Curbing obesity rates with sports facilities

Obesity is on the increase with growing access to fast foods and a tendency towards less active lifestyles, and disappointingly it is England that has the fastest rising rate of obesity of any country in Western Europe. The latest Health Survey for England (HSE) data shows us that over 1 in 10 children under 10 in England are obese.
    
For children in schools this can be a real issue, with weight cited as one of the main triggers of bullying and low self-esteem. Both of these are proven to effect students’ work and can often lead to truancy, with research suggesting one in three young people who experience bullying skip school.
    
In later life, weight issues can have a severe impact on health, leaving people at a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and more likely to develop several types of cancer.
    
As well as the obvious health risks, obesity related illnesses are estimated to cost the already struggling National Health Service £4.2 billion per year, a figure that is projected to double in the next 35 years. Drugs for Type II Diabetes alone, a condition linked directly to obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, now accounts for 8.4 per cent of the NHS medicines bills, a cost of £725 million a year of taxpayer’s money.

Poor facilities
It seems little coincidence that alongside one of the highest rates of obesity on Western Europe, we also have some of the poorest public sports facilities. A recent grassroots football survey by Sky Sports showed that 46 per cent of players rated sports facilities in their area as “poor” or “very poor”.
    
This partly explains figures from Sport England which suggests grassroots participation levels within football have dropped considerably over the last 10 years with one in three being put off playing football because of poor playing surfaces. When participants were then asked what they thought the best solution to improving sports facilities was, 28 per cent suggested the installation of third generation (3G) artificial grass pitches (AGPs).
    
It’s a simple formula really. With more quality facilities readily available, more people will get involved in sport. It is hardly surprising children turn their back on sport if they are forced to use cold, damp changing rooms in the middle of January, not to mention the thousands who go home from school disappointed by yet another cancelled game due to water-logged pitches.

Grassroots projects
This is where the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity, can help. Through its annual analysis of sites, the Foundation demonstrates that sports participation increased by over 12.4 per cent at facilities that had been redeveloped or upgraded through Foundation grants.
    
Since its inception 14 years ago, the Football Foundation, with funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government, via Sport England, has developed over 1,600 grassroots facility projects, with nearly 500 of these being 3G AGPs.
    
As a perfect example, the Foundation awarded Witchford Village College £121,100 in 2010 to build a new 3G AGP due to high demand for sports facilities in the area. The nearest 3G AGP was usually fully booked and was over 10 miles away. With news that the facility was going to be built, over 50 local football teams immediately came forward hoping to use the pitch. The site was opened later in 2010, and since then the total number of users has risen from 1,479 to 1,895 – an increase of nearly 30 per cent.
    
This demonstrates the high demand for better quality sporting facilities and the encouragement they provide for healthy living.
    
Tewkesbury School in Gloucestershire is another example of the positive impact sports facilities can have on participation. In 2009, the Foundation awarded the school £285,219 to build a new 3G AGP and changing rooms on site. Since the new facilities were opened in 2011, the number of total users has risen by 185, an increase of over 20 per cent. This includes an increase in the number of girls playing sport on the site from 82 to 108.
    
The high-tech design of these AGPs enables sport to be played in all-weather and performs like natural grass. We need more sports facilities like these to provide a space for people to play during the wet, cold and dark winter months – a problem that England is renowned for facing.

Economic benefit
Through the new £102m Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, also funded by the Government through Sport England, the Foundation is dedicated to addressing the problem of poor sports facilities across the country to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle in the nation’s youth. Helen Grant MP, Minister for Sport and Equalities, at the launch of the new Fund, said: “This partnership between the Premier League, The FA, Sport England and Government shows what can be achieved when the public and private sectors work together to help strengthen our national game at the grassroots.
    
“The investment of £102 million into facilities, delivered by the Football Foundation, will encourage many people to get into sport in some of the most deprived areas of the country.  Sport has a unique power to change lives for the better and this will make a positive impact in many local communities.”
    
Half of the funding is set to be pumped into floodlit 3G AGPs that will provide first-class playing and coaching surfaces in all weathers day and night – where they are needed most.
    
In addition to helping boost the health of the population, The Foundation also helps the UK economy by generating £7.73 for the economy for every £1 invested. The Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr) also found that in a sample of 47 facilities projects, the Foundation created 4,992 jobs benefiting over 1,000 local firms.

A fitter nation
Providing better facilities is the solution for beating obesity. Increasing sports participation will help build a healthier nation, saving the health services time and money, and will set up the strong foundation for the next generation to grow up healthy and active.
    
Richard Scudamore, Premier League Chief Executive, highlighted how money invested through the Foundation will help to support a new generation of facilities across the country and added, “Having been a Trustee of the Football Foundation since the very start, I have seen first-hand how these new sports facilities can help to regenerate communities and increase participation amongst those who play our national game.”
    
It makes sense for the health of our sport, the health of our people and the health of our economy but above all want to see the youngsters of this generation out keeping active and enjoying themselves.

Further information
www.footballfoundation.org.uk