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Impact Report 2015/16

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Chair’s welcomeAs we reach the end of our second full year of operation, I believe that AoC Sport has now established itself as the trusted partner of colleges, National Governing Bodies of Sport and other sector organisations.

Our association aims to promote, support and deliver sport and physical activity for the benefit of students in further education and sixth form colleges. We do this by engaging inactive students in regular physical activity, organising competitive sports within and between colleges, and supporting colleges to deliver a relevant curriculum for the growing sport and leisure industry.

This past year we have seen many of our 254 member colleges make further progress in all three of these key areas.

I would like to thank our primary funding partners, Sport England and The Football Association, for all their support during 2015/16 as well as all of the other National Governing Bodies with whom we work in partnership.

I would also like to thank all of our member colleges, and our associate training providers and schools, for their active participation and support for our work.

Finally I must congratulate and thank our staff team for all their hard work and professional commitment during the past year which is enabling us to build a strong national sports association for all students in colleges. “ AoC Sport aims to

promote, support and deliver sport and physical activity, and this year we have seen many of our 254 member colleges make further progress in key areas, for the benefit of students. Richard Atkins CBE - Chair of the Board, AoC Sport

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Managing Director’s welcome

Through multiple projects and funding opportunities, we are continuing to work with colleges and the leisure industry towards the major goal set out in our strategy of getting ‘every student active’.

“

The second year of AoC Sport has proved as rewarding as the first, as we have managed to build on the strong foundations laid in our maiden 12 months.

We have continued to forge many new partnerships with leading names in the sector such as StreetGames, Sports Coach UK and ukactive, alongside strengthening our existing links with Sport England, The Football Association and numerous other National Governing Bodies.

In addition, 2015/16 has seen the launch of our new affiliate packages, enabling suppliers, employers, awarding bodies, local authorities, professional clubs, universities and other organisations to benefit from access to expert intelligence and the network of further education and sixth form colleges across England.

Through multiple projects and funding opportunities, we are also continuing to work with colleges and the leisure industry towards the major goal set out in our strategy of getting ‘every student active’.

This ties in nicely with many of the objectives outlined in the new Sport England strategy – ‘Towards an Active Nation’ – including getting more people from every background more regularly and meaningfully involved in sport and physical activity.

And having launched our own strategy, ‘Fit for College, Fit for Work, Fit for Life’ last year, we have established a new staff structure to support delivery of the outcomes.

We now have a dedicated team for sports development, and another for policy, ensuring all our work is focussed towards our education, employment and health goals.

You can read more about AoC Sport’s new structure in the coming pages, and we hope that this report gives you an insight into the strides forward we are continuing to make in the further education sector.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Marcus Kingwell - Managing Director, AoC Sport

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ContentsSection One: AoC Sport structurePage 5: AoC Sport structure

Section Two: PolicyPage 6: Influencing the sectorPage 7: Supporting our members - Towards Outstanding and Football Development Quality Framework Keeping members informed - Local and regional networksPage 8: Sport in the Curriculum Conference 2016Page 9: Active Colleges - Training and development

Section Three: Sports developmentPage 10: Building partnerships - National partner work FE familiarisation daysPage 11: Working with National Governing Bodies (NGBs)Page 12: Workforce and volunteering - ECFA College Football Hubs Page 13: ECFA Activators programme National Student Management TeamPage 14: National Conferences - College Sport Conference 2016Page 15: ECFA National Football Conference 2016 ECFA National Activators Conference 2016

Section Four: CompetitionPage 16: Inter-college competition - Leagues and cupsPage 17: Regional tournamentsPage 18: National Championships 2016Page 20: WorldSkills UK Fitness Trainer Competition Page 21: International competition - AoC Sport national teams Intra-mural competition - Team Nineteen

Section Five: Finances

Section Six: Acknowledgements

“ There is an increasing body of evidence linking participation in sport and physical activity with improved educational, employment and health outcomes for young people. AoC Sport is at the heart of promoting and encouraging such improved outcomes for students in colleges throughout the UK.

