top of page
CPD Group Logo .jpg
08:00 - 09:00 - Registration, refreshments, and networking 

Refreshments served in the Atrium

09:00 - 10:40 Morning Plenary Session I (Guy Whittle Auditorium)

Why Sports 2023 - Unlocking The Potential

09:00 - Welcome to the Why Sports 2023 Conference (Guy Whittle Auditorium)
Yvonne Harrison, Conference Chair, CEO Women in Football (confirmed)
  • Welcome to the Conference

09:10 - Keynote Presentation - Unlocking the Potential of Local Government (Guy Whittle Auditorium) 
Councillor Liz Green, Chair of Local Government Association’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board (confirmed)
  • Local Government's vision and commitments to sports, leisure and physical activity. 

  • Opportunities for partners to understand policy objectives to deliver on shared priorities.

09:30 - Uniting the Movement: The journey so far and what is yet to come. (Guy Whittle Auditorium)  
Nick Pontefract, Chief Strategy Officer, Sport England (confirmed)
  • A quarter of the way through our ten-year plan.

  • What are the lessons we have learned?

  • What has been our collective impact?

09:50 - Headline Sponsor Presentation - Public Sector Decarbonisation  (Guy Whittle Auditorium)
Neil Bland, Managing Director, Leisure Energy Limited (confirmed)
  • Supporting the transition to Net Zero Carbon in Leisure Facilities

10:15 - A New Vision for A Healthy and Active Britain (Guy Whittle Auditorium)
Kim Leadbeater, Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen (confirmed)
  • Healthy Britain - A New Approach to Health and Well-Being Policy

10:40 -11:20 - Coffee, Refreshments, and Networking

Served in the Atrium

11:20 - Facilities Host Speaker  (Guy Whittle Auditorium)
Public Leisure Facilities: Helping to Move communities
Julie Russell, Chair, Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association (CLOA) (confirmed)
Iain Varah, Chief Ex
ecutive, Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association (CLOA) (confirmed)
  • A systems approach to ‘moving communities more’

  • The importance of high-quality public-funded facilities to meet the local need

  • Supporting a sustainable and valued offer – top tips!

  • Case studies on facility approaches to support a sustained offer to ‘move communities more’

11:45 - Facilities Case Study Presentation  (Guy Whittle Auditorium)
Developing More Active Environments

Rachel Fowler, Managing Director, Strategic Leisure (confirmed)
  • What do we mean by an Active Environment?

  • Public Sector context.

  • Transforming existing services and environments - who and what it takes.

  • Case studies for change.

12:15 - Facilities Master Class Presentation (Guy Whittle Auditorium)
An Ordinary Project? It should be.

Keith Ashton, CEO, Space&Place (confirmed)
  • How the sports and leisure industry can contribute to the UK's Zero Carbon goals.

11:20 - Leisure Infrastructure Host speaker (Max Rayne Auditorium)
The Importance of Data and Insight for the Future Physical Activity Sector

Matthew Wade, Head of Research and Development, ukactive (confirmed)
  • How ukactive’s Research Institute used data to support the sector.

  • The role of benchmarking across the sector.

  • What we can learn from consumer engagement.

  • Where data is supporting the development and implementation of ‘MSK Hubs’.

11:45 - Leisure Infrastructure - Case Study (Max Rayne Auditorium)
Investing in the Future: What’s the next step for public sector leisure?
James Foley, Commercial Director, Alliance Leisure (confirmed)
George Sutcliffe, Principal Consultant, Strategic Leisure (confirmed)
Warren Smyth, CEO, Abbeycroft Leisure (confirmed)
  • Challenges facing Public Sector Leisure, how can the sector champion and drive forward the agenda for transformation?

  • The opportunities for continued investment in public sector facilities

  • What was happening before the pandemic, how operators have delivered construction projects during the last 3 years, and what is in store for the future.

12:15 - Leisure Infrastructure Master Class Presentation (Max Rayne Auditorium)
The Power of Movement Data 
Ben Jones, Partnerships Director, ActiveXchange (confirmed)
  • What is 'insight' and why does it matter?

  • Limitations of the status quo

  • What can movement data tell us?

  • Strategic and operational applications of movement data 

  • What works where, for who? Building our collective understanding of infrastructure and its varying impact on communities. 

11:20 - Leadership and Skills Host Speaker (Naim Dangoor Auditorium)
The Art of the Possible. Local Skills Development Plans

Tara Dillon, CEO, CIMSPA (confirmed)
  • Local skills development plans 

  • Local skills accountability boards

  • The devolution of the adult education and skills budget 

  • Our work with further and higher education

11:45 - Leadership and Skills Case Study Presentation (Naim Dangoor Auditorium)
Open Doors Agenda
Michelle Dorgan, Head of Marketing and Communications,, Women In Football (confirmed)
  • The latest research from women working in the football industry

  • The reality and what needs to change

  • What you can do to include women more effectively in the workplace

12:15 - Leadership and Skills Master Class Presentation (Naim Dangoor Auditorium)
Young People: Equity in Action
Dan Greenwood, National Football Development Manager, AoC Sport (confirmed)
  • Understanding their barriers

  • Striving to create the environment

  • Creating a lasting impact

11:20 - Healthy Place Making Host Speaker (Seminar Suite) 
Green Place-Making for Health and Well-being

Dave Bell, Principal Advisor, Health and Environment, Natural England (confirmed)
Clare Warburton, Principal Advisor, Green Infrastructure, Natural England (confirmed)
  • Introduction to nature’s role in Healthy Place-making (linking health, nature and climate resilience)

  • Health and Well-being: Highlighting the impact of the built environment on physical and mental health outcomes.

  • Exploring strategies to create environments that foster healthy behaviours and improve overall well-being.

