SWIMMING NAMED AS TOP PARTICIPATION SPORT
Swimming is one of the most popular forms of physical activity
in the country according to a Sport England survey unveiled
today.
Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) Chief Executive David
Sparkes, has expressed the importance that swimming holds
within the lifestyle of the British public as the Active People
Survey results were released.
The survey is the largest of its kind to look into, and analyse
the sporting and recreational habits of people in England.
The 12-month survey provides the clearest picture yet on how
physically active the nation is, what kind of activity they
undertake, and whereabouts this takes place.
It focused on adults aged 16 and over, and ensured that 1,000
people in every local authority in England were questioned
about their activity rates.
Results show that 5.6 million people participate in swimming
at least once a month, which is proportionate to 13.8% of
the population of England. This is greater than the number
of people who go to the gym or use exercise machines as a
recreational activity.
"This is a robust piece of work by Sport England. The
results show that swimming and the ASA have a strong role
to play promoting activity in England," said Sparkes.
"It provides a useful baseline to build on. We are not
surprised to see the popularity of swimming given that it
is an activity that suits people of all ages, both male and
female and is also enjoyed by children."
The participation levels between different sports vary substantially
between men and women. Just over 17% of women swim, in comparison
with 10.3% of men.
Swimming is second only to walking as the most popular recreational
activity within England, and has almost twice the number of
regular participants as football.
Kate Sargant, Swimming Activity Manager for the ASA is at
the forefront of a range of national schemes aimed at getting
more people into the water for leisure, fitness and fun.
"We now need to build on this positive picture to get
even more people active through swimming. Ground breaking
ASA projects such as Everyday Swim will bring about bold improvements
in what swimming has to offer and drive up participation,"
said Sargant.
The ASA has invested in a number of initiatives, with aims
to breakdown the barriers to swimming, and effect a culture
change throughout the country. In turn, the ASA will hope
to further increase participation levels within the sport,
which will hopefully be reflected in the survey when it is
repeated in three years time.
David Sparkes believes that many challenges now face the
swimming industry.
"What we must now do is build a customer care culture
within the sport in order to encourage more people in swimming,
and into a more active life," he said
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