Martin Doel CBE - Chief Executive, Association of Colleges

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AoC Sport structureDuring 2015/16, AoC Sport underwent a staff restructure to better align our work with our strategy, ‘Fit for College, Fit for Work, Fit for Life’. The restructure saw staff grouped into four teams: policy and curriculum, sports development, competitions, and football (English Colleges Football Association). The ECFA is the football delivery arm of AoC Sport and our brand for college football.

AoC Sport’s board of directors

“ Sport England’s most recent Active Colleges survey showed a 3.5% increase in participation in College Sport Maker-supported colleges, and a 5.5% increase in FE Activation Fund-supported colleges. It registered the biggest increases seen in sport participation in under-represented groups. This could not have been achieved without the support, influence and guidance of AoC Sport, so we are delighted to be able to support AoC Sport for a further year, ensuring this progress is maintained and enhanced.

Suzanne Glavin - Strategic Lead Youth (Education), Sport England

» Richard Atkins CBE - Principal, Exeter College » Dr William Bird MBE - Chief Executive, Intelligent

Health » John Bolan - Get Berkshire Active CSP » Peter Brophy - Director of Finance, Association of

Colleges » Jeanette Dawson OBE - Principal, Bishop Burton

College » Karen Dobson - Principal, Newcastle-under-Lyme

College » Martin Doel CBE - Chief Executive, Association of

Colleges » Kevin Hamblin - Principal, South Gloucestershire

and Stroud College » Kathryn Jacob - Chief Executive, Pearl and Dean » Marcus Kingwell - Managing Director, AoC Sport » Mark White OBE - Chair, Stockton Riverside

College

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PolicyInfluencing the sectorAoC Sport has worked on behalf of our member colleges on a number of national policy matters, including two very significant consultations which will shape the future of our sector for the next five to 10 years.

We coordinated more than 300 responses to both the government sport strategy and Sport England’s new strategy, ‘Towards an Active Nation’. In addition, we published our thoughts via blogs and detailed guidance notes outlining the potential implications and opportunities for colleges.

We have helped to join up policy between different government departments, through our work with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).

We have also convened three meetings of the principals’ advisory group, ensuring AoC Sport’s key policy messages are communicated through the principals’ networks, and our curriculum advisory group have been fantastic advocates of our work in the regions.

“ We are delighted that AoC Sport became the first organisation to commit 100% of their staff to CIMSPA membership. The partnership provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase young talent through the WorldSkills UK Fitness Trainer Competition to our employer partners, and allows us and AoC Sport to coordinate work between colleges and employers to meet the new Sector Skills strategy.

Tara Dillon - Chief Executive, CIMSPA

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Supporting our membersTowards Outstanding and the Football Quality Framework

In January we relaunched our national standards for college sport, ‘Towards Outstanding’, and our Football Development Quality Framework in line with the new Ofsted Common Inspection Framework and our strategy, ‘Fit for College, Fit for Work, Fit for Life’.

‘Towards Outstanding’ has been used in the five strategy-writing workshops plus numerous networks and conferences, including quality networks and the National Association for Managers of Student Services Conference 2016. To complement the document, we have also developed new tools and a support offer.

The Football Development Quality Framework has supported 50 colleges demonstrate the impact of football on, and show value added to, study programmes, cross-college outcomes and student experience.

“ We’ve just been through an Ofsted inspection (awarded a grade 2) and I can tell you the best resources for preparing for this, responding to inspectors and ensuring cross-college awareness with SLT, were addressing the seven bullets on the Towards Outstanding document, and having the impact data from the Sport England Active Colleges survey.

Beth Harris - Sports Academy Manager, Newham Sixth Form College (NewVic)

Keeping members informedLocal and regional networks

AoC Sport, in partnership with regional AoC offices, facilitates a series of regional networks throughout the year. These provide an opportunity for heads of sport and curriculum leads to receive national policy updates and share best practice. External speakers are invited to these events to provide updates for the delegates.

In the last academic year, we have coordinated 20 heads of sport events with a total attendance of 289 staff from 146 different colleges.

We also attend other networks and conferences to advocate the work of college sport departments: » NAMSS Conference 2016. » Regional Quality networks. » Student services networks. » AOSEC Teaching and Learning Fair 2016. » AoC Students at the Heart of College Strategy Conference. » Regional Sport networks. » CIMSPA Conference. » Public Health England Conference.

