abolition of 14 different bodies to oversee progress, but little has been done to curb the trend.

The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has delayed measures promised by Boris Johnson in 2020 while he was in No 10 to introduce policies including restricting advertising of foods high in fat, salt or sugar on television before the 9pm watershed.

Last month, a report by the Institute for Government said that while Sunak's government says it wants to reduce obesity, it "has no serious plan to achieve that aim". A failure to address the problem will lead to lower productivity, higher taxes, greater health inequalities and increasing pressure on the NHS, according to the thinktank.

The Department of Health and Social Care said obesity is a serious health risk and new ways to help and incentivise people to live longer, healthier lives are being explored.

"Trials of new obesity treatments and technologies are being backed by £20 million of government funding, and we will introduce restrictions banning adverts on TV for less healthy foods before 9pm, as well as paid-for adverts of these products online."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Obese patients cost NHS twice as much as those with healthy weight, study says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Obese patients cost the NHS twice as much as those within a healthy weight range, according to research. Using the health records of 2.4 million adults in north-west London, researchers found spending increased for heavier patients, primarily for obesity-related conditions. Patients of a healthy weight cost the NHS an average of £638 annually, the study found.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For & Against Some time ago, I thought I was going to get fired at an elementary school where I had just begun teaching PE. It was because I wasn't including dodgeball in the teaching and learning of PE.

# data[].attributes.headline
Premiership Rugby: A week in the life of a top-flight referee

# data[].attributes.subject
Premiership Rugby: A week in the life of a top-flight referee

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tom Foley is well aware how some people think rugby referees fill their time between matches.

"There is a perception you just turn up on a Saturday, then spend the rest of the week watching TV," he says.

The truth, of course, is rather different.

For as players are fine-tuning their set-pieces, line-out calls and attacking plays, the officials are also putting in the hours to make sure they are ready to perform at their best in high-pressure situations.

Foley has been a full-time referee in rugby union's Premiership since 2014. His first top-flight match as the man in the middle was between London Welsh and Wasps, and he has gone on to referee more than 100 games in the competition, as well as being a television match official on the international stage.

Here he talks us through what a week in the life of a Premiership referee looks like.

Monday: Recovery and review

The first day of a new week is spent at Rugby Football Union headquarters.

The morning features a recovery session led by a strength and conditioning coach, with each referee having an individual programme. After lunch, referees take part in a review of the weekend fixtures.

Foley says: "We sit down with a performance reviewer - there will be one dedicated to each game. You review the game and look at every time you blew the whistle to see if it was correct, and will also look if there were times you should have blown the whistle but didn't.

"We look at every scrum and line-out, get a gauge of how the game has been and also focus on the big moments.

"We build a picture of the game before feeding back to the rest of the group. If I have done something and the group agree that is how we want to referee going forward, we will then make sure we do it next week.

"It is quite involved, and there is a lot of rugby."

Tuesday: Fitness and more review

Tuesday mornings involve high-intensity fitness - the most feared session of the week.

Foley says: "Mondays aren't usually too bad in terms of conditioning. Tuesdays are the killer - involving interval training and a lot of running, with some weight training too.

"In the afternoon, we might have an external speaker in to focus on if we are seeing a trend in matches. We will spend a couple of hours discussing what we are seeing and how we are seeing it as a group.

"That will all be fed to the clubs so they will know what to expect from us. It is a pretty full couple of days."

Wednesday: A day away

After two intense days, this is the opportunity to take a day outside of rugby. However many referees use it as an opportunity to work with clubs in support sessions - officiating at training sessions.

Doing so helps Foley and his colleagues develop the things they have focused on in review sessions but also offers them the chance to talk to players about their expectations during matches. The end goal is to improve the flow of the weekend's games.

Thursday/Friday: Team preparation

This is time to really focus on the next round of matches. Officials will often have weekend double-headers - perhaps refereeing on a Saturday, then being the TMO or assistant referee on the Sunday. With that comes two different things to prepare for.

Foley says: "Once the teams are announced, you are looking at how they have played before. Not to see if they have been cheating or trying to push the laws, but it is important to understand how they play.

"If they play a lot of ball off the top of the line-out, it might affect my positioning so I don't get in the way. Or if they are looking to compete a lot at the breakdown, it might be painting a real picture in my mind about how I want to see that as well.

"We will speak to our assistant referees and TMOs during the week as well to try and make sure we are all on the same page. That has been made clearer this year as we are all in pods, so you are working with the same people week in, week out.

