Everyday Sport campaign goes national

21 February 2007

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Sport England is issuing a rallying call to the nation with the launch of a major new campaign designed to get people active.

The Everyday Sport campaign - which is backed by politicians, sports stars, and organisations across the country - encourages people to build physical activity and sport into their everyday lives. The campaign is set to get England moving in the battle against obesity and in the countdown to London 2012.

Everyday Sport goes live on the back of ongoing evidence from the Department of Health, which reveals that 76% of women and 63% of men in England are not doing the recommended amount of activity for a healthy life (30 minutes five times a week).

Research conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Sport England to mark the launch of Everyday Sport, has also uncovered some staggering facts - 71% of us would like to do more sport and active recreation but do not get round to it.

As many as 21% of women spend more time doing their hair than exercising and 41% spend more time in the shower/bath. As for men, 31% spend more time playing computer games than getting involved in sport/recreation.

The Everyday Sport campaign is all about small steps making a big difference. Everyday Sport can mean different things to different people, from taking the stairs instead of the lift or getting off the bus a stop early to joining a sports club or registering for an exercise class.

Sport England has been set a target by Government of increasing participation in sport and physical activity by 3% in the next three years. Everyday Sport is the first major initiative in this long-term plan.

International studies demonstrate that long term campaigns hold the key to increasing participation in physical activity and sport. In countries such as Finland, Canada and Germany, the combination of high quality facilities, significant investment in clubs, coaches and volunteers, underpinned by campaigning and performance measurement, has increased participation.

Everyday Sport already has the support of more than 60 famous faces from the worlds of politics, celebrity and sport, including Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, Sports Minister Richard Caborn, Rio Ferdinand, James Cracknell, Jonny Wilkinson, Steve Cram, sports commentating legend Barry Davies, Jonathan Edwards, Nell McAndrew, Donna Air and Jayne Middlemiss.

The national launch follows a hugely successful four month pilot in the North East last year where 5% of the population were inspired to get active as a result of the campaign. The North East was chosen for the four month pilot last year as it has some of the lowest levels of participation in physical activity and sport in the country and some poorest health statistics. The intention among people of the North East to get active went up 7% following Everyday Sport.

The YouGov research reveals there is a lot of work to be done elsewhere, as the nation prepares for London 2012.

Top motivators for doing more exercise are better health (62%) and losing weight (60%), whilst 30% would exercise more if they thought it would improve their sex appeal and 23% would get involved to make new friends.

Back at home the favourite room in the house for exercise is the lounge with 24%, closely followed by the bedroom on 20%; 10% like to get active in the garden. Most popular unusual locations for exercise are the top of a mountain (15%) and underwater (14%) with 4% limbering up in church and 2% in the supermarket.

Summer is the most popular season with 22%, morning is the favourite time of the day with 27% and weekends are the best time of the week for getting active.

Roger Draper, Chief Executive of Sport England, said: “Independent research confirmed the effectiveness of the Everyday Sport campaign and presented us with a powerful case for now taking Everyday Sport nationwide. Campaigns of this nature are an absolute priority for Sport England in helping us to increase participation in sport and physical activity.”

“Everyday Sport has already reached hundreds of thousands of people in the North East, with powerful messages about how they can become more active in many different ways, and that it can be simple and fun. We are now working with organisations - from hospitals and GP surgeries to local authorities, libraries and businesses - across the country to roll-out Everyday Sport.”

He added: “Taking part in physical activity and sport has a whole range of benefits - from losing weight and dramatically improving your health to beating stress or simply helping you to feel more confident and making your smile.

“So many campaigns tell people what they shouldn’t be doing - don’t smoke, don’t eat too much salt, don’t drink and drive. Everyday Sport is quite unusual in that it is positive, telling people what they can do”.

To find out how you can incorporate Everyday Sport into your lives, to find out where you can take up a new sport or activity or for more information about the campaign, log on to Everyday Sport or call the Everyday Sport hotline: 0800 587 6000.

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