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Partnership Work

At UK Sport we recognise the value of engaging systematically with policy makers at the same time as supporting practitioners and organisations to plan a more widespread, sustainable and strategic engagement in international sport development.

Through our work we have built strong relationships with Government Departments of Sport and Education, National Sports Councils, National Sports Federations and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to provide opportunities for young people and practitioners to experience high quality sport, physical education and play.

This can be through technical expertise; organisational development support; financial support and facilitation of learning exchanges.

We have partnerships with many different institutions and organisations- international, supranational and national.

Government level partnerships:
Influence the development of policies, agendas and frameworks in Sport and Education by contributing our expertise and engaging with governments and sports bodies internationally. This can be the management of specific sports-focused government to government bilateral agreements:

• Tanzanian MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) – this is an agreement between UK Sport and the National Sports Council of Tanzania to develop knowledge and understanding around sport development and sport for development between the two countries
• South African MOU - A 3 year MOU between the UK and the Government of South Africa signed by the Ministers for Sport in 2010, promotes youth leadership and volunteering, coach education and knowledge exchange
• International Inspiration – the 2012 sport and education legacy programmes aims to work in 20 countries and reach 12 million young people
• Beckwith International Leadership Development (BILD) is now operating in Ghana and Tanzania and promotes opportunities for young people and adults, with the aim of developing a national sports leadership programme, to enable greater employability.

Supranational and International partnerships:
Work in partnership with institutions in order to support the development of their organisational capacity so that UK Sport International can help them to achieve their objectives:

• International Paralympics Committee (IPC) – UK Sport signed an agreement with the IPC to support the development of NPCs around the world and provide them with Organisational development support. In Tanzania for example, this has led to the NPC development community based disability programmes while sending elite performers to the Commonwealth and Paralympic Games
• The Supreme Council for Africa Zone VI – Supporting their work on the Strategic Education Accreditation framework (SEAS)
• International Netball Federation (IFNA) – UK Sport supports IFNA’s Southern African regional development programme. This has recently led to a joint programme in Zambia with the ambition of developing coach education at a national level
• Norwegian Confederation of Sports and Olympic Committee (NIF) and Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) – UK Sport has been working strategically with these two partners for many years. A number of the programmes that UK Sport supports are joint initiatives with NIF and/or CGC

International advocacy, knowledge sharing and learning through membership of:

• Kicking Aids Out- a global membership network for organisations using sport as a tool for leadership and HIV/AIDS awareness
• The Sport and Development platform steering committee – a Swiss web-based platform and evidence base for sport and development
• UN International Working Group on Sport for Development and Peace where UK Sport will chair a sub group on Child and Youth Development in Sport from April 2010

National Partnerships:
Support for and advice to UK National Governing Bodies (NGBs) engaging in overseas International Development activity overseas

• England Volleyball in Sri Lanka – UKS supported England Volleyball who developed the capacity of Sri Lankan Volleyball coaches and took them through UKCC level 1
• Rounders England in India Pakistan – UKS is supporting the development of Rounders in Pakistan and India to raise levels of international competition and collaboration as well as bringing back experiences for Rounders England to use with Black and Ethnic Minority groups (BME)
• England Netball - working with us in Zambia to support the Zambian Netball Association 
• Cricket 4 Change (C4C) – UK Sport work in partnership with C4C on a number of initiatives including in Jamaica which introduced programmes of blind cricket, coach education and employability

Higher Education Partnerships:
We develop and build links with Higher Education Institutions in the UK and overseas to exchange ideas and good practice.

• International Development Through Excellence and Leadership in Sport (IDEALS) is an UK Sport programme which aims to establish a high quality, progressive and co-ordinated sports leadership development exchange programme through partnership with HEIs, Community-based organisations and UK Sport.
• Working with Leeds Metropolitan University on ICES research
• Loughborough University’s Institute of Youth Sport on Go Sister’s research project in Zambia

Non-governmental and community-based partnerships:
Work in partnership to give quality support to organisations to deliver quality sport development and sport for development programmes:

• International Development through Sport (IDS UK) works in partnership with community-based organisations using sport as a tool to deliver themed interventions around leadership, gender equity, HIV/AIDS and more.

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