Sport
Sports organizations should collaborate to establish a national policy that emphasizes the importance of sports as a vehicle for promoting and sustaining a physically active population. (SP-1)
TACTICS:
Build support for development of a national policy on sport by increasing awareness of the importance of such a policy among key stakeholders. (SP-1.1)
Engage public agencies and private organizations from multiple sectors in development of a national policy on sport. (SP-1.2)
- By 2021, a consortium of leading sports, health, and policy organizations will solicit wide-spread input and develop a comprehensive policy action plan for promoting physical activity and health through safe and enjoyable sports participation.
- By 2022, a consortium of leading sports, health, and policy organizations will invite a breadth of multi-sector organizations to become official signatories and supporters of a national policy strategy for promoting physical activity and health through sports.
Identify an organization, either public or private, that will “house” a national policy on sport. (SP-1.3)
STRATEGY 2
Sports organizations should establish an entity that can serve as a central resource to unify and strengthen stakeholders in the sports sector. (SP-2)
TACTICS:
Build awareness, among sport organizations, of the value of “backbone” entities which leverage and coordinate resources across affiliated organizations. (SP-2.1)
Engage sport organizations that currently play a coordinating role (e.g., the U.S. Olympic Committee) in the process of developing an entity that provides broad leadership for the sport sector. (SP-2.2)
Develop a funding mechanism for an entity that serves as a central resource for stakeholders in the sport sector. (SP-2.3)
STRATEGY 3
Leaders in multiple sectors should expand access to recreational spaces and quality sports programming while focusing on eliminating disparities in access based on race, ethnicity, gender, disability, socioeconomic status, geography, age, and sexual orientation. (SP-3)
TACTICS:
Use data to identify populations who are at risk of physical inactivity, understand their specific barriers, and devise targeted initiatives to reduce disparities. (SP-3.1)
- By 2020, a leading sport organization will work with other organizations to expand the use of data provided by organizations with relevance to sports, activity, and inclusion, such as the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and Aspen Institute’s Project Play.
- By 2021, a leading sport organization will work with other organizations to develop and launch a plan of action to address the most meaningful opportunities to increase physical activity and health through sports with a focus on expanding access while reducing disparities and barriers.
Create opportunities for free and loosely supervised play. (SP-3.2)
- By 2020, a national consortium will develop a coordinated plan of action aimed at progressively increasing free play in the United States and a campaign that underscores the importance of free play as a right of every child.
- By 2021, a consortium of leading institutions and programs will launch a comprehensive campaign to make free play a high national priority for children and youth, and to measurably increase annually the level of free play occurring in the U.S.
Prioritize community-based, affordable forms of organized play, such as in-town leagues. Continue offering these formats into and beyond adolescence. (SP-3.3)
- By 2020, a national consortium will identify best practices for organized play, and develop strategies to further underscore those best practices and to recognize exemplar organizations and programs.
- By 2021, a consortium of leading institutions and programs that focus on organized play will launch a national campaign to educate about and measurably increase organized play.
Incorporate sports activities into before- and after-school programming. (SP-3.4)
STRATEGY 4
Sports organizations should adopt policies and practices that promote physical activity, health, participant growth, and development of physical literacy. (SP-4)
TACTICS:
Identify and disseminate evidence-based practices that prioritize moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity for all participants during practices and games. (SP-4.1)
- By 2020, leading youth sports and physical activity organizations will hold a roundtable or other means to identify high quality and evidence-based approaches for sports to ensure adequate physical activity for all, and to create a campaign to inform and persuade sports organizations to undertake effective approaches.
- By 2021, leading youth sports and physical activity organizations will execute a coordinated campaign to effectively persuade sports organizations to implement strategies that prioritize moderate to vigorous physical activity during practices and games.
Identify and reward sport organizations that foster sports models that are inclusive of groups that are underserved by traditional sports programs. (SP-4.2)
- By 2020, a national consortium of leading sports and inclusion organizations will identify criteria that recognizes exemplar programs that foster inclusion of underserved groups, with an emphasis on evidence-based and evidence-informed characteristics.
- By 2021, a national consortium of leading sports and inclusion organizations will develop and launch a national recognition strategy and reward structure for exemplar programs.
Establish pricing models and sport season timelines that encourage multi-sport participation. (SP-4.3)
Embrace developmentally appropriate forms of play, through frameworks such as the U.S. Olympic Committee’s American Development Model. (SP-4.4)
STRATEGY 5
Sports organizations should ensure that sports programs are conducted in a manner that minimizes risk of sports-related injuries and illnesses. (SP-5)
TACTICS:
Establish policies and practices that ensure sports programs put the highest priority on the health and safety of participants. (SP-5.1)
- By 2020, a consortium of leading organizations with interest in sports safety will develop and disseminate a minimal list and an exemplar list of safety standards to be implemented at sports practice and competitions.
- By 2025, 50% of sports organizations will have adopted at least the minimal list of safety standards and 25% will have adopted the exemplar list.
