Sport, the third sector and your local area

Boy orienteering

Where can people participate in sport?


NAVCA's 2007 sports survey found many members would like more information on sport and facilities, so they could signpost groups to them or make their members aware of them. Sport England have the Active Places online database: www.activeplaces.com. This includes information on sports halls, swimming pools, synthetic pitches, health and fitness centres and ski slopes in particular areas.

All you need is your postcode.

How many people in my area take part in sport?



Are you an LIO who wants to know how many people in your area take part in sport?

Sport England has conducted one of the largest surveys in Europe and will use this to identify and monitor participation levels. This is a very useful tool, identifying how participation varies from place to place and between different groups in the population. It was first completed in 2005/06 and will be updated annually. The results are available via a sophisticated online reporting and analysis tool, called Active People Diagnostic. This gives more information on the Active People Survey and information on your area.


Regional factsheets
are available summarising data from your region.

LIOs can contact their regional office directly for support on finding out how many people take part in their area.

Volunteering in sport

In most areas there is a volunteer centre. They support organisations that already have, or are looking for, volunteers and help potential volunteers to find organisations to work with. See also Volunteering England's sports volunteering pages.


Sport in your region

Sport England's list of regional offices gives contact details for each regional office. It also gives weblinks to what is going on in each region - click on a region name to access the regional website.


Third sector in your area

To find out more about the third sector in your local area, contact your local infrastructure organisation. Contact details for these can be found in NAVCA's directory.

Local infrastructure organisations support third sector organisations in their area. To find out more about what they do, visit NAVCA's local infrastructure organisation page.