The Perfect Partnership

The Tony Blair Sports Foundation is dedicated to investing in local people, through an initial batch of 4 sports: indoor rowing, tennis, football and athletics and from January 2009 basketball and cycling, we seek to sustain and strengthen a volunteer culture, by developing a new generation of coaches. We aim to engage, educate, and empower children and young people.

Our indoor rowing programme, embedded in each of the 29 School Sports Partnerships in the North East, will involve a minimum of 70,000 pupils, drawn from 198 secondary schools.  We are seeking your help, to harness its potential.

Concept2, the company which has developed indoor rowing as a modern, inclusive sport, provides expertise and equipment. Their Master Instructors go into schools, coaching teachers and delivering complementary healthy eating programmes.

“To me, it is a perfect partnership, an illustration of how the Foundation intends to unite the public and private sectors in support of a scheme that offers the opportunity to develop the foundations for lifelong health and fitness.  I have seen its impact on our children. They love it, and learn at the same time. If you would like more information on how you can become involved, please contact Jeanette Pickard, the Foundation’s CEO, on 01429 881260.”
Tony Blair .

AN ACTIVE, HEALTHY FUTURE FOR ALL

Summary of the partnership between Concept2 and Tony Blair Sports Foundation

Rationale

Concept2 are the world’s largest distributors of indoor rowing machines. Over the last 20 years the Nottingham-based company has created a modern, socially-relevant sport, which has long term health and educational benefits. The partnership with the Tony Blair Sports Foundation is a product of a distinctive philosophy.

Indoor rowing is a community-focused activity. Concept2 have developed online leagues, involving clubs, schools, universities, and workplaces.

A comprehensive programme, developed over the last decade and designed to overlay the School Sport Partnership structure, teaches teachers, and other volunteers, to deliver indoor rowing safely.

The Concept2 team is headed up by John Wilson, who successfully coached both Oxford and Cambridge in the Boat Race, Tom Kay, triple world champion, and Michael Calvin, former Deputy Director of the English Institute of Sport.

They fund, organise and deliver the biggest indoor participatory sports event in the world, the British Championship, which attracts more than 3,000 competitors each year.

They have forged partnerships with the Steve Redgrave Trust, Youth Sport Trust, Primary Care Trusts, local authorities and a range of elite sport programmes. Their support of Brunel University's Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Rowing project has pioneered the development of adapted indoor rowing machines for paraplegics

A year long independent study, conducted by the Institute of Youth Sport, under the aegis of Dr John Morris and Dr Mary Nevill, has found that Concept2’s indoor rowing programmes are safe, enjoyable, and have quantifiable health benefits. As little as 72 minutes’ intense exercise, over a six week period, resulted in lower blood pressure, and increased power output. No injuries were sustained.

Research identified the activity as an effective method of combating childhood obesity and inactivity. It successfully targeted traditionally reticent groups, including girls, the overweight, ethnic minorities and those with physical disabilities and learning difficulties.

It has also been successful in promoting community use of facilities, and in addressing social inclusion issues, including those of ethnicity.

Research base

As an ethical and socially aware company, Concept2 has initiated and underwritten research into the effect of indoor rowing on school children. This study, undertaken by Mary Nevill and John Morris of the Institute of Youth Sport, concentrated on a project, conducted primarily by the Heart of Birmingham teaching Primary Care Trust, Birmingham City Council, the Steve Redgrave Trust and Concept2.

Sir Steve’s Trust seed funded schemes to introduce indoor rowing into 89 inner-city schools in Birmingham, Sandwell, Glasgow and Cardiff. The PCT, utilising funding from the Choosing Health initiative, introduced indoor rowing into a further 117 schools - every secondary and primary school in their catchment area. Due to the project’s success, the Council expanded the scheme to all secondary and special schools in the city.

Teachers welcomed training opportunities and resources provided by Concept2,. These helped them to use indoor rowing as a catalyst, across the curriculum, to develop better team working, interaction between age groups, and the promotion of a positive body image among girls. They enabled pupils, especially girls, to become more aware of nutritional issues.