"That means you don't have to start from scratch each week, building up relationships. You are topping up that knowledge throughout the week before you go again at the weekend."

Saturday/Sunday: Matchday

The final task of the week is to put all of the preparation into practice on matchday.

"You're in a pressured situation in a game and you want your mates to help you out," says Foley.

"There is a genuine feeling that we can make the whole officiating appear better if we are all working together."

Once the weekend is done, the process starts all over again. A week in front of the TV it is not.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A week in the life of a Premiership referee

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tom Foley is well aware how some people think rugby referees fill their time between matches. "There is a perception you just turn up on a Saturday, then spend the rest of the week watching TV," he says. The truth, of course, is rather different.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Man Utd Youth Cup winner who almost quit football

# data[].attributes.subject
The Man Utd Youth Cup winner who almost quit football

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As Arsenal prepare to host West Ham in Tuesday's FA Youth Cup final, one former captain who lifted the trophy with Manchester United has opened up about his mental health battle after a five-year absence from the game.

Tom Thorpe was one of the brightest prospects in United's academy and captained a side including Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard to FA Youth Cup glory in 2011.

He represented England at every youth level and was part of the Young Lions' side who won the European Under-17 Championship in 2010.

But following a number of struggles on and off the pitch, Thorpe slowly fell out of love with football and decided to take a break.

Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years. Thorpe got to a stage where he thought he would never play again.

'I knew I was fighting a losing battle'

After rising through the youth ranks at United, Thorpe earned a loan move to Birmingham City in the January 2014 transfer window. It was a spell blighted by two nasty ankle injuries, the first of which saw him carried off on a stretcher just 14 minutes into his professional debut.

He returned to United to fight for his place - and got the chance he had always wanted. Yet it was also the moment that, for Thorpe, marked the beginning of the end for him at his boyhood club.

Thorpe's senior debut came in a Premier League win over West Ham in September 2014. It was a brief appearance, as a 94th-minute substitute. It was his only senior game for United. And it's a day he remembers for the wrong reasons.

"Going back into the changing room, I was overjoyed," Thorpe said.He remembers manager Louis van Gaal giving him a pat on the cheek and saying "you're welcome". But it made him feel like he had "been gifted the opportunity, rather than earning it through hard work".

"It was at that point I knew I was fighting a losing battle," he added.

Thorpe was released in 2015 and signed for Rotherham, before loan spells at Bradford and Bolton. He then joined Indian Super League side ATK, who at the time were managed by Teddy Sheringham.

"Looking back, it was a case of me wanting to just get away from it all. My enjoyment in football had just gone completely and India was an excuse to escape that," he said.

After 11 appearances, Thorpe returned home with a hernia problem and after a month of no improvement, surgery was required.

The initial operation went wrong, leaving Thorpe requiring further surgery. Then came another setback. A freak gym injury as he stepped up his recovery caused his elbow to break. He had to have another operation with two pins inserted.

"That was major catalyst for me going under and into a really dark place," said Thorpe.

"It wasn't a pleasant experience and it's something that had a huge impact not only on my life but on my parents as well. I don't know what I would have done or where I would be if it wasn't for them.

"Even living in the same house, there were days when I wouldn't want to speak a word to them. I just felt empty."

Thorpe was on a downward spiral, but nobody other than his parents had any idea.

"It was horrible because I could see how it was affecting them and that then made me worse with guilt," he said. "If you haven't been in that situation, you can't find any motivation. You just feel empty."

'There was no aim of getting back into football'

Thorpe reached a point where he couldn't bear hurting those around him any longer. He reached out to Sporting Chance through the Professional Footballers' Association for help and began therapy sessions, which he said helped hugely.

He never thought he'd cross the white line again. But then, after five years without a game, came a chance with Macclesfield.

"Initially it was a case of 'I don't want to play again'," Thorpe said. "I was done and I was more than happy to just walk away. There was never a time period of seeing how I feel to get better. There was no aim of getting back into football.

"But there was the stress of: 'If I'm not going to play football, what else am I going to do?' That in itself was enough to fill me with anxiety. I was fortunate that somebody from Macclesfield contacted me and things went from there joining them."

Thorpe, now 30, featured for the Silkmen as they were crowned Northern Premier League West Champions - in the eighth tier of English football - but winning trophies isn't at the forefront of his mind now as it once was.

"I'll play football as long as I enjoy it," he said. "If that stops, then it's not something that I want to continue doing. I'm not putting any pressure on myself as to where I aspire to go to. It was my enjoyment at Macclesfield FC that made me want to start playing again. I'm relaxed and I'm happy there.

