Equality and Diversity

Energise Me exists to beat inactivity. This means supporting everyone in our area to move more.

As it stands, people from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background are less likely to be physically active than those who are white. Women are less likely to be active than men. People with a health condition or disability are less likely to be active than those without. And people who are on low wages or long-term unemployed are the least likely to be active of all.

This is not what equality looks like. Tackling these inequalities sits at the heart of everything we do.

We want everyone to benefit equally from taking part in physical activity and sport. This is central to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight strategy.

We are making progress. The gender gap is shrinking and more people with long-term health conditions are regularly active. But we still have a long way to go and early signs suggest that COVID-19 could set us back again.

Research shows that in clubs nationwide, white non-disabled men dominate coaching. We work with partners to deliver initiatives, such as Project 500, to get more women into coaching.

We also know that some in our local workforce feel they lack the confidence or knowledge to support underrepresented groups. So we’re investing in innovative research and training to help fill these gaps.

We know we can’t champion equality and diversity without challenging ourselves to do better.

In some areas, we are doing well. Our Board exceeds Sport England’s A Code for Sports Governance target of a minimum of 30% of each gender. Our team has strong LGBT+ representation.

We made diversity a priority in our recent trustee recruitment process. We advertised the roles through Women on Boards and Sporting Equals, as well as local community groups and charities.

In all our recruitment processes, we have moved away from requiring experience within the sports sector. Instead we are recruiting people with a broader range of skills and perspectives. Our recent trustee recruitment specifically called for new voices who had never been trustees before.

We’re also in the process of establishing a youth panel. Our goal is to embed young voices at the heart of our organisation.

But we know there are still things we need to change. There will also be things we’re not aware we need to change yet. So we need you to tell us when we could be doing better.