Are we fit for purpose?

As Dillon (my Red Setter) disappeared into the horizon and totally ignored my whistle, my bellowing and even my swearing, the phrase ‘fit for purpose’ kept ringing in my head. Despite all my training, this dog was definitely not fit for purpose!!

You might think that that was a strange way to describe my dog, but I have just spent the entire previous day in a room full of the brightest and most creative brains in our industry discussing whether we, as an industry, we are ‘fit for purpose’ and what, if anything we have to do to make us so.

My head was full of snippets of conversations such as “...where do we, as an industry, want to be in five years time....how do we get there....do we have the right skills sets to get there and deliver when we do .........if we don’t, what are the skills sets we need.....if we want to be a ‘government delivery partner, are we “fit for purpose”...its no wonder that I needed a calming walk with Dillon after all that.

Next year the FIA will be celebrating its 20 anniversary, so what better time (some bright spark said) to think about developing a five year plan for the industry? The argument is that we could either, just drift along and ‘evolve’ OR we could take control of our destiny, decide where we think we want to be and develop a collective plan to make it happen.

Why? Well, most people accept that the industry has hit a glass ceiling – around 12% market penetration - and most accept that ‘exercise medicine’ is a great opportunity to break through that glass ceiling. But are we fit-for-purpose (that phrase again) in terms of professional skills, people skills, programmes, facilities etc? Can we get financial help from the government to help us evolve? These are the conversations we want to have with the industry. Last week was the 1ST step and now the FIA secretariat needs to work with the commissionaires over the course of the next 8-10 months to pull together the facts, statistics, wants, desires and opportunities. If you want to be involved and our going to LIW then call in at the FIA Moreactive4life lounge and have a chat.

Do we do a Dillon and spend lots of energy chasing spectres, or do we have a plan and gently move in a direction which will benefit every single organisation in our sector?

Speaking of LIW, whilst I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at the FIA Lounge next I think we should all spare a thought for the hundreds of people slaving away to make sure that deadlines are met and that everyone has a great show.

Back to important issues......... where is that blasted dog!

David Stalker, FIA Chief Operating Officer

Yes Prime Minister - FIA Public Affairs

It’s quite exciting to make my first post. No doubt, there will be countless more. Many posts will relate to the happenings in Whitehall, Westminster and the corridors of power in the devolved assemblies. Others will draw attention to the local projects and programmes that are putting the policy theory I spend my days pontificating on into practice.

There will be times when my inane thoughts are of no interest at all! The beauty of this blog is that you will be able to tell me. I will do my best to respond to comments and point you towards other sources of information that you might find more interesting. All I would ask is that you keep it clean and constructive and I will do the same!

For me, the main opportunity will be to draw attention to the team we have at the FIA and the progress we are making. The Public Affairs and Policy Team at the FIA is like a well oiled engine, powering towards the achievement of our goals. We don’t usually have the opportunity to update our stakeholders as much as we should. This blog provides that opportunity. Over time, I will introduce you to the Public Affairs and Policy Department. Together we are working hard to support the whole physical activity sector and this blog should provide the forum to let you know what we are doing.

Steven Ward - FIA Public Affairs and Policy Manager