Sport Diversity Cymru empowers Wales’ ethnic minority communities through sport for a brighter, more inclusive future.
Bringing communities across Wales together to transform sport.
WE ARE SPORT DIVERSITY CYMRU
From our inception in 2016 as ‘BME Sport Cymru’, we have been at the forefront of championing diversity in Welsh sports. Our journey began with a vision to make sports more accessible and welcoming for minority ethnic communities in Wales. Funded by Sport Wales and led by WCVA, we have grown into a robust initiative that not only meets but exceeds our goal. We are Sport Diversity Cymru.
OUR WORK HELPS SPORT WALES TO ACHIEVE AN ACTIVE NATION
Sport Diversity Cymru is an initiative designed to make it easier for ethnically diverse communities to engage with sport in Wales. We help increase participation in Welsh sport by supporting organisations to work with minority ethnic communities.
Our project offers guidance on how to make sports clubs more welcoming and inclusive for people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.
We also deliver training and workshops to increase knowledge, raise awareness of barriers and demonstrate how to engage with ethnically diverse groups.
For more information, please contact sportdiversitycymru@wcva.cymru or contact our team directly:
- Rajma Begum, National Sports Diversity Manager – rbegum@wcva.cymru
- Sumaya Khan, National Sports Diversity Officer – skhan@wwcva.cymru
THE STORY SO FAR…
Sport Diversity Cymru (previously known as The BME Sport Cymru project) was set up in 2016 to support a sustainable approach to Black and Minority Ethnic sports participation, with three main priorities:
- Increase ethnically diverse participation in sport
- Build capacity for ethnically diverse engagement in sport
- Tackle inequality
The project has not only achieved its delivery targets (focused on participation, volunteering, events, and partnerships) but has also achieved many other additional outcomes in areas such as health, crime, training and education, community cohesion, confidence, and tackling isolation. The project has achieved far more than the initial objectives alone.
CASE STUDY – INCLUSIVE NETBALL
Heather Lewis from Cardiff got to know some of the refugees and asylum seekers in her area and was struck by some of the incredibly difficult and awful things they’d experienced. After they showed enthusiasm watching her netball team play, Heather started a team exclusively for women who were refugees and asylum seekers.
Sport Diversity Cymru funded the room hire and coaching qualifications for Heather to run the team efficiently.
Since then, they have received donations of equipment from local athletes and the room is now offered to the team free of charge by the local church where the sessions are held.
OUR IMPACT
‘My life has changed by accessing your project activities. I don’t feel lonely or depressed anymore.’
Sport Diversity Cymru has made a huge difference at many levels:
- Participants and volunteers have described an increase in their health, wellbeing, confidence, and have more optimism about their pathways for development.
- The Black and Minority Ethnic community in Wales has more awareness of sport and is more active, inspiring a wider circle through word of mouth.
- Community organisations have strengthened governance and branched out into new areas of delivery, with increased funding support to sustain activities, and better relations with Sport Wales and National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
- NGBs and sporting partners have better engagement with Black and Minority Ethnic communities in Wales, a better understanding of cultures and barriers. Having a broader diversity of players means that the wealth of talent will continue to increase for NGBs!
- We’ve developed partnerships with Police on engaging through sport, crime reduction, and to encourage more reporting of hate crime.
- The project team themselves have developed more skills and knowledge, grown confidence in development work, and completed tutor training. Some are now on equality boards and have NGB coaching qualifications.
Our project also supports WCVA to work in a new area of sport and have better engagement with ethnically diverse groups.
Sport Diversity Cymru is funded by Sport Wales and is led by WCVA.
