Blog: 'EFDS has been key to supporting our NGB's insight development'
New to the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) website in 2015, we'll feature a blog post every Friday through the year.
February's theme is research and insight- Emma Spring, EFDS's Research and Insight Manager, explains the close-knit research relationship between EFDS and National Governing Bodies of sport.
Two types of support
One of the main roles of EFDS's research team is to provide support to the National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of sport to help them improve their offer to disabled people.
The research team offers both broad support (more below) to all NGBS as well as bespoke one-to-one support as it is needed.
Broad support
While each NGB might have specific support needs, EFDS provides resources that all NGBs can use and apply as they see fit. Many state how useful and beneficial they are.
On EFDS's website, there is a database of useful research which includes over 300 reports from government, charities and academic research.
In addition to these reports, EFDS produces fact sheets of disabled people’s participation twice a year- January and July- based on the latest Active People Survey results from Sport England. These can be found on the website too, and reports from our primary research is on this page.
Much of EFDS’s research is developed with NGBs in mind, with the aim of providing useful and actionable insights to improve provision for disabled people.
The findings from our research are also presented at our twice-yearly NGB workshops. In these sessions we also point NGBs towards other useful data, such as impairment-specific statistics and other relevant research. We also encourage NGBs to share their own research around providing sport for disabled people, so that they can learn from each other.
Feedback from the workshops is frequently positive, including this recent testimony:
I wasn't fully aware about what the meeting would involve but found it very thought provoking. I enjoyed the discussions and found the meeting valuable.
The next workshop takes place in May 2015. If you are interested in finding out more contact Emma Spring by emailing espring@efds.co.uk on 0161 200 5441.
Bespoke support
Alongside resources that everyone can access, individual NGBs can approach the EFDS research team with individual queries.
This can be anything from asking whether there are useful facts and statistics already available to support their work, to requesting help in planning and implementing bespoke research.
As just one example, we are currently providing bespoke support to British Canoeing. Clarisse Smith, Paddle-Ability Officer, said:
EFDS has been key to supporting our insight development. The research they have released and their support has helped us to refine and identify which research we need to carry out. Support from their staff has helped us develop research development tools, as well as identify where and how we need to engage external research agencies to gain a better understanding of how canoeing can engage with disabled people.
Another NGB we are supporting is the England and Wales Cricket Board. Ken Kelly, Inclusion and Diversity Manager, said:
Over the last year the EFDS has acted as the ‘critical friend’ to The Lord’s Taverners and the England and Wales Cricket Board research plans. They have helped cricket to manage the four-year Impact Assessment programme, delivered by Sky Blue an externally-recruited market research company. Also, with the design of the questionnaire by suggesting what questions cricket should ask and in what form. Also, they are working closely with the ECB, to refine its annual National Cricket Playing Survey and to make it a more fit for purpose and accessible document for disabled cricketers.
Providing this bespoke NGB support is a key part of the EFDS research team’s offering. It helps NGBs to better understand their market in terms of how well they currently provide for disabled people and how they can improve.
Supporting NGBs remains a key focus for the EFDS research team. We are constantly seeking their input and guidance on how to improve our research work.
