THE SPORTS DEVELOPMENT PYRAMID

What is sports development? How does using the sports development pyramid help both
individuals and organisations?
Introduction Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=5cKCTUHIsE0
OR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ifJ5eet--g
SPORTS DEVELOPMENT: the promotion of sports activities for the community
This topic focuses on sports development, the process of finding ways to enable individuals
to start, stay and succeed in sport.
Sports development is about generating as much interest and participation in sport as
possible. It is often viewed as a pyramid (shown below). There is a large mass of people at
the base taking part at a foundation level or for recreation, moving through to the peak
where a small number of elite athletes perform at the highest level.

Elite

Performance

Participation

Foundation

There are different activities and events that take place at each level:
FOUNDATION- PE and recreational sports
PARTICIPATION- Sports clubs and leisure centres
PERFORMANCE- Local and regional coaching and training, local and regional competitions,
sports clubs and inter club leagues
ELITE- Olympics, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games, World, European and
Commonwealth Championships and international competitions.
**** On which level of the sports development pyramid would you place the following?
a) A badminton player who meets up every week with friends for a game
b) A medal winner at the Paralympic games
c) A pupil at primary school learning rounders
d) A footballer who plays for their local team in the country league.
The sports development pyramid is a widely accepted model that is used in two ways:
1. For participants- to identify the level at which individuals are performing, to provide
them with a suitable level of support, competition and opportunity to aid their
development.
2. For policy makers and providers- to plan how to use and develop resources that will
promote take-up of the sport.
All people involved in sport follow this journey through the sports development pyramid.
However, the level you are at on the pyramid may depend on many factors: your ability,
age, experience, determination and luck.

STAGE 1: FOUNDATION
This is the base of the pyramid, the first stage at which people encounter sports. In any
sport the largest number of people taking part will be at this level.
The foundation stage:
 Consists of beginners and younger people
 Involves mass participation activities
 Is about recreation and having fun
 Involves learning and developing basic skills such as running, jumping and throwing
 Is found at school age in PE lessons or in ‘mini sports’ activities.
Having a strong base or foundation in any sport is vital. The more people that take part in
sports, the greater the number that will progress from the bottom of the pyramid to the
top- these people will develop from being basic or good participants to becoming top-class,
elite performers.

STAGE 2: PARTICIPATION
This stage is all about the enjoyment factor of playing sports.
The participation stage:
 Taking part in organised sporting activities at clubs and leisure centres
 Being with friends and like-minded individuals who are there to enjoy playing sport
 Having a more structured environment that in the Foundation stage (umpire,
scoring)
Individuals at this stage are making choices about which sports and activities they enjoy and
want to pursue. Sports development involves making links between schools, clubs and
sports festivals to create a pathway for people from the foundation to the participation
stage.
Sports clubs become more important at this stage because they help link to the next stage:
performance.

STAGE 3: PERFORMANCE
The key characteristic of the Performance stage is competition. There may be lower level
performers taking part in competitive sports, but by now the performers tend to have a
higher level of ability to perform the key skills needed for the sport.
The performance stage:
 The focus is on developing the level of performance towards the elite level
 Participants will concentrate on one or two sports, developing specific skills
 Training and competition become more regular and more important
 The emphasis is more on being professional and less about just having fun.
Individuals will have opportunities to develop their performance by representing their
country and region. Additional coaching will be available to improve physical, tactical and
psychological skills as they progress towards the Elite stage.

STAGE 4: ELITE
The elite stage is the pinnacle of the pyramid and involves performers at the highest level.
The pyramid is at its narrowest at this point, as very few people reach this level.
The elite stage:
 Performers now move from country/ regional to national squads
 Governing bodies are responsible for the performer’s development
 High levels of support is given to prepare the performers both physically and
mentally, through coaching, medical care, equipment, diet and mentoring
 Performers lead a lifestyle designed to maintain high levels of fitness- sacrifices are
required, as their lifestyle will centre around performing and competitions
 Performers will most likely be professional (paid job)
In minority sports, the choice to become professional may not be possible, due to a lack of
funding for the sport and/or a reluctance on the part of sponsors to offer support.

Each sport has its own development programme based on the sports development pyramid,
with initiatives focusing on the different levels. These initiatives are aimed at:
 Raising awareness of the sport
 Promoting its values
 Raising participation by creating more opportunities
 Improving access and removing barriers to taking part

FOR EXAMPLE: in the UK, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) invested considerable sums of
money in its ‘All Schools’ programme, which was established in 2012 as a legacy from the
London Olympic Games. The idea was to increase access and participation in the sport,
delivering the values of the sport to around a million school aged children, in conjunction
with 750 partnership schools.
The chart below helps us see how the RFU is active at each stage of the sports development
pyramid for its sport.

Stage 4- Elite
- provides nationl
level coaching and
support for those
who show high
levels of ability and
the character to
perform at the
highest level.

Stage 3- Performance stage

- provides competitions through schools to develop representative rugby
for country and regional levels.
- generates knowledge of links to club-level rugby for improved coaching,
level of competition and support/ experience to those who wish to, or are
able to, progress into the Perfromance stage

Stage 2- Participation Stage

- provides rugby coaching and opportunitites to play in extracurricular sessions through schools, including festivals and fun games.

Stage 1: Foundaton
- Provides rugby coaching and access through PE lessons
- runs introductory classes and fun sessions through community group/school centres.

*** Complete takes 3 on page 209 of the green book. This is on a sport in Zimbabwe that
has a clear pathway e.g. Athletics. Are there areas this could be improved? ***
Successful sports development depends largely on effective partnership and networking
between a wide range of people and groups. Many professional and volunteers are involved
in providing the skills and support needed for people to progress up the pyramid. These
include:
 Coaches and trainers
 Facilities operators and service providers (e.g. owners of sports centres)
 Volunteers and voluntary groups
 Community groups
 Local councils
 Sport’s governing bodies
 Policy makers (e.g. politicians)

In recent years in the UK there has been a steady expansion of sports development
programmes. This has led to an increase in the number of sports development
professionals. One of the key roles is that of the sports development officer.

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER - a professional whose job is to identify and support a

planned route for participants and performers through the 4 stages of the sports
development pyramid.
The aim of the sports development officer’s work is to increase participation in sport of all
kinds and at all levels of the pyramid- from recreational level to those interested in
competing at the highest level. This means:
o Ensuring all sections of the community are aware of available activities and where
they can go to get involved
o Distributing information and promoting sport
o Organising classes, programmes, coaching, club development training
o Liaising with schools, governing bodies, councils and everyone involved in sports
development.
Sports development officers are employed by a variety of organisations, including local
authorities, universities and colleges, sports councils and national governing bodies.

*** Do further research on the roles of sports development officer. What abilities and skills
do you need to become one? What qualifications are important? ***