"When I previously played, I cared too much about what the wrong people thought. I've come to realise your mental health is much more important than anything else."
If you've been affected by issues raised in this article, there is information and support available on BBC Action Line.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Man Utd Youth Cup winner who almost quit football

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As Arsenal prepare to host West Ham in Tuesday's FA Youth Cup final, one former captain who lifted the trophy with Manchester United has opened up about his mental health battle after a five-year absence from the game.

# data[].attributes.headline
Jason Smyth retires: a look back at the Paralympian’s incredible career – video

# data[].attributes.subject
Jason Smyth retires: a look back at the Paralympian’s incredible career – video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The six-times Paralympic sprint champion Jason Smyth has announced his retirement at the age of 35. Smyth's 21 major honours included nine world gold medals and six European titles. He also held the status of the world's fastest Paralympian from 2012 with a 100m time of 10.46 seconds. Smyth is visually-impaired and competed in the T13 classification.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Jason Smyth retires: a look back at the Paralympian's incredible career - video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The six-times Paralympic sprint champion Jason Smyth has announced his retirement at the age of 35. Smyth's 21 major honours included nine world gold medals and six European titles. He also held the status of the world's fastest Paralympian from 2012 with a 100m time of 10.46 seconds.

# data[].attributes.headline
‘Your talent will open doors’: the club in Qatar giving African players reason to dream

# data[].attributes.subject
‘Your talent will open doors’: the club in Qatar giving African players reason to dream

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
aintain your dignity, maintain your confidence, maintain your belief." Robert Otiato has been training his Mazrouah FC players for the last two hours and, before everyone heads into the night, it is time for some final words. They have run themselves into the hard, pebbly ground but Otiato has a habit of making them feel 10 feet tall and every face in a tight-knit circle is fixed in his direction. "Your talent will open doors for you," he tells them. "There is a vision. There is a future."

It has not always been easy to see one here, in a bleak and dusty expanse north-west of Doha. Life can be harsh for the workers whose accommodation sits 100 yards behind the pitch, and to which most of Otiato's team return after the session. It feels a long way from their homes in different parts of Africa; they are in Qatar to earn some money but, in their limited downtime, there are few ways to occupy body and mind.

In January last year Otiato, a 28-year-old Kenyan with eloquent persuasive power, decided to do something about it. He arrived in Qatar almost two years ago, thinking he would be a waiter but instead being employed to load and unload trucks. In his homeland he was a successful goalkeeper for lower-league teams and coached an amateur side, but moving abroad made more economic sense than staying. He noticed the community had no organised outlet for those who wanted to play football. He also realised that he was surrounded by talented, hungry young players who still held hopes of progressing in the sport but had been offered little direction.

Mazrouah, named after the area, was born. Today a squad of up to 30 trains six evenings a week; sometimes work intrudes but several players have been successful in persuading employers to accommodate their football when devising rotas. At the start Otiato had to clear rocks from the area to create a relatively safe playing space; there were also disputes with south Asian neighbours who used the area for cricket. Now both parties have made room to play side by side and Mazrouah feel they have established a springboard for rapid progress.

Mazrouah players take part in a training session. Photograph: Mohamed Farag/The Guardian

"We're thinking about how we're going to grow beyond this place," Otiato says. "This is just the start of it." Last year the club began playing friendlies against other migrant teams in Doha, gradually increasing the quality of opposition and holding their own. They entered two tournaments and in the second, the well-organised Barwa Champions League, reached the quarter-finals.

Training is serious and impressively structured: Otiato, who says he studies the likes of Jürgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta, sets out cones and oversees a variety of drills. Then the team play an in-house game and the standard, considering the inhospitable location, is high. The keepers can dive fearlessly because carpet has been sourced to cover their goalmouths.

Players contribute 50 riyals (£11) a month towards Mazrouah's operation. The sum funds training materials, travel to away games and incentives such as trophies for individual excellence; it has also brought them their own kit, designed and printed via the friend of a player in Kenya. But the club is young and the fee to join Qatar's best amateur setup, the Supreme Committee-run Community League, doubled this season to 4,000 riyals (£880). That was prohibitive so they are looking for a sponsor to help them participate and, in addition, find better facilities.

Each of Otiato's crew has a story. Wycliffe, one of his assistant coaches, was a leading referee in Kenya and in 2021 was named among the top three officials in its Super League. Now he works as a security guard at a resort in Doha. "I've got a family and couldn't earn enough in Kenya," he says. "But I love refereeing, it's what I do best. If you can do it in Africa, you can do it anywhere. It's my dream to referee at a World Cup and I'm always optimistic, I pray the chance will come."

