Ethnically Diverse communities

Ethnicity is broader than race and has usually been used to refer to long shared cultural experiences, religious practices, traditions, ancestry, language, dialect or national origins (for example, African-Caribbean, Indian, Irish).

In 2018 about 13.8% of the UK population was from a minority ethnic background with London having 40% of its population from the Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic background.

According to the 2021 Census, the total population of England was 56.4 million:

81.0% of the population is White
9.6% of the population is made up Asian ethnic groups
4.2% of the population is made of Black ethnic groups
3.0% of the population is made up of Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
2.2% of the population is made up of Other ethnic groups

Sport England

Uniting the Movement

Analysis from Sport England's Active Lives Adult Survey shows that Mixed and White Other adults continue to have the highest activity levels, while South Asian, Black and those with other ethnic origins are the least likely to be active.

Research also showed there are differences in the types of sport and activity that people of different ethnic groups do.

By creating the Uniting the Movement strategy they aim to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity.

Find out about Uniting the Movement here.

Sport for all? Why ethnicity and culture matters in sport and physical activity.

As we all know a one size approach does not always work, Sport England are committed to combatting inactivity by understand the differing motivations and barriers for specific audiences.

To help Sport England create their Uniting the Movement Strategy they created a report that look at the sport and physical activity participation of children and adults from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in England. You can read their findings here.

Sporting Equals

Sporting Equals believe in the critical importance of ethnic diversity across sport, not only in the name of genuine equality, but also because diversity is essential to the future success of the industry.

The central aims of their research is to:

Develop a broader understanding of Ethnically Diverse Communities participation in sport and physical activity.
Contribute to the advancement of professional practice in the sports sector.
Be a leading 'Think Tank' in this space.

You can find a number of their research articles here, to get further information create an account to access Sporting Equals research reports, factsheets and toolkits.

Squash from the Mosque

Calder Community Squash wanted to open the doors to the community and get more people playing squash. Find out from Aron Harper-Robinson on how he helped break down barriers to make squash more accessible; also hear from the kids attending his sessions and what playing squash means to them.

Squash from the Mosque is an inclusive programme for attendees of local mosques that aims to get more people moving and playing squash.

Calder Community Squash are working alongside England Squash to bring community-focused programmes to more squash clubs and venues, and enhance diversity in the sport.

Squash from the Mosque has recently been trialed in Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, hear from Jo at Abbeydale Squash and Fitness Club about delivering Squash from the Mosque in her local community.

Find out more about Squash from the Mosque and the clubs delivering the programme here.