News
Jersey Sport deliver a unified response to the global pandemic and highlight key achievements in their 2020 Annual Report
Jersey Sport have released their Annual Report for 2020 which highlights the organisation’s key achievements during a year which brought about unexpected and unprecedented challenges.
As an independent body and a charitable organisation, Jersey Sport aims to drive the Inspiring an Active Jersey Strategy forward and champion sport and active living in the island.
Phil Austin, Chairman of Jersey Sport said, “As we enter our fourth year of service, I am proud of the work our Jersey Sport team has achieved to date, and excited for the future.
Despite the appearance of a global pandemic which shut down sport, indoor activities and events for the majority of 2020, we were delighted that as an organisation, our teams reacted with agility, innovation and creativity.
I would like to thank all the staff and Board members of Jersey Sport whose efforts continue to help us achieve growth and recognition through their commitment and dedication. I would also like to thank all our sponsors and funders, including the Government of Jersey, who have provided so much support throughout 2020. The content of our 2020 Annual Report is testament to the incredible work of our teams, even in the face of extraordinary new challenges, and we look forward to continued success, development and growth in the future.”
In September 2020, Jersey Sport launched the new Inspiring an Active Jersey Strategy, with the Government of Jersey and set out how the strategy will be delivered through collaboration between Government departments, the island’s volunteer and community sectors, and business. The strategy aims to make Jersey a healthier, more productive and fairer society by being one of the most physically active populations in the world. The mission is to increase physical activity by 10%, by 2030. This is the first time that sport and active living have been referenced as a priority in a Government plan, and represents a major step forward in Government’s understanding of the role it can play as an enabler to achieving the strategic ambitions for Jersey.
Jersey Sport’s CEO, Catriona McAllister, also continues to work closely with the Government of Jersey to drive sports facilities plans forward in the island, which will support Jersey in becoming a world leader in sport and active living over the next 10 years and beyond.
Catriona McAllister said, “I am immensely proud of all our team members who went out of their way to ensure that sports clubs, organisations, schools, class participants and the general public were supported throughout the pandemic in a variety of ways. I would go as far as to say that out of adversity, came innovation.
We understood the importance of keeping people active both physically and mentally and did our best to inspire outdoor exercise in our open spaces and to find healthy new indoor routines to find balance amongst what for many, was a complete change of daily routine. Jersey Sport stepped up its game in being a strong advocate and voice for sport. Our team were adaptable, resilient and flexible as we all shared a desire to influence people’s lives positively in any way we could.
2020 was a productive year and has shown the importance of good mental and physical health. It showed us what was most important. People were left with the options of walking, running, cycling and sea swimming, which opened people’s eyes to the luxuries that were on their doorstep all along that they’d missed in the busyness of modern life. Seeing more and more people out on our roads, footpaths and pavements was a great delight and one I hope will continue long after we return to a ‘new normal’.
While our challenge as an organisation to increase physical activity by 10% by 2030 remains constant, it was great to see the shift in perception towards a more active, outdoor lifestyle on our beautiful island.”
Jersey Sport believes that now is the time for optimism. Sport and physical activity play a crucial part in creating a more active population, whilst boosting the economy through the indirect effect of a healthier population, as well as its direct financial contribution and savings to health spend.
Sport must be placed at the heart of all strategies for the island’s long and short-term recovery and Jersey Sport are in good health to deliver all that is required to achieve this success in the future.
Find out more about the work of Jersey Sport and read our 2020 Annual Report at: jerseysport.je/about-us/annual-report
[ENDS]