Why Are Sports Participation Rates Low Among Ethnic Minorities?

Most people tend to think about why the rates low but don't consider looking at effective solutions that can be emulated from one group to another. But like women, girls and people with disabilities ethnic minorities are also a group which tends to have lower sports participation rates. According to National Statistics (2007) sports among ethnic minority groups is only 40% compared with the national average which is 46%. There is even a stronger correlation between gender and participation as the issue of female involvement of sport is also prevalent in minority groups.  The survey found that Black, Caribbean, Black African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi females are least likely to participate with 32% compared to national average of 39%. Whereas Indian, Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi and Pakistani men were less likely to participate in sport than men generally.  ‘Black Other’ actually has a slightly higher participation rates than the national average. The concerns from participating in sport for ethic minorities often relate to facilities, cost, time/man power, distribution of information, fear of discrimination and language barriers.

Due to there being many members of ethic communities who come from a low socio-economic background it makes it more likely that they live in a deprived area. As a result the possibility of experiencing inadequate standards of sports facilities within the area. When a facility does not have a lot of quality equipment to use this takes away from the experience that you are seeking and therefore you may not want to go back.  This could be enough to put anyone off playing regular sport but due to factors stated earlier the chances are higher for people from ethnic populations. The improvement of these facilities is in the control of local councils and governing bodies who manage the distribution of funding facilities.

However, those involved in the day-to-day running of the operational aspect within the facilities should put in place measures which will maintain a good standard for people. Another factor that may deter someone from an ethnic group in taking part in sport is the lack of access to sports specialist facilities may be restricted because of cost and the quality of the delivery of sports may be of low quality due to inexperienced and under trained staff. Any organisation or facility should always seek to keep the skills of their work force up to date for a better experience for people living within their area. When it comes to the provision of facilities a lot of places such as sports clubs, leisure centres and sports centres have already been developed and improved in London through investment.

How ever, spectacular a facility may look in the end the cost of playing sport will be the main aspect to influence the opportunity of many individuals from an ethnic group. If you are a young person from an ethnic minority population and want to join a Tennis Club then membership fees can be extremely high. This blog would suggest introducing occasional special offers like discount memberships and free lessons and use of facilities to attract this group. The main point is to make it as affordable as possible as people will be more willing to find out incentives that could be financially beneficial to them.

For reasons that could be cultural, religious or due to family responsibilities someone from an ethnic group may find it more difficult to make time to participate in sports. This is even more of a struggle if you are from an environment where sport and physical activity is not viewed as essential. Therefore it is vital to put on sports activities at times that accommodating to the availability of certain groups. It might also help to have an area for the provision of children or a place where other family members can comfortably sit. It may also be a good idea to assist individuals who need the human resources to organise sports activities by offering skilled volunteers and trained sports professionals to help out. The role may be something minimal as giving advice and information. This may be more effective if the responsibility is given to persons who actually have an ethnic background or affiliation and can take the role as a mediator. Making an effort to reach out to people from the ethnic minority can make the difference in someone choosing to play more sport.

The distribution of information is vital in engaging ethnic minority groups. Information needs to be easily accessed and communicated in a way that is relevant to the individual and takes their understanding into account. This will also make the obstacle of language barriers easier as in most multi-cultural areas there will be difficulties in integrating some groups into the mainstream and consequently, some may feel excluded as they have little understanding. Furthermore, this could lead to feeling discriminated against and uncomfortable. Thus individuals need to be made to feel welcomed and encouraged when they express an interest in taking part.

One key point to take away from this is that  Black Other has the highest participation (60%) then any other group. The questions that need to be asked from this point on is what are the approaches that have significantly contributed to this groups high rate of sports participation? How could this approach be manipulated and then applied to other groups? Which of these approaches are more effective to which groups and why/not? What are the other strategies and approaches that could be used?

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