COVID 19 Communications Crisis ResponseA communication to our governing bodies of

sport and the sports sectorSport NI recognises the unprecedented and challenging current time we are all facing into. We also recognise the integral role that the sports sector plays in keeping our people safe, active and well during the current health crisis. We want to commend our governing bodies of sport, our clubs and communities for the leadership and generosity you continue to provide across Northern Ireland. We know that together our extensive networks and reach into local communities will help to reinforce PHA and Department of Health Guidance throughout the sports sector and beyond; to shield vulnerable people and slow the

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trajectory of infection thereby easing pressure on the health service and reducing deaths.

Funding

Information for those sports and organisations in receipt of Investment through the ‘Sporting Clubs’ and / or ‘Sporting Winners’ Programmes and Every Body Active 2020.Sport NI is committed to be in position to issue Letters of Offer regarding Year 4 investment in the early April. This will provide sports with the opportunity to keep cash flowing and ensure that essential posts can be retained. We recognise that sports are now facing a period of significant disruption to planned programmes. SNI Programme Managers are currently looking at mechanisms to ensure that SNI stays closely engaged with sports in the next quarter. They will be in contact when this is complete. By the end of the next quarter, we all hope for greater certainty around the type of programmes that each sport can operate for the remainder of year 4.Recent feedback to Sport NI suggests that across a range of sports, clubs could benefit from greater engagement with their Governing Body. This current quarter provides opportunity for Governing bodies to focus on how effectively they engage with their clubs and Sport NI would encourage that focus.SNI has already begin to issue Letters of Offer to district councils for 2020-21. SNI will prioritise those councils who have not received an LOO for 2020-21, subject to receipt of their annual project plan. SNI staff will work with councils to adapt and agree revised targets for EBA2020 (Opportunities) in the context of the ongoing Covi-19 crisis.Information for those sports whose athletes receive services from the Sport Northern Ireland Sports Institute (SNISI).

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The staff at SNISI recognise that we work with a range of athletes and sports who, despite the challenges we currently face, are continuing to prepare for Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games scheduled for this summer. The goal of SNISI is to continue support and engagement across all our service areas, whilst also acknowledging the gravity of the global health crisis we currently face. We will therefore continue to monitor the advice of Department of Health and PHA, and reinforce the messages around hand hygiene and social distancing.The Sports Institute facility at UUJ was closed on Wednesday 18th March, and as a result support services have already moved to a remote and/or mobile style of service delivery. This will remain the primary mode of engagement for the foreseeable future, with a variety of communication methods being deployed. Service support staff are currently engaging with the athletes and providing information about what their service delivery may look like in the immediacy, and will continue to update as the situation evolves.There is an acknowledgement that there will be occasions where face to face contact is required, for example injury triage, and for these purposes contingency measures are being put in place to attempt to provide a temporary clinical space. This will be a skeleton physiotherapy service which we plan to have available from early next week, with sessions prioritised for Tokyo athletes, and on the basis of clinical need. We would appreciate if sports could emphasise to their athletes the importance of physical self-management during this time and to consider the risk/benefit balance when requesting any face to face interventions.

Communications

Sport NI, in response to COVID 19 has developed the following Communications Project to:

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Reinforce PHA and Department of Health Guidance throughout the sports sector and beyond; to shield vulnerable people and slow the trajectory of infection thereby easing pressure on the health service and reducing deaths;

Maintain meaningful engagement, in a leadership role with the sports sector, to evaluate and minimise impacts (including financial impacts) and escalate for consideration by the Department for Communities and the Executive;

Convey essential communications to our partners in the sporting sector effectively from PHA, Department of Health and the Department for Communities;

Galvanise the sporting sector’s resilience and strength to connect and support people in isolation by keeping them physically active, providing a little fun and hope and community resilience.

This plan will be organised into two parts

Part One: In order to ensure the latest COVID19 guidance has been communicated quickly and accurately, this part of the project has been broken into activities in the blue boxes, with assigned responsibilities and functions in the clear boxes. Resilience has been built in to avoid Single Point of Failure.

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Important information relay and analysis

Connecting and

influencing

Part Two: The impact of the COVID19 pandemic has decimated sporting activity, with governing bodies of sport suspending all organised sporting activities, in line with advice. The PHA advice and Department of Health guidance can be sourced here:https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/news/covid-19-coronavirushttps://www.health-ni.gov.uk/coronavirus

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Important information relay and analysis external

TNOC closure and management of site &

services

SISNI closure and management of athlete

services

PHA, DofH, DfC briefing and guidance to sporting

sector

DFC briefing of impacts on sporting sector

Information service to/from sports sector

John News, Trevor Fisher

TNOC Web site and Social Media.

Ali Campbell, Alan Curran, Colm Jennings: coronovirus@sportni.net info line.