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Sport in the Curriculum Conference 2016

The third Sport in the Curriculum Conference took place in Loughborough in January 2016.

With more than 180 delegates and a record number of exhibitors, this year’s conference featured the launch of our refreshed national standards, ‘Towards Outstanding’, as well as a variety of expert speakers from Ofsted, Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The 2016 conference also featured, for the first time, a ‘Dragons’ Den’ for awarding bodies from the sport sector, and sessions on student mental health, skills competition and British values.

The Sport in the Curriculum Conference will return on 24 January 2017.

“ The AoC Sport in the Curriculum Conference 2016 provided an excellent opportunity to understand the latest issues affecting sports curriculum with some exceptional speakers providing insight into their FE journeys. The conference had the latest developments from awarding bodies and a number of suppliers with college offers. Overall a really worthwhile event providing lots of ideas for developing the sports curriculum.

Tommy Goode - Programme Manager Sport and Leisure, College of West Anglia

“Some brilliant creative curriculum ideas during ‘dragons den’! #AoCSportCurriculum”- @setts7

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Active CollegesTraining and development

Since September 2015, AoC Sport has developed and implemented the training and development programme for Sport England’s Active Colleges. The programme offers colleges the chance for their College Sports Makers (CSMs) and FE Activation Fund staff to gain access to Skills Acquisition Workshops, which provide training that can be used to assist staff in increasing sports participation on a day-to-day basis.

We have held 20 Skills Acquisition Workshops up to June 2016, with a total of 284 attendees benefitting from the sessions. Topics covered included a volunteering workshop, ‘Engaging Women and Girls’ and ‘Youth Insight’.

In addition to Skills Acquisition, the Professional Development Programme (PDP) is run with one cohort throughout the academic year and offers the chance to develop delegates’ strategic and managerial skills within the sports sector. Topics covered included: ‘What have you taken from Active Colleges’, ‘Influencing’, ‘Advanced negotiations’, and ‘Advanced communications’.

AoC Sport has also run four Active Colleges-specific regional networking events, attended by more than 100 Active Colleges staff.

Since the start of Active Colleges, FE Activation Fund staff have seen: » A 5.5% increase in student participation. » A 13.6% increase in female participation. » A 12.6% increase in BAME participation. » An 11.8% increase in disabled student participation.

Since the start of Active Colleges, College Sports Makers have seen: » 42.1% of colleges offer more sports and physical activities. » A 483% increase in student volunteering. » A 585% increase in intramural programmes/leagues. » A 7.5% increase in BAME participation. » A 4.8% increase in female participation. » A 4.7% increase in disabled student participation.

“ I learnt so much on the PDP programme and now have a great network of CSMs I can share ideas with and work with in the future.

Johanna Shaw - College Sport Maker, Kingston College

“ The Skills Aquisition Workshop was very beneficial, with lots of great resources to take away. It was the best sports workshop I have taken part in with Active Colleges.

Sagheer Khaliq - College Sport Maker, Reading College

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Sports developmentBuilding partnershipsNational partner work

Throughout the year, AoC Sport has worked with numerous national partners to help promote projects and initiatives through colleges, providing funding and opportunities to those institutions.

35 colleges across seven regions each received £2,000 of funding to deliver StreetGames ‘Us Girls Doorstep Sports Clubs’ (DSC).

The project is designed to increase and sustain young women’s participation in sport and physical activity within some of the nation’s most disadvantaged communities.

We are also working on several projects within a new partnership with Sports Leaders UK. These include supporting leadership development across all curriculum areas in colleges, developing a leadership and volunteering programme for students to provide opportunities to gain experience at AoC Sport competitions, and contributing to the development of an overarching leadership framework.

In addition, we promoted The FA’s Girls’ Football Weeks, encouraging colleges to sign up and take part, as well as running our own events such as the Referee Hub Development Day with top official Lucy Oliver.

