Following its successful recent review of membership policy and practices, England Netball has appointed Knight, Kavanagh & Page (KKP) to deliver a national audit and to update its information on sports coaches and officials, to improve and streamline the systems used for ongoing communication, to keep information up to date and to support continuous professional development. This will, ultimately, underpin the development of strategies to drive this area of the game and enable Netball, in line with commitments made in its 10:1:1 strategy and vision, to support its coaches and officials. The Company will also audit and develop the governing body's strategy for the future national provision of indoor and outdoor facilities.

Concurrently, it will cultivate a national facility strategy to enable England Netball's 10:1:1 strategy and vision to determine a framework for the prioritisation of facility requirements and future investments.

Netball is presently thriving and the 10:1:1 strategy outlines the NGB's aspiration to establish the sport as a top 10 participation activity in England, the number 1 choice for women and girls and to achieve and maintain number 1 World ranking status.

On the facilities side, KKP's multi-disciplinary approach will: audit facility stock across the country, examine the quality of existing sites, incorporate a detailed needs analysis and highlight potential venues of above a certain size that can accommodate netball. It will also support the development of a system to accrue and maintain data and inform England Netball's strategy for development and expansion of the game. The work comprises three main stages:

• National audit - review and analysis of existing facilities data starting with national datasets such as Active Place Power, expanding upon this using partner information (from CSPs and other sports) and then direct auditing of ‘supply agencies': local authorities, universities and colleges, schools and the private sector.
• Consultation and validation - Presentation of audit information, confirmation of accuracy, analysis of provision against identified need to inform prioritisation by county and region.
• Strategy development - Development of a National Strategy including a review of regional and county priorities and development of a hierarchical netball centre model.

KKP is an approved supplier on Sport England's Strategic Planning Framework for Sport and this study is the first commission for the Sport Specific Facility Strategies Group.

John Eady, CEO at KKP said,

 "KKP's selection to the Framework is a confirmation of the quality of our work and endorses the fact that our experience and expertise is of benefit to agencies like England Netball - a forward looking NGB with great staff and ideas. It is a hugely important sport in England and is investing comprehensively in supporting its players, clubs and infrastructure. We look forward to working closely with England Netball to maintain and reinforce its continued growth with strong strategic direction and accurate intelligence."

Find out more about KKP's work with National Governing Bodies