Factors that Shape Policies in Sports Development in the UK Communities.
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In the community, sports seem to be a form of utilizing leisure time. Apart from being a form of recreation, it is also a profession activity. Thus, it is a common phenomenon to see teenagers as well adults engaging in sports activities such as football, swimming, hockey, and running. Sports have a number of benefits to the community that tend to help the teenagers and the adults. For instance, it keeps young people busy; thus, they do not have time to engage in drug abuse and crime. The frequent exercises often improve the physical health of the population; thus, they avoid diseases such as obesity (Coalter, 2007). Such benefits need the intervention of the government to improve the state of the sporting facilities. Therefore, the government must establish policies that will ensure efficiency in the sports department. Such policies will go ahead and improve the state of sports in the community level. The essence of improving sports at the ground level is to tap the talent of the youngsters (DCMS, 2008). A wide pool of talent will ensure success of the country in international sports activities. A number of factors such as employment, engagement, investment as well as the countries prestige tend to encourage policy development in sports. In essence, such factors tend to shape policy developments in community sports (Coalter, 2007). Although everyone expects the government to establish and implement the policies, proper coordination of activities and participation of the community is the key to actual development of the policies.
The government need to establish policies that will encourage the community to engage in sporting activities. In essence, the government will have to invest in the grassroots’ facilities in the community. Unfortunately, they are in a pathetic state; hence, the government is planning to rebuild the jaded sports facilities (DCMS, 2008). Apart from improving the facilities, the government will also provide professional coaches who will help in guiding the participants through the physical education sessions. Through education, the coaches will be able to sensitize the players on the benefits of sports that include economic development as well as physical health (Coalter, 2007). Such empowerment will entice more people to join various sports. Besides, the government will even establish sporting facilities to accommodate more players. Such an initiative is one of the tool that will be instrumental in improving sports at the ground level. Specific teams will arrange competitions to gauge the extent of the players’ training. On the other hand, the players will have easy access to the United Kingdom Sports Institute (Sports Council, 1982). The institute has a wide range of advanced sports equipment; thus, the youngsters will get a platform to enhance their skills. Through such platforms, they will get a chance to compete with other elite competitors who meet international standards.
Employment seem to be one of the things that entice people in the community to engage in sports. Hence, young people take sports as their source of income in order to improve their general lifestyle. At the same time, it seems to be a lucrative form of investment because one can invest in the teams (DCMS, 2012). In return, the investors tend to get huge profits from buying and selling of the shares. Engagement is another factor that tend to encourage the society to engage in sports. In essence, being busy keeps people from engaging in vices such as drug abuse as well as crime. On the other hand, training and exercises tend to keep the players healthy. Physical health often scares away chronic diseases such as Diabetes (Sports Council, 1981). Hence, a number of people tend to engage in sports so that they can be physically fit. The government seems to engage in sports so that they can get the revenues generated from the stadiums. Moreover, the government seems to control the spread of drug abuse and crimes by keeping the young people busy. At the same time, success in sports on the international level tend to cement the political superiority of the UK government. Thus, the government invests in the sporting facilities to tap more talent (Sports Council, 1988). Such participation from the community tend to serve as the drivers for the policy developments.

