By: Clare Morley

“With all the noise and excitement that from Monday 17 May, those in England can sit indoors in pubs and restaurants, hug one another (whilst thinking of the vulnerability of our loves ones) and once again go back to cinemas, theatres and some large events, the impact on sport and physical activity opportunities feels a little… forgotten. However, with the announcement from Government that Step 3 will commence from 17 May, the impact for organised sport and physical activity, alongside the aforementioned industries, is also hugely significant.

During Step 2, organised sport for adults has been restricted to outdoor venues. I, like many others, have braved the inclement weather we’ve experienced (this April was the third coldest April in almost 140 years!) in order to re-connect with my sport (netball) and my team-mates. I’ve seen countless social media posts from people shivering their way through outdoor yoga and Pilates classes, grateful to be back doing their activity but wondering what happened to Spring. But, from Step 3, for those sports and activities more suited to an indoor experience, there is joy around the corner.

As per the Sport England guidance: “Organised indoor adult and children’s sport and physical activity can return (including exercises classes) subject to sport-specific guidance. For organised indoor sport and physical activity, there’s no limit on group numbers so long as people adhere to capacity restrictions on indoor facilities.”

Not only this, but all indoor sports facilities can re-open in Step 3, including those venues that are less associated with sport, but more with leisure, such as trampoline parks and soft plays; vital venues for providing opportunities to be active.

Here at Rise, we’ve regularly spoken about the value of movement for our wellbeing, and indeed, it is this value that has underpinned our #NEMovement campaign over this last, difficult, lockdown period. Whilst Step 3 doesn’t herald a return to complete normality, from a sport and physical activity perspective, it is hugely significant in supporting even more people, from even more backgrounds, to be able to undertake any movement, in any place at any time – and to feel the benefits that this brings.”