CEO to CEO WhatsApp group CEO

Alan Curran, Ali Campbell, NISF.

Website links; Sport NI statement; PHA/CMO briefings to SNI and GBs; direct emailing, web, Social Media

Peter McCabe, Kerry Kirk, Richard Archibald

Direct Comms to all users.

Ali Campbell, Alan Curran, Colm Jennings

To: Tony Murphy Financial impact analysis plus

Management of funding to bodies

John News, Peter McCabe

The Chief Medical Officer briefed Sport NI on the critical measures to slow the trajectory of the pandemic on 18th March 2020, and a further briefing was provided for GBs and Sport NI on 20th March 2020, based on scientific modelling, which is aimed to save one third of deaths; by reducing the rate of infection of vulnerable people needing critical front line medical services and interventions.The Chief Medical Officer and PHA requested the support of Sport NI and our sector around reinforcing their messaging (available in the links as this may be rapidly changing as we progress through stages of the virus transmission). However they did recognise the impacts of isolation on mental and emotional wellbeing and the need to connect online and engage in safe physical activity to address this, if well.Sport NI has responded by developing a second part to this plan, which is about connecting our sports sector to reach out to those feeling isolated, anxious, under pressure - managing children and working at home and in need to connect, feel more positive and resilient through physical activity via online platforms.The key messaging, quality assured by PHA/DFC will be:

Alignment with developing guidance from PHA, this required us to be strong on message about following

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guidance on social distancing (strongly discouraging informal gatherings to do sport or physical activity);

Encourage physical activity while adhering to social distancing, which improves wellbeing (emotional, mental and physical) and provides an online connection;

Physical literacy skills and connection are important for children at home;

The sporting sector is resilient and is community connected and rises to this challenge in partnership with others;

Outdoors activities and running, cycling and walking etc. only when they follow social distancing are an option for now and home physical activities connected online.

The guidance is caveat with: bespoke to individual considerations of age, vulnerable categories.

Specific measures to support the Sporting Sector:At a meeting with the sports sector on 20 March 2020, DfC and Sport NI committed to seeking further information and clarification as to whether relief measures offered by the NI Executive are available to the sports sector and this is currently being followed up:-

Rates relief Grants and loans Measures available to the Hospitality Sector

Call to action from your players/athletes:We are developing video material for evening news and public channels presently and require well known Sporting Ambassadors (athletes/players) from your sport with a high media profile to covey these messages.

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We are also developing a series of short Social Media videos to activate people to be active and connect people on line while social distancing using Sporting Ambassadors.Please contact Ali Campbell on 07703328346 or alicampbell@sportni.net with athlete/player contact details if they are content.We would ask you to also communicate out the key messages.Call to action from your coaches:We are building a bank of physical activity online resources under #safesportstrong, and no doubt you are doing the same, please use this hashtag on Social Media for people to find these easily and encourage your coaches to create and share videos. We will launch the hashtag for us all, in the news item.We are also developing a short animation for children to encourage physical literacy challenges at home to keep them developing and having fun. Please speak to Ali Campbell if you have other resources we can coordinate and share into homes.Looking after our Wellbeing:We are about to launch a Sport NI Inspire Wellbeing Hub with resource materials to support wellbeing. This will be available to clubs. We will update you very shortly. This is part of our Wellbeing Project.Call to action from your members:Following discussion on the conference call with GBs on 20th

March 2020, we need to strongly discourage informal gatherings of people for sport that does not comply with social distancing and promote safe physical activity that complies fully with the guidance. We would ask you to do this on web sites, Social Media and direct communications with clubs and members.

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Connecting and

influencing

Online resource bank of physical activities #safesportstrong

GB and EBA network activation of safe online

coaching#safesportstrong

CEO messaging to sports sector

#safesportstrong

Physical literacy animation and skill challenges call to

action#safesportstrong

Sporting Ambassadors video launch and call to

action on evening news, SM#safesportstrong

Sporting Ambassador mini challenge messaging

#safesportstrong

Conor Hamilton, Angharad BuntPress release and Social Media 19 03 20

A Campbell, K McDermottBC, spec, quotes 20 03 20 (x 5 videos) news

A Campbell, K McDermottBC, spec, quotes 20 03 20

A Campbell, A Bunt, A Curran Social Media linking and news item

Sport Ni Inspire Wellbeing Hub for clubs

Wellbeing Resource

D Jennings, A CampbellMental Wellbeing Project Resource clubs

This plan will be reviewed on developments of guidance, should we progress to the next phase. Thank you.Date of circulation: 20/03/2020Key contact for amendments:A Campbell 07703328346Appendix 1 Sport Northern Ireland statement: http://www.sportni.net/news/sportsafestrong-how-to-stay-active-during-covid-19/

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