FE familiarisation days

This year, AoC Sport ran FE familiarisation days in nine regions across the country. More than 115 people came to the workshops with the majority of attendees representing National Governing Bodies and County Sports Partnerships. The days allowed attendees to gain greater knowledge of the current landscape of the FE sector, and offered insight into how they can work with colleges in the future.

“Enjoyed today’s FE Familiarisation workshop with @AoC_Sport! Very useful tool for the future in FE!”- @NDO_Lancashire

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Working with National Governing Bodies (NGBs)

AoC Sport continues to work strategically with a wide range of NGBs, developing strong relationships with 12 key sports: badminton, basketball, canoeing, cricket, dodgeball, gymnastics, handball, netball, rugby league, rugby union, tennis and volleyball.

During the last year we have worked with these NGBs to increase participation and provide additional competitive opportunities.

Some key activities from 2015/16: » Rugby league 9s festivals in Yorkshire and Humber and the North

West. » Try Handball festivals in the West Midlands and South West. » Indoor 24 girls’ and disability festivals organised with the ECB. » British Canoeing ‘Pool to Paddle’ programme supported in four

colleges. » A total of 11 colleges selected to be part of the British Gymnastics

Student Enrichment Programme. » College participation in Wheelchair Basketball IZB regional

competitions.

Formal competition through AoC Sport’s league and cup programme has also benefited from closer relationships with NGBs. Our rugby union competition has been aligned to the new principles of the RFU following their extensive age-grade review. We now offer a rugby league competition in partnership with the RFL and have a similar partnership with Basketball England for elite basketball competitions.

“ It’s been a great year for cricket in Further Education. With the help of AoC Sport we have formed an FE Steering Group made up of professional staff from colleges and College Sport Makers; we’ve organised the first AoC Sport Disability Cricket Festival; the Regional T20 competition has been competitive and to cap it off, Indoor 24 was a hugely successful addition to the AoC Sport National Championships in Newcastle.

Chris Lock - Participation Manager, ECB

“ The insight, support and guidance that we receive through our partnership with AoC Sport helps us deliver our core purpose of strengthening our member rugby clubs and growing the game in the communities around them. Our work with AoC Sport covers a number of areas; in particular it focuses on improving student experience to increase participation for male and female students at every level.

Hamish Morton - Colleges Development Manager, RFU

“ Over the last 12 months the RFL and AoC Sport have developed a strong relationship that has seen an increase in the number of colleges engaged in rugby league. The support we have had from AoC Sport has been fantastic and we are now in the process of transitioning the full rugby league competition into the AoC Sport framework for 2016/17.

Adam Hughes - Further and Higher Education Manager, RFL

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Workforce and volunteeringAoC Sport has provided college students with a vast range of opportunities to volunteer, at a variety of events throughout the year. More than 70 student volunteers from 15 colleges and universities joined us at the AoC Sport National Championships, providing support across a number of roles, from photography to refereeing. Media students from Walsall College also helped at our ECFA National Activators Conference at Wembley Stadium in March, while more opportunities were provided through formal ECFA programmes.

“ Through the ECFA investment fund, our leaders at Walsall College have worked with both mainstream and disability groups both in and out of college giving them some invaluable skills to take into the workplace with them.

Mark Howard - Sports Development Coordinator, Walsall College

ECFA College Football Hub model

In 2015/16, 23 colleges received ECFA investment to drive college and community participation through a skilled workforce, engaging 2,401 students (76% new). The impact of this has led to the creation of the ECFA College Football Hub model which will be our single point offer for member colleges in 2016/17.

Through the 23 College Community Football Hubs: » 46 new affiliated teams were generated. » 30 new FA Charter Standard Clubs based at

College Community Football Hubs. » 304 new youth volunteers were recruited. » 14% of college players are from BAME

backgrounds. » 13% of college players have a disability. » 828 new female players.

“ Colleges have demonstrated outstanding commitment to developing the football offer for students, while working to support local football provision. The College Football Hub model is a great example of what can be achieved when likeminded, passionate people unite to inspire more people to take part in the beautiful game.

