CIMSPA welcomes appointment of new Sport England CEO

CIMSPA is pleased to welcome the announcement of Simon Hayes as the next Chief Executive Officer of Sport England.

At a time when the sector is evolving to meet key national priorities in relation to supporting economic growth, improving health and wellbeing and addressing key challenges at a local level, this appointment marks an important new chapter.

Sport England has a critical role in leading and shaping how our sector delivers and grows in line with national and local needs and Simon’s appointment will bring new ideas along with a wealth of insight from outside the sector, underpinned by extensive policy experience from work across government departments and bodies.

Tara Dillon CEO of CIMSPA said,

“Many congratulations to Simon Hayes on his appointment as the next leader of Sport England. At CIMSPA we’re very much looking forward to working alongside Simon to continue the great work that we have been doing with Sport England to support the delivery of the core workforce pillar of the Uniting the Movement strategy.

All of Sport England’s work is underpinned by the need for a confident, skilled, representative and supported workforce that is able to deliver positive experiences, especially for people and communities who face the greatest inequalities in accessing the huge benefits of sport and physical activity.

As the sector’s dedicated professional body and the committed workforce system partner of Sport England, at CIMSPA we’re looking forward to having the opportunity to continue our strong relationship and further align work to professionalise and grow our talented and dedicated workforce.

Through continued collaboration, shared insight and a focus on people and the impact that they deliver across communities, we can collectively drive forward and build on the great progress we have made where sport and physical activity professionals are changing lives for the better.

Sport England recognises that our workforce, both paid and volunteers are central to tackling inequalities, providing safe, quality experiences and ultimately enabling everyone to lead active lives. Through Uniting the Movement, the commitment to ensuring that our workforce has the skills, knowledge and behaviours to meet people’s needs, through ongoing training, development and professional recognition, is clear. This is integral to increasing the attractiveness of our sector as a long-term career and ensuring that the workforce reflects the diversity and cultural needs of the communities it serves.

I would also like to thank Tim Hollingsworth for his commitment to supporting the professionalisation of the workforce and the essential role it has in delivering great, positive experiences for people.

We look forward to working together with Simon to ensure that the sector has an empowered workforce to continue to deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes for individuals, communities and society as a whole.”