  • Green and Open Spaces: Highlighting the benefits of incorporating green infrastructure, parks, and open spaces in community design, including improved air quality, stress reduction, and opportunities for physical activity and social interaction.

11:45 - Healthy Place Making Case Study Presentation (Seminar Suite)
Creating Active Spaces

David McHendry, Managing Director, Knight Kavanagh and Page (confirmed)
  • The importance of creating active spaces 

  • The importance of health and well-being within the local plan process 

  • The practical and financial challenges to be overcome in making it work 

  • What does healthy place making look like?

12:15 - Healthy Place Making Masterclass Presentation (Seminar Suite)
Infrastructure, Place and Community
Neil Manthorpe, Associate Director London studio lead, Atkins Realis (confirmed)
  • A series of short story projects from around the UK. Edinburgh, London, Leeds and Manchester

  • Joining up the dots of health and well-being 

  • Active travel, green and blue infrastructure

  • Creating thriving places for people and nature

13:00 - 14:30 Lunch and networking
  • Served in the Atrium

14:30 - Children and Young People Host Speaker (Guy Whittle Auditorium)
Why Daily Physical Activity, Weekly PE and an Inclusive School Sport Offer Sits at the Heart of a Well School

Ali Oliver, CEO, Youth Sport Trust (confirmed)
  • Introduction to the work of the charity (Youth Sport Trust)

  • #WhenWePlayLifeGetsBetter

  • Why it is so essential we nurture active environments in education

  • The evidence base

  • The principles and progress of the Well School Movement

15:00 - Children and Young People Case Study Presentation (Guy Whittle Auditorium)
CPOMS The Importance of Safeguarding in Sports

Dan Coates, UK Sales Consultant.CPOMS. (confirmed)
Polly Rothera, International Sales Consultant, CPOMS (confirmed)
  • What is CPOMS 

  • How can CPOMS support club welfare officers

  • Customisation 

  • Chronology 

  • Role-Based Access

  • Reporting

  • Audit Controls

  • Tournament and Event Recording

15:30 - Children and Young People Masterclass Presentation (Guy Whittle Auditorium) 
Bridging the Gap: Empowering Teenage Girls through Inclusive Design

Michael Hoenigmann, Managing Director, Jupiter Play and Leisure (confirmed)
  • The Data Gap: Recognising the lack of facilities for teenage girls

  • Why does involving teenage Girls have a benefit to the whole community?

  • Impact of sports and physical activity on the Well-being and empowerment of teenage girls

  • Introducing Kore: A transformational solution

14:30 - Communities Host Speaker (Max Rayne Auditorium)
Thriving Active Communities – How Sport and Physical Activity Can Strengthen Individual and Community Well-being in a post-Covid World

Mark Lawrie,  CEO, StreetGames (confirmed)
  • How community sports organisations can act as cross-policy connectors and grow their capability – joined-up government at a neighbourhood level

  • Safe spaces to play, somewhere to go, something to do, someone to trust – key lessons from the Chiles, Webster, Batson Commission

  • Implementing the insight from 1000 Young Voices – the value of genuine youth engagement to stronger more active communities

15:00 - Communities Case Study Presentation
Community Engagement at Scale in Burnley and Merton. 
(Max Rayne Auditorium)

Dr William Bird, Founder, Intelligent Health (confirmed)
Paul Foster, Deputy CEO, Burnley Leisure Trust (confirmed)
  • Ill health, inequalities and climate change are stretching the resilience of councils and communities across the UK.

  • Understand how to empower communities and leaders to agree on shared challenges and deliver meaningful change – using engagement and insight.

  • Learn about how Merton is using data to improve public health and place.

  • Hear from Burnley LDP on their whole town approach #OutdoorTown bringing partners together around a shared vision and working at scale.

  • Hear about Intelligent Health’s system partner shift, using Beat the Street as a transformational tool that helps build capacity and capability.

15:30 - Communities Masterclass Presentation (Max Rayne Auditorium) 
The Single Homeless Project (confirmed)
  • The presentation topics are to be confirmed

14:30 - Activity Host Speaker (Naim Dangoor Auditorium)
Reframing Physical Activity as a Core Solution to Improving Health and Well-being

Annie Holden, Strategic Health Lead, Active Partnerships National Organisation (confirmed)
Ali Clements, Strategic Lead, Active Together (confirmed)
Richard Claydon, Head of Strategic Health Partnerships at Active Oxfordshire (confirmed)
  • Exploring how Active Partnerships play a core systemic role in improving the health of their communities in place.

  • Optimising our PA untapped workforce as the first mile of healthcare.

  • Sharing an action-orientated approach.

15:00 - Activity Case Study Presentation (Naim Dangoor Auditorium)
Becoming a World Champion at 100 

Jan Inge Ebbesvik, President for The Road World For Seniors, Motitech (confirmed)
  • Thousands of seniors from countries worldwide compete each year for glory and personal triumphs.

  • How, where and why? Learn about the Road World for Seniors and how it improves the quality of life for older people and people living with dementia.

15:30 - Activity Masterclass Presentation (Naim Dangoor Auditorium) 
This Girl Can Classes: Key Things We've Learnt from Engaging Inactive Women.

Shelley Meyern, Chief Operating Officer, EMD UK (confirmed)
Claire Edwards, Head of Campaign Activation, Sport England (confirmed)
  • This Girl Can and EMD UK developed an empowering group exercise product – This Girl Can Classes.

  • Learn how it’s bringing previously nervous and inactive women into physical activity.

  • Insight shows that the fear of judgement is a significant barrier to women getting active – understand how we’re overcoming this.

16:30 - Conference Closed 
 
  • Thank you for supporting the Why Sports 2023 Conference 

bottom of page