Sports Panel Notes
08/10/2015
Update from previous meetings
Gary has met with the new owner of Frome Golf Club and is exploring options for lease of part of the
land for sports and leisure facilities.
Walking and Cycling group working on Frome becoming a walkers are welcome destination.
Rachel Griffin, contracted to undertake a sports and leisure audit to inform the development of
actions of this group.
Taking the notes from the last meeting the group explored the top three issues in more detail and
agreed actions to take forward to inform the final recommendations to be made to council.
Engaging girls in sport
The barriers to girls engaging are:
 Commitment
 Not want to break into a sweat
 Body image
 Confidence
 Lack of female coaches
 Male ego and attitude
 Weekend dominated sports
 Parents also need to engage
 Transport and physical access
 Expectations of the need for transport / lack of independence
Possible solutions: promote sessions in discrete blocks (ie 4weeks) rather than expecting young
people to sign up for a year.
Create a funding pot which supports girls
Create and encourage more girls only teams
Create social starting points
Join national initiatives
Have fun games – for the sake of it
Promote positive female role models – locally.
Create and support leadership programme for young people particularly girls
To lead to increase in female coaches
Support funding for coaches generally to promote development and growth in youth teams.
Take the learnings from the successful girls football teams in Frome – enthusiasm, commitment and
dedication of female coaches.
MAIN ACTION: Talk to girls
Facilities:
There is a need for
 Floodlit training spaces;
 A new cricket square and football pitches
 Indoor multi sports area: cricket, archery, netball
 Running track
 Cycle routes and connection of missing link
Actions
Fusion to look at the possibility of moving the tracking in the leisure centre hall so that it could
accommodate indoor cricket nets.
Kate and Gary to arrange a meeting with the Rugby Club on behalf of FTC
MAIN ACTION:
To complete the sports and leisure audit.
All clubs and group to provide Rachel Griffin with the information required to complete the sports
audit which will drill down on the specifics of what is required. For example x no full sized football
pitches, x no cricket squares…)
This audit will rely on all clubs and groups across all sports and leisure organisations providing the
information about the spaces that are currently available and when and what exactly is required.
Adults accessing sport and leisure
Barriers include:
Transport
Outreach projects work for the time that they are funded
Fear
Communication and promotion
Older people – veterans and masters classes
Disabled users
Shift workers – unable to access facilities outside normal opening hours.
Actions:
Create better transport links
Bring groups and organisations to work together on larger scale fundraising
Fusion to consider the installation of a fully accessible changing facility – KH to provide the
specification for a hoist etc.
FTC to facilitate regular Sports Forum Meetings.