Mazrouah FC captain Omar (left), player Hamy (centre) and assistant coach Wycliffe. Photograph: Mohamed Farag/The Guardian

Mazrouah's captain is Omar, a rangy midfielder with commanding presence on the ball. He arrived in Qatar after accepting a job offer cleaning at a golf club but his real motivation was to develop a football career that started in Kenya's second tier. It was a setback to learn that, being clubless, he could only attempt to sign for a senior Qatari side once he had lived in the country for four years.

Somebody purporting to be an agent offered to represent him but it did not feel right; he bobbed between other amateur teams for more than a year until being enticed to Mazrouah soon after their creation and winning a vote to lead the side. "I like bringing people together and think leadership is my thing," he says. "I have a plan and I know one day I'll be a professional player."

Hamy, a 20-year-old schemer who played for two clubs in Uganda, decided to seek work in Qatar because he felt inspired by the World Cup. He is a site officer at one of the gleaming skyscrapers being erected in Lusail, where the final was held, but prays to get his big footballing break. Daniel, a Ghanaian who works in security at a hotel, was an attacking right-back in his home country's second division and hopes his ability will catch somebody's attention.

Mazrouah players train with carpets in the goalmouths to protect diving goalkeepers. Photograph: Mohamed Farag/The Guardian

The same goes for the Zambians, Gambians and other nationalities who make up Mazrouah's squad. But few eyes wander to an outpost like this and it is a gargantuan challenge, for young men who have arrived without professional guidance or experience in a leading academy, to make their fortunes this way. Otiato believes he is sitting on a well of untapped talent and is intent on giving it a platform. "We have players here who are capable of bigger things," he says. "My aim is to lead this team from Africa, to Qatar, to beyond."

There are two other strands to his mission. He knows the importance of football when daily existence is so difficult. "Some of these guys come from very difficult backgrounds in Africa," he says. "And in Qatar there is a lot of pressure: the living conditions are not great in some cases. But we don't complain. I tell them this is a family and we are here to come together, fight and support each other." He recounts the story of a player who required surgery for an industrial injury and was ready to leave Qatar, but opted to stay because of the connection he feels to Mazrouah.

Otiato also wants Mazrouah to reach a financial position whereby they can regularly support people in their home countries. He wants to assist local teams and also fund education for those who need it, so that they can earn the qualifications that might help them work abroad. They have started by donating to two individuals in Kenya and Uganda but want to scale their assistance up: the point is to gaze forwards while taking care of their roots.

Individually and collectively, there are ambitions here that give life fresh dimensions in an otherwise sterile situation. Otiato and his friends have created something from nothing in a place where none of them could ever have expected to pitch up. "These boys really love each other, I can tell you that," he says. "When they come here, they know how much they are appreciated."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'Your talent will open doors': the club in Qatar giving African players reason to dream

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
aintain your dignity, maintain your confidence, maintain your belief." Robert Otiato has been training his Mazrouah FC players for the last two hours and, before everyone heads into the night, it is time for some final words.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Five Benefits of Reflective Practice - UK Coaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Part of a series developed in partnership with Professor Brendan Cropley, this infographic highlights the continual benefits of reflective practice, offering suggestions on how you can improve your experience

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The insight-based Coach Learning Framework helps coaches grow and develop their coaching knowledge and their confidence to deliver great sessions. It equips coaches with a toolkit of skills to enable them to support participants and enhance their enjoyment and performance in sport and physical activ…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
UK Sport's Environmental Sustainability Strategy (2023-2025) is the first step in ensuring that the next generation of champions - the Team of Tomorrow - continue to deliver more extraordinary sporting moments.

Climate change is impacting all of us; our athletes' health, competition and training spaces:

In 2019, the Rugby World Cup experienced pacific typhoons.

In 2020, the Australian Tennis Open was disrupted by devastating bush fires.

Long distance running events at Tokyo 2020 were moved north of the capital because the summer weather made the races impossible.

One in four football league teams in England can expect partial or total annual flooding of their stadia by 2050.

Of 19 previous winter sports host locations, only ten will still be reliable in 2050 and just six in 2080.

With no action, our Team of Tomorrow is under threat but together, we can protect our future legacy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
UK Sport's Environmental Sustainability Strategy (2023-2025) is the first step in ensuring that the next generation of champions - the Team of Tomorrow - continue to deliver more extraordinary sporting moments.