Ollie Selfe - National Football Development Manager (Further and Higher Education), The FA

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“Best opportunity I have been given and created many memories! Best thing I can do now is encourage you to apply.”- @KeilaTucker

ECFA National Student Management Team

We selected 10 students from eight colleges to be part of our ECFA National Student Management Team. The NSMT’s vision was to unify and inspire through college football. They helped provide a voice for college students during the review of intramural football, engaging with more than 200 survey responses. The NSMT also supported the delivery of the ECFA Football Conference, and organised and delivered the national Team Nineteen celebration event which hosted 30 colleges, bringing male, female and disability recreational players together.

ECFA Activators programme

A total of 158 Activators from 80 colleges were selected this year to develop and build football activity within colleges, as part of our ECFA Activators programme.

The student volunteers engaged more than 7,300 new students in football - 22% female - and supported more than 17,000 participants in total. The Activators received regional and national training alongside remote training via webinars.

Along with the hands-on football development experience they acquired, involvement in the programme developed key employability skills, transferable into any career.

“ Representing my college as both an Activator and National Student Management Team member has massively boosted my confidence and understanding into how to promote football to others within the college.

Holly Hayes - ECFA Activator, Cambridge Regional College

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National conferencesCollege Sport Conference 2016

The annual conference was held at Telford International Centre in June, with 250 attendees. The theme for this year was ‘Fit for Work’ and the programme included keynotes from Sport England, alongside breakout sessions hosted by Sports Leaders UK, CFE Research and several National Governing Bodies, including The FA, Lawn Tennis Association and England Handball.

The conference, which was sponsored by fitness equipment supplier Matrix, was organised alongside the successful and established ukactive Flame conference and incorporated a joint keynote titled ‘Are college students really ready for employment in the commercial world?’

Our annual College Sport Awards were also included as part of the conference, with colleges and students recognised for their hard work and dedication over the last year.

“ Active IQ were delighted to be exhibiting again at the AoC Sport Conference. As always, it was great to catch up with so many college staff to talk about how we can contribute to the development of the exercise, health and fitness FE curriculum and to update them on our new resources that support the delivery of our exciting new Tech Level Diploma.

Laura Sheasby - Head of Business Development, Active IQ

“Good to speak to #ColSportConf about @Sport_England strategy and thank FE/@AoC_Sport for the difference they make.”- @mikediaper

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ECFA National Football Conference 2016

In May 2016, 120 delegates from member colleges and AoC Sport partners gathered at St George’s Park for the annual ECFA National Football Conference. The theme for this year’s event was ‘The Future Game’, recognising the many recent changes happening in both the FE sector and football. The conference focused on the future of college football and the opportunities to sustain and grow the game whilst developing the people within it.

The programme provided delegates with keynotes from FA staff Dan Ashworth (Technical Director), and Rachel Pavlou (National Women’s Football Participation Manager), alongside a range of workshops from leading experts in the football industry. These included FA Talent Identification Manager Nick Levett, FA Head of Research and Insight Ross Antrobus, and Switch The Play Directors Rob Young and Steve Mitchell.

The event also included the launch of The College Football Hub programme, while Paige Sawyer from SGS College and Tom Bradbury from Milton Keynes College received the inaugural ‘Luke Buckingham Player of the Year Award’, celebrating both players’ contributions on and off the pitch to the ECFA national teams.

ECFA National Activators Conference 2016

More than 210 delegates, including 120 ECFA Activators, attended our National Activators Conference at Wembley Stadium in March.

The event saw the Activators and other attendees hear keynote speeches from the likes of The FA’s Head of Participation Pete Ackerley, AoC Sport Managing Director Marcus Kingwell, and Tom Rimmer, who this year has been chairperson of the ECFA National Student Management Team.

The students took part in networking sessions, a ‘Brand Me’ seminar, and enjoyed a session from StreetGames, giving them ideas on how to engage with ‘non-sporty’ students.

“As a proud member of the #StudentManagementTeam I would like to thank @AoC_Sport @ECFA12 for an amazing #NationalActivatorConference today!”- @olimoore278

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CompetitionInter-college competitionLeagues and Cups

AoC Sport’s league and cup competitions proved hugely successful throughout 2015/16, with around 18,000 students taking part on a typical Wednesday. Students competed in 170 leagues, across six different sports and we also held 29 cup finals across seven sports, supported by the University of St Mark and St John.

