ukactive has today (19 February) announced the findings of its first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) self-assessment tool and report.
The findings reveal the current EDI performance of a sample of organisations across the physical activity sector and their ability to deliver the most inclusive service.
The report, called ‘Progressing the EDI agenda’, marks the end of the first year of consultation using the self-assessment, which was completed by 68 organisations, including facility operators from both the private and public sectors, as well as other providers and also suppliers.
Supported by ukactive Strategic Partners, Future Fit and the Swimming Teachers’ Association, the report shows that based on the sample, the sector scores within the ‘EDI activator’ category.
Participants responded to 40 questions, for which they received a personalised EDI score that signposted them towards resources to support their ongoing development and improvement.
To provide benefit to the wider sector, the scores were then anonymised and aggregated to provide a sectoral score indicating how inclusive the industry is, based on this initial sample.
Through this work, ukactive aims to increase understanding and insight into the sector’s relationship with inclusion; identify where improvements need to be made and where requirements for support lie; and recognise and share examples of good practice.
Main findings:
- The sector sits in the ‘EDI Activator’ category, with an average score of 47%. This category is defined as ‘demonstrating a commitment to the EDI agenda through a good knowledge and activation on EDI through utilising strong programmes and initiatives.
- ‘Workforce and training’ was the highest scoring category (averaging 55%) across the self-assessment submissions, suggesting the sector is doing well in educating and supporting the workforce in EDI.
- 71% say their business plan or strategy contains references to EDI, suggesting there is a good integration of EDI to support the objectives of the organisation.
- 29% say they do not have a shared purpose with EDI, but 18% have a clear, published statement with their ambitions and goals on the agenda. This suggests more work can be undertaken to define exactly what EDI means for organisations, the benefits, and how it can be achieved practically.
- 76% say EDI helps to influence participation or engagement growth with their products, provision and services.
- 80% can identify gaps in their provision for underrepresented or underserved groups, suggesting that the ambition to develop and grow audiences is supported by EDI.
ukactive wants more members to utilise the self-assessment toolkit to ensure a fully representative sample contribute to the next report. ukactive’s Vision 2030 strategy set out an ambition for fitness and leisure facilities to engage more than five million new members from a greater diversity of backgrounds by 2030.
Timothy Mathias, Strategic Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at ukactive, said: “Following the first year of our EDI self-assessment tool, it is clear that while the sector is moving in the right direction, there is still much work to do to drive progress on this agenda.
“This self-assessment tool provides our members with simple measures and advice to improve their approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, and is also helping us to track the sector’s progress.
“We want the health, social and wellbeing benefits of an active lifestyle to be felt across the entire population, and today’s report provides a useful marker to understand what more can be done to make our sector’s facilities, services and products as accessible and inclusive as possible.”
Tom Godwin, Group Operations Director at Future Fit Group, said: “We have been proud to support ukactive with the workforce elements of the EDI self-assessment tool. We are greatly encouraged to see the work with the toolkit that demonstrates the commitment of the sector to focusing on creating more inclusive environments.
“The EDI self-assessment tool designed by ukactive is a straightforward and effective way to address how organisations in our sector can increase awareness of and support for equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. We are excited to see this tool continue to shape the sector’s approach to EDI and how it can play a key role in inspiring a fitter and healthier nation.”
Dave Candler, CEO of Swimming Teachers Association (STA), said: “It’s encouraging to see that in just 12 months, ukactive’s self-assessment tool has brought focus to and made significant progress in advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion within our sector.
“STA is proud to have contributed to this effort, and we welcome the release of this first report as part of our shared commitment to embedding EDI into the leadership and core values of organisations.
“This is a crucial step in driving meaningful change. This valuable tool will continue to support organisations in improving their approach to inclusion and play a key role in shaping future policies for a more accessible and inclusive physical activity sector.”
To read the ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 2025: Progressing the EDI agenda’ report, click here.
To complete the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion self-assessment and receive your individual report click here.
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