Educate parents, athletes, coaches, teachers, and others about the signs and symptoms of sports injuries and conditions (e.g., brain injury, heat illness, and exertional sickling). (SP-5.2)
Ensure that sports equipment, uniforms, playing surfaces, and environmental conditions are checked for safety and best conditions. (SP-5.3)
- By 2020, a consortium of leading sports safety organizations will develop and disseminate minimal and exemplary environmental safety standards (e.g. lightning safety, playing surfaces, heat index, etc.) to be used by sports organizations.
- By 2022, at least 25% of youth sports organizations and facilities will be committed to at least the minimum environmental safety standards.
Encourage importance of collaboration with medical professionals to ensure safe outcomes during play. (SP-5.4)
- By 2020, a consortium of leading youth sports and medical organizations will develop and disseminate basic principles that sport organizations can refer when seeking guidance from or inclusion of local medical professionals.
- By 2021, a consortium of leading youth sports and medical organizations will create and populate an online resource that allows sports organizations to connect with medical professionals.
- By 2022, youth sports and medical organizations will increase to at least 25% the number of sports organizations that collaborate with medical professionals for practice and competition.
STRATEGY 6
Public health agencies, in collaboration with sports organizations, should develop and implement a comprehensive surveillance system for monitoring sports participation in all segments of the population. (SP-6)
TACTICS:
Develop and implement a roadmap that will lead to the establishment of a comprehensive National Surveillance Collaborative for Sports, Physical Activity, and Health in the United States for all populations. The aim of the Collaborative will be to expand the use of data made available to, translated for, and used by all stakeholders to design and improve sports programs at all levels. (SP-6.1)
Create a national survey tool that measures the overall experience of participants. (SP-6.2)
- By 2020, a consortium of leading sports and other organizations will hold a convening to develop a national survey tool and methodology for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
- By 2021, a consortium or dedicated organization will launch an annual national survey that measures the overall experience of sports participants.
STRATEGY 7
Coaches, game officials, parents, and caregivers should create safe and inclusive environments for sports participation that promote physical activity and health for youth and adult participants. (SP-7)
TACTICS:
Align coaching accreditations and curricula with best practices. (SP-7.1)
- By 2020, a consortium of leading organizations in sports, health, and coaching will be created that will define essential educational content, identify coaching best practices across sports, and develop strategies to encourage their adoption.
- By 2021, a consortium of leading organizations in sports, health, and coaching will launch an ongoing campaign to have sports organizations adopt and require standards of excellence in coaching education, accreditation, and practices.
Use mandates and incentives to increase the number of coaches trained in key competencies, including basic safety and immediate care, plus sport-specific rules. (SP-7.2)
- By 2020, a consortium of leading organizations in sports, health, and coaching will identify feasible mandates and incentives that would bolster coach participation in basic safety and immediate care programs.
- By 2021, a consortium of leading organizations in sports, health, and coaching will partner with the breadth of sports and coaching organizations to continually increase the number of coaches training in key competencies.
Develop and promote educational resources outlining important factors related to parental and caregiver behavior that affects the development of youth athletes, including information about creating a positive environment with a focus on fun and discovery, being a good role model, and other topics, such as goal setting, good sportsmanship, and importance of sustained physical activity levels. (SP-7.3)
Increase awareness about the need for parents and caregivers (and others who can properly advocate for children other than their own) to encourage sport sampling, where youth play multiple sports throughout the year, including formal (sports leagues) and informal (pick-up games) sports to ensure increased levels of physical activity. Allow youth to self-select their sport(s) of choice as they get older and have experienced a variety of sports. (SP-7.4)
Support parents and caregivers in efforts to demand that all youth sports facilities and equipment are safe and that leagues adopt and follow the guidelines established by the United States Olympic Committee’s SafeSport program (SafeSport.org). Require that all coaches be required to take the SafeSport training course. (SP-7.5)
Encourage communication between medical professionals and coaches to ensure safe outcomes during play. (SP-7.6)
STRATEGY 8
Sports organizations should use advances in technology to enhance the quality of the sport experience for participants. (SP-8)
TACTICS:
Leverage emerging technologies – in collaboration with recreational, competitive, and elite sport organizations – to connect all people with the full array of sports and recreation options in their geographic communities for people of all abilities and levels of physical activity. (SP-8.1)
Make advances in sports technology more widely known and available to all. (SP-8.2)
- By 2022 a consortium of leading sports and technology organizations will identify practical strategies for making sports technology more known, used, and accessible, including sports technologies that promote physical activity (e.g., inexpensive pedometers) at the community level.
- By 2023, a consortium of leading sports and technology organizations will develop and disseminate strategies and guides that communities can use to make physical activity fun and accessible to all.
Use technological resources to identify or create tools and apps that can produce customizable surveys for teams and leagues to use to better understand the sport experience of their participants. (SP-8.3)
- By 2021, a consortium of leading sports and technology organizations will support the creation, identification, and usage of technological solutions to better understand and respond to the sport experiences of participants.
- By 2022, a consortium will launch a campaign to expand the uses of technology in understanding and improving sports experiences.
Use technological innovation to promote physical activity to spectators and fans of sports at events. (SP-8.4)
Create a national coordinating network of leaders and hubs focused on promoting existing and future technological innovation that can increase participation in quality sports programs and enhance the quality of the sport experience for participants. (SP-8.5)