International scientific support

The work of the IYS is praised by Professor Fritz Hagerman, PhD, a pre-eminent global expert in the field of rowing ergometry. He chaired the Medical Commission of FISA, the international governing body of rowing, for a decade, and has been physiological consultant to US Rowing for 40 years. IYS findings mirror those of Professor Dr Niels Henry Secher, of the Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre, who is acknowledged by the IOC as a leading expert in sports medicine, as it relates to rowing. He believes indoor rowing to be valuable for children from the age of seven.

Results

Pupils took part in warm-up activities and two three minute bouts of high intensity indoor rowing twice a week during their PE lessons for six weeks. When compared to the control group who undertook traditional PE activities the indoor rowing group:

•  were able to row further in a three minute maximal effort test (increase of 3.5%).
• showed a decreased heart rate response to sub-maximal exercise (the indoor rowing group showed a decrease of 8 beats per minute compared to an increase of 4 beats per minute for the control group).
• decreased resting systolic blood pressure by 8 mmHg .
• decreased resting diastolic blood pressure by 8 mmHg.

Staff survey

• 79% of staff reported that the programme had raised the status of PE within school.
• 92% of staff reported that the programme had helped to promote physical activity within schools.
• 84% of staff reported that the programme had increased pupil confidence.
• 87% of staff reported that the programme had increased pupil confidence in those disaffected with traditional school PE.
•  87% of staff reported that the programme had helped to engage those not currently active.
• 74% of staff reported that the programme had helped to support the delivery of high quality PE and school sport.
• 91% of staff reported that the programme had improved pupil fitness.

Results: Primary Pupil Survey

• 64% of pupils had used C2 rowing ergometers in school PE and 76% of pupils found this very enjoyable.
• 76% of pupils had used C2 ergometers as an extra-curricular activity.
• 89% of pupils enjoyed using C2 ergometers in cross-curricular activity, with Science being the most common lesson cited.
• 49% of pupils had increased their physical activity since trying indoor rowing.
• 91% of pupils gave as reasons for liking rowing that it made them fit and healthy and that rowing was FUN.

Results: Secondary Pupil Survey

• 91% of pupils had used C2 ergometers in school PE and 69% of pupils found this enjoyable or very enjoyable.
• 57% of pupils had used C2 ergometers in extra-curricular time and 4% in other lessons such as Science.
• 33% of females felt rowing was more fun than other sports.
• 49% of pupils had increased their physical activity since trying indoor rowing.
• 44% of pupils felt more confident participating in sport and exercise since trying indoor rowing.
• 86% of males and 83% of females gave as reasons for liking rowing that it made them fit and healthy.
• 46% of males and 67% of females gave as reasons for liking rowing that it was fun.

Existing Infrastructure:

• More than 1,500,000 people use C2 machines on a weekly basis.
• 95% market share of UK gym market.
• Team of Master Instructors, led by triple world champion Tom Kay.
• Linked to School Sport Partnership system.
• Training Manual and educational resources.
• Website – in excess of 1,000,000 unique visitors.
• 45,000 E-Newsletter subscribers.
• Online Schools League – 27,000 competitors, geared for 100,000 by 2010.
• British Indoor Rowing Championship attracts up to 3500 competitors– established 1991.

Working with NHS North East

Obesity levels in the north east tend to be higher than the rest of England, with 23.4 per cent of men and women in the region categorised as obese in 2000-2002, compared to 21.4 per cent in the rest of the country. Poor diet and physical inactivity lead to a range of health risks including heart problems, various cancers and diabetes. There are a number of innovative services and projects around the region to tackle obesity in children and adults and all local primary care trusts have included strategies for managing obesity in their annual operating plans for the coming year.  

SHA North East

In 2007 TBSF and Concept2 placed 44 indoor rowing machines into 14 secondary and special needs schools across the North East.

In 2008 a further 119 machines were placed into another 23 secondary and special needs schools.

Working in partnership with TBSF and Concept2, the Strategic Health Authority North East is to invest in putting an extra three machines into 10 Gateshead secondary schools and an extra machine into three Gateshead special needs schools. This will bring the number of machines in this SSP to 56 giving around 13,000 pupils greater access to regular physical exercise and a healthier lifestyle.

The Tony Blair Sports Foundation and the SHA is working together to place more indoor rowing machines into all Secondary schools across the North East, through a match funding partnership approach with PCT’s, Local Authorities and North East companies.