Back in November we ran a survey to find out who was the sporting role model of the year, as well as looking to find out what attributes make for a good role model. Well the results are in, and they make for some interesting reading!

David Beckham was named as the best sporting role model for 2009, ahead of Chris Hoy and Lewis Hamilton, while there was no real surprise in the worst role model stakes with Tiger Woods topping the list ahead of a trio of footballers; Ashley Cole, Cristiano Ronaldo and Joey Barton. Bizarrely, Beckham also appeared in the list of bad sporting role models!

Football was overwhelmingly found to be the sport that is the worst for producing good role models, although the intense media glare that footballers face, above most other athletes, certainly can’t help matters.

Athletics was picked as the sport most likely to produce good role models, although football was also highly rated in for this along with tennis.

So what do people look for in a good role model? Fair play understandably was top of the list, with almost 60% of the vote, while winning and charitable work were a distant second and third. 10% however thought that no famous sportsperson could be a good role model.

Cheating at their sport, along with bad sportsmanship, were the key characteristics of bad sporting role models, while tales of alcohol and drug abuse were also high up the list. Strangely, despite the indiscretions of Tiger Woods placing him firmly at the top of the list of bad role models, just 2% of those questioned stated that being involved in a kiss and tell made a sports personality a bad role model.

2009’s best sporting role models:

1. David Beckham
2. Chris Hoy
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Roger Federer
5. Jenson Button
6. Ellen MacArthur
7. Paula Radcliffe
8. Usain Bolt
9. Lance Armstrong
10. Tim Henman

2009’s worst sporting role models:

1. Tiger Woods
2. Ashley Cole
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
4. Joey Barton
5. Dwain Chambers
6. Marlon King
7. David Beckham
8. Ronnie O’Sullivan
9. Freddie Flintoff
10. Serena Williams

And if you’re wondering why we were undertaking this research, the new Diploma in Sport and Active Leisure, which launches in September, includes a module on teaching young people how to be good sporting role models – fair play and good sportsmanship seem to be order of the day there.

Spot anyone missing from either list? What key attributes do you look for in a sporting role model? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Barely a week goes by without sports officials being criticized, they are rarely popular, and no matter what they do they are more than likely to upset somebody. Given they are often volunteers, it is a wonder that many want to get involved at all!

While we can’t control exactly what they do on the field of play in the heat of the moment, we can however try to ensure that they are suitably prepared and able to deal with events in the correct manner.

Thats why we are working with Sports Officials UK and several national governing bodies of sport to develop a new set of national occupational standards for officials at the elite level in sport, which could form the basis for qualifications or training at Level 4.

We’ve got to a stage where a draft set of standards for officiating at the elite level are available for comment, developed through input from a steering group of industry experts.

The new standards cover:

• Managing oneself as an official at the elite level in sport
• Managing the competitive environment as an official at the elite level in sport
• Managing people whilst officiating at the elite level in sport
• Managing competition at the elite level in sport

The standards will define best practice for an official at the elite level in any sport and can be used in a range of training and employment settings:

• To develop training, courses and qualifications based on competencies required for working as an elite level official
• To support the definition of job roles
• As a basis for identifying and developing routes for progression and professional development

Jeff Spencer with Personal Best delivery partners in the East Midlands

So here we have a bunch of people holding random pieces of Olympic sports equipment I retrieved from my attic for the photo shoot – none of which have seen Olympic action but hey, we can all dream! Your first thought is probably, so what? What does that have to do with London 2012?

Well, those pictured are actually involved with steering the Personal Best project in the East Midlands which recently launched – a programme designed to harness the unique motivating force of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (you can get all the details on Personal Best here). We are all committed to inspiring more than 300 out of work or socially disadvantaged people in the East Midlands to undertake a level 1 qualification, experience some volunteering and ultimately move into employment or further training. The project really excites me because of the positive impact it will have on individual’s lives, employment, and the sport sector pre 2012 and beyond.

In six months time, I hope to post a different picture with an even better story; a group of Personal Best graduates from the East Midlands who have all got their level 1 qualification and are going on to bigger and better challenges. They are welcome to borrow the sports equipment again for the photo shoot, unless I need it!

Chris Hoy, last year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year, a great sporting role model?

Who will be named our sports role model of the year 2009? Have your say!

December sees the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year while the recent furore about Theirry Henry’s handball has put sportsmanship to the fore of everyone’s minds with articles such as the Independent’s ten best acts of sportsmanship feature. But aside from personality and sportsmanship, what makes a good role model?

Role models play an important part in a young person’s life, they can affect their views, actions or attitudes towards a certain sport or lifestyle. This is particular apparent in the world of sport, where stars are constantly in the public eye and their actions are seen and heard by many individuals on a daily basis.

It is therefore important for a role model to lead by example and show a positive image to young people. However, there are occasionally stories of bad sporting behaviour or problems in personal lives that lead to some stars becoming poor role models.

So we’ve produced a short survey to offer you the chance to tell us what you think makes a good or bad role model, who they are and what sports are notorious for producing role models, both good and bad. Simply follow the link below to complete the survey and pass the link on to friends so they can comment too.

www.skillsactive.com/survey/sports-role-models/

We’ll be announcing results in December, so check back then to see who’s who of our sporting role models both good and bad!

Back in 2005 the then Department for Education and Skills published the ‘common core’ – a document outlining the skills and knowledge required when working with children and young people in a variety of settings. This set of skills and knowledge covered areas such as effective communication and engagement, child and young person development, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child, supporting transitions, multi-agency working and sharing information.

As outline in the 2020 Children’s and Young People’s Workforce Strategy published in 2008, the Department for Children, Schools and Families announced a ‘refresh’ of the common core to examine the content and extent of implementation of these skills and knowledge, bring it up to date and making sure it is relevant, user-friendly and used by more people in the children’s workforce.

The Active Leisure and Learning Sector is one of the biggest sectors working with children and young people. Playwork aside, sport, fitness and the outdoors all have participation from children and young people and specific targets to get more of them engaged with physical activity and the outdoors. This is particularly relevant through the government’s specific social cohesion, obesity and grassroots agendas – engaging children and young people are high on the agenda at every level.

Through our role of ensuring we have the right people with the right skills to deliver across the active leisure sector, we have made sure that the current common core principles are embedded within national occupational standards – the competencies that job roles are based on. Meaning that those working in the sector should have the skills, qualification and knowledge required to do so. However, as the sector develops, so must the skills and training of the workforce. With this in mind, SkillsActive is working with key partners across the children’s workforce running a series of consultations to ensure that the common core skills and knowledge are appropriately updated.

It is crucial that employers and practitioners from sport, fitness, the outdoors, and caravan industry’s, as well as the playwork sector, have their say in these consultations, in order to influence the refreshed outcomes and provide a common core which is accessible and meaningful for those working with children and young people in the sector, so they can provide the best possible service for children and young people using their facilities and services.

For more information, or to take part in the consultation process, visit: www.skillsactive.com/commoncore. This is your chance to influence the future of the sector when it comes to children and young people.