In addition, new online entry systems were introduced for 2015-16 which has improved our data collection and enables us to better support colleges with entry queries.

“ The provision of college football via the ECFA has allowed us to strengthen our sporting offer to students and the community.

The high-profile nature of college football has given us opportunity to build exciting partnerships with local and national businesses, providing mutual benefits for all stakeholders and raising standards for our learners.

With a national agenda where sports participation and workforce development are both key, MK College looks forward to working even more closely with the ECFA and AoC Sport to create new opportunities for sport and physical activity in our community and beyond.

Julie Mills - Principal and Chief Executive, Milton Keynes College

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Regional tournaments

College teams and individual competitors qualified to represent their region at the 2016 AoC Sport National Championships through regional tournaments hosted throughout the academic year.

More than 12,000 students (7,000 male competitiors and 5,000 female competitors) from 187 colleges took part across 15 different sports, including cricket for the first time.

“ It was a fantastic decision to introduce cricket. It kept the college academy players involved over the winter months, focusing on the technical element of playing Indoor 24. At the finals, it was a brilliant set up, very well organised and a terrific venue. The Middlesbrough College lads really enjoyed it and took a lot from it with the vast majority eligible to return next year.

Andrew Maguire - Director of Academy Cricket, Middlesbrough College

“Ran another hassle free @AoC_Sport East Mids footy tournament today. Amazing sight for the 2 mins silence, 130 players and coaches #Respect”- @willthompson85

“We have over 80 students representing @QESFC in 12 sports at NE champs #AoCRoadToChamps”- @qe_sport

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National Championships 2016

The AoC Sport National Championships 2016 took place over the weekend of 15-17 April, in a range of venues across Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead.

Nearly 1,800 students from 139 colleges took part, including 939 male and 850 female competitiors, across 15 different sports, while more than 300 staff and volunteers helped to ensure the occasion was a huge success.

The South West retained their Wilkinson Sword title, led by team captains Jared London (Truro and Penwith College) and Vicky Prouse (Exeter College).

This year’s Championships were run in partnership with The Tyne & Wear Consortium, which included Tyne & Wear Sport, Northumbria University, NewcastleGateshead Initiative and Nirvana Europe.

For the first time, we also launched a dedicated website for the AoC Sport National Championships, and produced a monthly e-newsletter for qualifying colleges.

“Awesome few days up in Newcastle for the AoC championships , what a brilliant experience with great people #AoCChamps”- @indiexb

“ It was a great achievement being a part of and captaining the South West team to win the Wilkinson Sword, and also winning gold for my final year - these are some memories which will stay with me forever.

Jared London - South West team captain, Truro and Penwith College

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“What a fantastic weekend. An immense effort from our students - so proud!”- @EastNorfolk

“ Tyne & Wear Sport were delighted that our bid to bring the 2016 AoC Sport National Championships to Tyne & Wear was successful. The event provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the warm hospitality and strong sporting infrastructure of the North East to colleges throughout the UK.

Ian Simon - Executive Director, Tyne & Wear Sport

“ The AoC Sport National Championships has been an unqualified success this year. Thanks to the hard work and support of delivery partners Tyne & Wear Sport, Northumbria University, Nirvana Europe and NewcastleGateshead Initiative, the quality of the event has increased significantly, as demonstrated by the feedback from students.

Marcus Kingwell - Managing Director, AoC Sport

“ This year the National Championships represented a very proud moment for the college, as it was the largest squad we had ever taken. Being in such a demographically challenged area, involvement in a huge national event is a real morale boost for our college, but to come back with medals in all three sports was unexpected and unprecedented. A truly memorable experience.

Matt Hammett - FE Sports Coordinator, Sandwell College

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WorldSkills UK Fitness Trainer Competition

AoC Sport is proud to be the trusted partner of WorldSkills UK, organising the Fitness Trainer Competition for students across the nation. The competition is the first of its kind and the only active leisure skills competition to recognise and support UK students working towards careers in the sport and leisure industry. The competition runs in two categories; Gym Instructor sponsored by YMCA Awards, and Personal Training sponsored by Active IQ.

