New consultation asks City residents ‘cost kick a bo?’
Adults across Stoke-on-Trent are being asked to take part in consultation which will help to shape an exciting new sports programme.
Active Through Football is a new Sport England initiative and Stoke-on-Trent has been shortlisted to apply for a share of £10m funding to increase physical activity for people aged over 18.
Staffordshire University is working with partners including Staffordshire FA, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Stoke City FC Community Trust, Port Vale Foundation, Engage Communities and Together Active to put together an application for funding.
If successful, the National Lottery and Football Foundation funding would help provide new activity for people who would benefit from being more active in some of the poorest areas of the City.
Jo Ellard, senior lecturer at Staffordshire University, is leading on the consultation. She said: “As part of the consultation, we want to hear from people who would like to be more active and have ideas about how all different sorts of Football related activity could be beneficial for their community.”
“Community engagement is central to shaping our proposal to the Football Foundation and, more importantly, ensures that those people we want to help have a say in what they would like, when, where and how.”
As part of the consultation, focus groups will take place in nine council wards across the city, namely Abbey Hulton & Townsend, Bentilee & Ubberley, Blurton West & Newstead, Burslem Central, Etruria Hanley, Joiners Square, Meir North, Moorcroft, Norton & Ball Green.
Residents can also complete an online questionnaire which asks them how physically active they are, what are their main barriers to taking part in sport and how they think football could help them become more active. Or they can take part in an online focus group. Participants will be entered into a prize draw to win prizes including;
- £25 Amazon gift voucher
- pair of Match tickets at home for Stoke City FC or Port Vale next season.
- signed Stoke City FC shirt
- signed Port Vale FC shirt
- £10 Asda food voucher
Gemma Machin from Staffordshire FA added: “The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a further reduction in activity levels, poor health and an increase in financial hardship in communities.
“One project cannot solve all of these problems but by understanding people’s experiences and ideas and what might be preventing them from taking up a sport, we hope to begin to make a positive improvement for individuals, families and communities.”
Maria Scrivens
Communications Manager
t: 01782 294375
m: 07766 520339
e: m.c.scrivens@staffs.ac.uk
Staffordshire University is the Connected University; connected to the needs of students, academic partners, business and society. Our main city campus in Stoke-on-Trent features excellent learning and teaching facilities and good transport links. We have specialist Centres of Excellence in Healthcare Education at Stafford and Shrewsbury.
We were recognised with a Gold award in the 2019 Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) for delivering consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for students.
We were shortlisted for University of the Year at the THE Awards 2020 and were named ‘Midlands University of the Year’ at the Midlands Business Awards 2020.
Staffordshire University has signed up to the Civic University Agreement, pledging to play a leading role in improving the regional economy and enhancing quality of life in local communities. We were recognised in the top 15 for social inclusion in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021. We aim to be a leading university for digital technologies building on our proud computing heritage and in 2019 launched Staffordshire University London’s Digital Institute which is committed to preparing students for careers in new and emerging tech industries.
We are a Top 250 Young University (Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2020) and are connected globally, with more than 11,000 people studying Staffordshire University degrees overseas.
