National Governing Bodies

Across GM Moving, there is excitement and energy to work with NGBs, refocus on sport, and explore how it can reach diverse communities, support wellbeing, and tackle inactivity and inequalities. This has led to us hosting the Sport Connect Forum to bring people together and strengthen connections in sport.

The next GM Moving Sport Connect Forum will take place on Wednesday 12 March 2025, with a focus on welfare & safeguarding. You can sign up for the Forum here.

How we began this work

The first event, then called the 'GM Moving NGB Engagement Event,' took place on 29 November 2023, with 29 representatives from 20 sports. The energy and purpose in the room was felt, as attendees reconnected with old contacts and built new relationships.

The event aimed to reintroduce GM Moving to NGBs, and to give NGBs the space and opportunity to connect. We shared the GM Moving work on Volunteering in Sport, Physical Activity and Movement. We also heard about the Place Partnership work across GM, and the Sport Welfare Officer network which will promote good practice and safe sport at a local level. There was plenty of time for discussion and sharing, and the video below shows what some NGB representatives took from the day.

GM Moving CEO Hayley Lever has previously written this blog Changing the world; through people, movement and connections, that highlights the importance of networks in creating positive change.   

The second NGB engagement event in February 2024 had a focus on children and young people, as this was identified as a priority area for many of the attendees. GM Moving Children and Young People’s Team shared some of data about children and young people's activity levels. Attendees were given opportunity to join conversations about youth voice, education and positive experiences for children and young people.  

What next?

Following the success of these events and desire to build on the network, we have committed to create opportunities for NGB colleagues to continue to develop stronger relationships and connections; with each other, with GM Moving and with other system partners working to address inactivity and inequalities. A full schedule of planned events and opportunities will be updated on our website.  

We are continuing one-to-one conversations and relationship building with NGBs to explore local priorities and barriers. This will help to shape future engagement events and plans, and make sure we can identify opportunities to further integrate sports into local places and communities. Please get in touch if you would like to be involved in this work.