In education

AoC Sport delivered two full-day CPD sessions on the competition’s structure and benefits, and provided informative guides on running internal competition. The competition team, in partnership with Future Fit Training, also delivered two workshops at the Sport in the Curriculum Conference on embedding the competition into the curriculum to ‘Raise the Bar’ of industry training.

In employability

The competition team recruited and trained a team of 22 expert judges from across the UK and from a range of backgrounds, including colleges, training providers and awarding organisations.

Individual competitor entry achieved a 45% increase on 2015, with 35 institutions represented from every English region, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Isles.

In total, 40 Gym Instructors and 30 Personal Trainers were judged at one of five live heats, and 12 Gym Instructors and nine Personal Trainers competed again at the national semi-finals at Loughborough University. The final eight Gym Instructors and six Personal Trainers will compete across three days at the Skills Show in November at the NEC, Birmingham, in front of 80,000 visitors.

“ Now the WorldSkills UK Fitness Trainer Competition is embedded into the curriculum at Loughborough College it offers a new dimension to learning that has been embraced both by learners and staff. Learners have benefitted from the additional stretch and challenge, and the competitive nature of the competition has better prepared them for employment and industry. It has also benefitted many of the staff who have been able to pass on and share their passion for fitness and exercise not only with their own students, but as a judge with students from across the UK.

Mark Thorpe - Lecturer in Exercise and Fitness, Loughborough College

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International competitionAoC Sport national teams

In 2015/16, AoC Sport offered representative teams in three sports - football (men and women), hockey (men and women) and netball.

Trials were held in all three sports and were incredibly well attended. The final squads were then selected and attended a series of training camps throughout the year, alongside playing domestic and international fixtures.

A total of 24 students were selected for the netball representative squad, while a further 42 students were named across the men’s and women’s hockey sides.

In addition, 36 students represented England as part of the England Colleges national football teams. The men’s side travelled to Italy to compete in the Roma Caput Mundi tournament, while the women’s side competed in Portugal.

Thank you to Future Elite Sports for their ongoing support as official partners and sponsors of the representative football programme.

Intra-mural competitionTeam Nineteen

Team Nineteen intra-mural football leagues have been delivered in 147 colleges, who have in turn engaged 8,526 players (10% of whom are new).

Rob Young Consulting Ltd was commissioned to review the impact of Team Nineteen and intra-mural football leagues since the programme’s introduction four years ago. The research has demonstrated the added value of participating and/or volunteering in football, with more than 87% of volunteers and 77% of players agreeing that playing intra-mural football has improved their student experience.

69% of volunteers and 68% players agreed the experience has helped with academic studies, while 89% of volunteers learnt new skills as a result of football volunteering at college.

“International test series winners, well done @AoC_Sport men’s hockey”- @garyjohnsonno1

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FinancesIncome 2015/16

Expenditure 2015/16

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Acknowledgements

“ Castle are delighted to be affiliated to AoC Sport as it has enabled us to put a unique discount package of driver training and short-term rentals to colleges. We have already had very positive feedback and look forward to a long and successful partnership together.

Chris Maynard - Managing Director, Castle Minibus

AoC Sport would like to thank our member colleges, new affiliates, funding partners, sponsors, board directors, staff and volunteers who have worked with us over the past year to make all our achievements possible.

Through their hard work, support and backing, we have been able to continue taking big strides forward in the sector, moving towards our ambition to get every student active.

We look forward to working with new and existing partners over the next 12 months, as we hope to make our vision a reality.

“ Basketball England is pleased to be working in partnership with AoC Sport to increase the number and standard of competitions within further education. Through this collaborative partnership we are able to provide appropriate competitive opportunities that can engage with inactive participants as well as providing performance basketball athletes with an experience that enables them to reach their sporting best.

Charlie Ford - Education & Satellite Club Manager, Basketball England

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ContactAoC_Sport

www.aocsport.co.uk

© AoC Sport 20162-5 Stedham PlaceLondon WC1A 1HUT: 020 7034 9900 E: sport@aoc.co.uk

Cover photo: Joseph and Jacob, East Norfolk Sixth Form College, National Championships gold medallists (East region)