The progress of the policy implementation seems to be on the right course. The progress is evident with a number of developments that have occurred in the various sports facilities. The government is encouraging other bodies to help in improving sports at the community level. Hence, the community have seen the intervention of a number of organisation in supporting the policies established by the government (DCMS, 2012). For instance, the National Lottery have invested in the renovation of the new Wembley Stadium as well as its great participation in the Commonwealth Games held in Manchester. At the same time, the New Opportunities Fund Have invested nearly £ 125 million in the renovation of the playing fields. Such investors have made a great impact on the state of sports in the UK. (DCMS, 2000). Moreover, the big teams have established amateur clubs that tend to nurture the young talents. Such platforms give the young players a chance to display their skills. Besides, through such platforms they can have a high chance of getting a big team.
Despite the initiatives by the government to rejuvenate the strength of sports, it has faced a number of challenges that seem to drag the whole process. Firstly, the policies seem over-ambitious; thus, making it difficult to achieve the targets (Sports Council, 1988). At the same time, the government appear to rely on financial aid to get the funds to support the initiatives. The overdependence on financial aid tends to drag the implementation of the policies because the process cannot commence without the funds. Even though, incorporating sports education in the curriculum seem like a better option, it makes sports be a requirement rather than a choice. Thus, a student might hate sports because it seems like the school is forcing him or her to engage in sports (DCMS, 2012). Hence, such an approach tend to scare away students. Lack of support from the local community tends to drag the whole implementation process because people seem preoccupied with other tasks.
At the same time, the society lacks equal access to advanced sporting facilities. Ethnicity, gender, and social classes tend to be the barriers in joining a number of prestigious sports clubs. Such impediments tend to drag the implementation of the policies because the government wants each member of the community to access sporting facilities. Hence, the government is unable to tap a wide pool of talents (Coalter, 2007).
Sports tend to be an instrumental tool in shaping the characters of young people. For instance, sportsmanship tend to stress on certain values such as honesty, trust, as well as generosity. Such values tend to improve someone’s dialogue and tolerance skills. Sports is one of the ways of interaction in the society; hence, it creates unity and cohesion in the society (Sports Council, 1988). At the same time, success in sports often seems to reflect in the academic prosperity to a certain extent. Mostly, the young players grow up to become professional players who use sports as their main source of income; thus, improving their lifestyle. Moreover, sports tend to keep young people busy; hence, they do not have time to engage in a number of vices in the society such as drug use as well as crime. On the other hand, sporting activities tend to improve the general physical as well as physiological health of the players (DCMS Strategy, 2002). Thus, to achieve such benefits, the government has established a number of policies that seem to improve the states of sports in the country. For instance, the government has engaged in improving the coaching equipment’s and the infrastructure.
Unfortunately, sports are not the hallmark of peace and order in the society. The rivalry between teams tends to create and animosity between the participants. In extreme cases, the rivals resort to fights to vent their anger and disappointment (DCMS, 2012). Even though, sports tend to keep the players away from drugs abuse. In reality, some players opt to use energy boosters in order to increase their performance rate while on the field. At the same time, success in sports come with huge financial packages as well as prestige. In fact, some of the players achieve such benefits while they are still at a tender age; thus, they do not have someone to advise them on the proper way of spending money. Hence, the players end up engaging the drug abuse and other vices such as prostitution (CCPR, 1960). In essence, other factors apart from sports will be instrumental in reducing social problems in the society. Hence, the community must establish other ways that will help in stopping the social problems.
The presence of major sports events tends to encourage young players to improve their skills. The most skilled players often get the platform to display their talents in such events. Hence, the young players will do anything within their capability to join teams that participate in such sports events (DCMS, 2000). In fact, participation in such events tends to come with prestige and huge financial packages. Thus, such benefits tend to entice the young players to train hard. For instance, professional sports generate roughly £ 12 Billion in a year and employs nearly 420,000 people. The prestigious FA Premier League tend to attract more foreign and local players; hence, a number of players will struggle to join one of the teams (Coalter, 2010). At the same time, the lucrative Olympic Games entice players to perform better so that they can be recruited in the national team.
I recommend that the government should establish follow-up activities that will ensure the policies are implemented. Such activities will monitor the progress of the implementation process. Furthermore, the government should come up with a team of specialists with towering credentials in sports. Such an organisation helps in coordinating the activities in a proper way as well as establishing realistic policies (Coalter, 2007). On the other hand, sports club should avoid policies that promote harassment and discrimination so that more players may join. At the same time, I congratulate the government to the extent it has reached in implementing the policies at the community level. The facilities have created a greater impact in the lives of the younger players.
In conclusion, it is evident that sports have a number of benefits such as a source of employment. However, because the state of sports facilities in the community is in a poor state, there is an urgent need for renovation. Thus, the government has intervened by establishing policies that seem to improve the state of sports in the UK. Such policies range from the renovation of sports infrastructure as well as the relevant equipment (DCMS, 2008). Moreover, the government has released a number of trainers to sensitize the community on the benefits of sports. The trainers also guide the players in the training sessions. However, the implementation of the policies need the participation of the community to succeed. Thus, there are factors in the society that tend to serve as policy drivers (DCMS, 2012). Such factors include sports being a source of employment; hence, people will resort to training. Moreover, sports tend to engage the participants; thus, they will not have time to participate in misleading activities such as crime or even drug abuse. Although, sports tend to serve as a tool for reducing social problems in the society. At the same time, it often encourages the spread of drug abuse as well as prostitution (CCPR, 1960). Finally, it is fair to conclude that apart from the government, participation of the community is crucial to the implementation of the policies that touch on the state of the sports.

References
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Coalter, F. 2010. The politics of sport for-development: Limited focus programmes and broad gauge problems? International Review for the Sociology of Sport 45(3). Pp. Sage publication.

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DCMS. 2012. Creating a sporting habit for life: A new youth sport strategy. London: DCMS
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