Sport Not All About Winning

Friday 5th February 2010 - 14:14:16

Global research reveals that winning is not the most important thing when it comes to playing sport for UK sport fans.

Sportsmanship (71%), health and fitness benefits (53%), teaching discipline and abiding by rules (58%) are all considered more significant benefits of playing sport than actually winning (22%), in a poll of UK sports fans by Barclays Spaces for Sports, the programme that uses sport to revitalise disadvantaged communities around the world.

Five-time Olympic Gold medalist Sir Steve Redgrave has been voted the top male sports role model taking 38% of the UK vote from a shortlist of 15.

Former England captain Bobby Moore was second (15%), closely followed by Roger Federer (10%). Dame Kelly Holmes leads the women’s poll (40%) with Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson (17%) and Dame Ellen MacArthur (12%) in second and third place respectively.

The top 10 moments of sportsmanship across global professional sports over the last 50 years emerged from a shortlist of 15. Formula One produced the favourite moment, which was when Graham Hill stopped during the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix to get Jackie Stewart out of his crashed car.

The vast majority (87%) of UK fans see sport as ‘very important to society’, although there is still a consensus that there are not enough communal places to play sport.

Less than a tenth (10%) of respondents felt sport was ‘very accessible in their local area’. Both responses underline the need for more local facilities that are easily accessible, which has been addressed by Barclays Spaces for Sports since its launch in 2004.

Ex-Chelsea and Holland footballer Ruud Gullit comments: "The professional side is just a small part of what makes sport so important.

"Health and fitness benefits, social skills, how to be a good person, sport can provide all these things to people in all walks of life. Programmes like Barclays Spaces for Sports show how, for communities in the UK and worldwide, taking part is far more important than winning."

Alistair Smith, Barclays, comments: "An overwhelming majority (89%) of global fans feel sports stars are in a powerful position to be positive role models, underlining the influence sport has in so many communities across the world.

"This is at the heart of Barclays Spaces for Sports and we believe that playing sport is also an important tool for learning key life skills and breaking down barriers between different groups, something we’re seeing from our sites and projects in the UK and around the world."

Barclays Spaces for Sports is a community sport programme which has created 200 sustainable sports sites across the UK in partnership with the Football Foundation, as well as sites and projects in South Africa, Zambia, the United States and Spain.

Top Five Women:

1. Dame Kelly Holmes (athletics) 40%

2. Tanni Grey-Thompson (athletics) 17%

3. Ellen MacArthur (sailing) 12%

4. Martina Navratilova (tennis) 8%

5. Mary Peters (athletics) 5%

Top Five Men

1. Sir Steve Redgrave (rowing) 38%

2. Bobby Moore (football) 15%

3. Roger Federer (tennis) 10%

4. Jonny Wilkinson (rugby) 8%

5. Usain Bolt (athletics) 6%

Top Five Sporting Moments

1. Graham Hill stopped during the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix to get Jackie Stewart out of his crashed car

2. In the 1976 German Grand Prix, Niki Lauda was badly burnt in a crash but saved by the actions of fellow drivers

4. Pele and Bobby Moore swapped shirts at the end of the 1970 World Cup match in a manner which demonstrated their respect for each other

4. In December 2000, playing against Everton, West Ham player Paulo Di Canio shunned a goal-scoring opportunity and instead caught the ball when the goalkeeper was lying injured

5. England's five-minute standing ovation in appreciation for playing Ireland at Landsdown Road in the 1973 Five Nations Championship during the troubles in Northern Ireland, after Scotland and Wales had refused to play there