THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WERE PUT TO SPORT ENGLAND ON 13th FEBRUARY 2007
Sport England claim the number of participating anglers based on a recent survey in Britain to be 281,000. The number of rod licences sold in Britain each year is well over 1 million and a figure well over double this number is generally accepted to be an accurate reflection of participating coarse, game and sea anglers in Britain today. An educated guess would be approximately 2.5 million in England and 3.5 million in Britain.
1 Do Sport England actually recognise angling as an acceptable, viable mass participation sport?
Absolutely - we recognise angling as a sport and that's its very popular amongst people of different ages and backgrounds. This is reflected in our national investment into the sport of £185,000 per annum (2005 - 2009. Additionally Sport England has led the move towards the creation of the Angling Development Board (which comprises representation of the three angling governing bodies: the National Federation of Anglers, the National Federation of Sea Anglers, and the Salmon and Trout Association) . We will channel our investment through this development board from 1 April 2007 onwards.
2. Do Sport England believe angling is deserving of subsides proportionate to those participating in it?
At a national level, Sport England invests funding into 31 sports via national governing bodies. The decision to focus our investment in this way was based on an assessment of each sport's ability to meet a set of criteria, of which current levels of participation was only one - we also looked at the structure and governance of the sport, its ability to appeal to hard to reach groups, the role it could play in driving up participation, its club, coach and volunteer structure and so on. The current funding cycle is from 2005 to 2009. Sport England is currently in the process of reviewing how it will channel its investment into sport beyond 2009, with the likely emphasis being on a sport's ability to drive up participation.
Regionally, Sport England Lottery investment decisions are made by the respective Regional Sports Boards (RSB) on the basis of an assessment against a range of criteria (of which increasing participation is one) and depending on the identified regional priorities for sport in that region.
3. Do Sport England believe any subsidy granted to angling should be relative to subsidies granted to any other sports or pastimes? If not please explain why not.
As outlined above, Sport England funding is determined on the basis of a number of criteria. For the current funding period 2005-2009, each sport's four year business (or Whole Sport) plan was assessed against these criteria. There is no set formula for what one sport should receive relative to another. Funding also clearly depends on the amount of resource available.
4. How exactly was the number of 281,000 participating anglers arrived at by Sport England?
The figure of 281,000 was derived from the results of the Active People Survey. This measured rates of participation in a wide range of sports over the period October 2005 to October 2006. It was a very large survey (carried out by Ipsos MORI) involving telephone interviews with a random sample of 363,000 adults (16 plus) across England. Participation was defined as having taken part on at least one day in the previous 4 weeks. The participation rate of 0.7% was applied to the adult population of England to derive the figure of 281,000.
It is important to make clear that the survey measured regular participation (at least once in the previous 4 weeks) in sport and active recreation by adults in England. It did not measure number of rod licenses held (this is a different matter) and there may of course be many anglers who participate on a more occasional basis, as well as under 16s who were not included in the Active People survey.
5. What questions were asked and who was asked in order to work out your assessment of angling participation?
The questionnaire was designed with an expert Advisory Group of leading academics. It was fully piloted and tested for reliability. A random sample of adults aged 16 plus in England was surveyed over a 12 month period. Approximately 1,000 surveys were completed daily. Surveys were carried out during weekday evenings and at weekends. There were a variety of questions asked, the relevant ones in terms of participation being as follows:
"I have already asked you about walking and cycling. I would now like to ask you about other types of sport and recreational physical activity you may have done. Please think about all the activities you did, in the last four weeks, whether for competition, training or receiving tuition, socially, casually or for health and fitness, but do not include any teaching, coaching or refereeing you may have done. "
So thinking about the last four weeks, that is since [^INSERT^], did you do any sporting or recreational physical activity?
What have you done?
Prompt: What else?
6. What question was put to determine participation in other sports?
As above
My reasonably educated assessment of participating anglers in Britain (sea, coarse and game) is approximately 3.5 million. In England alone a figure of 2.5 million would seem to be a fair and conservative one.
7. Which do you believe to be the more accurate, your figure of 281,000 or NUBA’s figures of 2.5 and 3.5 million respectively?
The Active People Survey estimate of participation rates in angling (at least once in the previous 4 weeks) is based on a large robust sample survey. We are not clear where the NUBA estimates are derived from, and therefore we cannot comment on their accuracy, but they may of course include those who participate on a more irregular basis, and / or under 16s who are not covered in the Active People survey.
8. Will the 281,000 figure Sport England presently espouse be used by you and other relevant bodies for future funding appraisals?
All decisions regarding funding and Sport England's investment into sport must meet with strict criteria. Research is just one element in the decision-making process. As indicated above, Sport England is in the process of evaluating how it will channel future investment, and it is therefore not possible to say at this stage precisely which criteria will be used. Emphasis will be placed on increasing participation.
Of course, the results of the Active People survey will help us see where the barriers lie and will also help inform where we should target our resources for greatest impact. However, they will only form a part of the wider application and decision making process - in effect, the Active People results will not alone determine where our investment is focussed going forward.
9.The 281,000 participation figure would appear to relegate angling to approximately 15th place re Sport England’s perceptions of participation in sports and pastimes in Britain. Please if possible name the 14 other higher rated sports and pastimes in order to clarify to us your perception of angling’s place as a recreational sport and pastime in Britain?
Please find attached the sport by sport factsheet which details all the information you need - this is also available on our website at http://www.sportengland.org/ These are not perceptions, rather statistics based on the largest survey of sport and active recreation ever undertaken.
SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
% of the adult population (16 plus) taking part at least once a month
Number of adults (16 plus)
taking part at
least once a month1. Recreational walking (mod intensity 30+ mins)
20.0
8,142,693
2. Swimming (all)
13.8
5,625,539
3. Gym (incl. exercise bikes/rowing machines)
11.6
4,722,762
4. Recreational cycling (mod intensity 30 + mins)
7.8
3,175,650
5. Football (all)
7.1
2,910,684
6. Running/jogging
4.6
1,872,819
7. Golf/Pitch and Putt/Putting
3.6
1,457,347
8. Badminton
2.2
900,332
9. Tennis
2.1
874,040
10. Aerobics
1.5
608,671
11. Yoga
1.4
559,250
12. Squash
1.2
500,679
13. Keep fit/sit ups
1.1
437,840
14. Bowls (all)
1.0
407,135
15. Horse Riding (Any)
1.0
401,916
16. Weight training
1.0
393,932
17. Cricket
0.9
380,366
18. Fishing (all)
0.7
281,083
10. Do you understand why anglers are extremely concerned by the figures Sport England present and how worried so many are by what they see as a deliberate disinclination on Sport England and the Government’s behalf to accept the true popularity of angling in Britain today?
As outlined above, Sport England does recognise angling and its role in increasing participation in sport. Sport England commissioned the Active People survey from Independent research company Ipsos MORI. Our aim was to get the most accurate picture yet of partipation rates in sport and active recreation across England.
The figures represented in the survey accurately represent the responses of those questioned and there is no question of there being any disinclination on behalf of either Sport England or Government to underestimate participation rates in angling or any other sport.
Whilst we acknowledge the concerns of many in the angling community, we have complete confidence in its robustness and in the findings. According to the survey (which surveyed adults aged 16 and over), 0.7 per cent (or 281,083) had taken part in fishing at least once in the last four weeks. The survey did not ask how many people were holders of a rod licence.
Questions compiled by Alan Suttie