Month: March 2020

KKP and coronavirus: taking care but fully operational

Posted on by alistair.monaghan

First and foremost, we hope that our clients, colleagues, families and friends are all well and physically unaffected by this virus.

Taking into account the latest Government advice with regard to the coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak, this is just a brief note to reassure our clients about the fact that KKP’s services remain fully operational.

We are continuing to service existing projects as normal and are committed to meeting pre-agreed deadlines.

We have implemented changes to current working practices and will, for at least the next few weeks, operate with a mix of staff working from home while others work from the office. All colleagues have full access to project files and will continue to deliver projects as required. We can all be contacted in the normal way.

In line with Government guidelines our working practices are under constant review. At present, in situations where it is not possible or is inadvisable to attend meetings in person we are facilitating conference calls, virtual meetings and presentations to suit and encouraging a ‘business as normal’ approach to ensure that project impetus is not lost and that clients’ needs are met throughout this period.

However long the restrictions associated with Covid-19 are in place, it is our intention to be here to assist you to develop plans, get processes moving and maintain current project impetus. If you have any queries about current assignments, or if you have a project or short-term requirement that might need our support, please get in touch.

If you have any queries about any of the above, please feel free to contact me.

 

Dave McHendry, managing director, KKP

Contact Dave on david.mchendry@kkp.co.uk

Joint strategy offers vision of new future for cricket in Wales

Posted on by alistair.monaghan

The launch of a new national competition makes this a big summer for cricket, and for Welsh cricket in particular. Paul Ashton evaluates KKP’s work on the first joint strategy for the future of the game in Wales.

 

In March 2019 KKP was jointly commissioned by Glamorgan County Cricket Club (GCCC) and Cricket Wales (the national governing body for cricket in Wales) to develop a cricket strategy for Wales that would link both the community and the professional game.

The purpose was to identify the facility needs for the game of cricket across Wales, providing a structure that would enable both organisations to identify and deliver their strategic aims and objectives, enable cricket to thrive across Wales, and enhance the experience of players (at all levels), spectators and volunteers. This first-ever joint strategy between Cricket Wales and GCCC also needed to encompass the essential elements of the overarching ECB Inspiring Generations Strategy (2020-24), which are:

  • growing and nurturing the core
  • inspiring through elite teams
  • making cricket accessible
  • engaging children and young people
  • transforming women’s and girls’ cricket
  • supporting communities.

Cricket Wales and GCCC were keen that the strategy helped to identify opportunities and priorities for future investment, including the role of the ECB as a key partner – anticipating that the ECB would be making increased facilities investment available to reflect the growth of the short-format game and the launch of its brand new competition, The Hundred, in summer 2020.

As well as helping plan and identify priorities for developing infrastructure fit for purpose for the future of cricket, the strategy addressed other key challenges and opportunities facing cricket in Wales, including:

  • Wales hosting a franchise in The Hundred competition
  • growth opportunity related to new markets and audiences, including female participation
  • talent development
  • collaborative opportunity, including options to work more collaboratively with other sports
  • the planning process in Wales and, in particular options to consider community asset transfer.

With these parameters and expectations agreed, KKP set to work to prepare a facilities strategy to meet the needs of cricket across Wales. The starting point was application of the principles of the Sport England Playing Pitch Strategy guidance, a document drafted by KKP and published by Sport England in 2013. KKP began its work on behalf of Cricket Wales and GCCC by contacting all national and regional cricket stakeholders to start to produce a needs assessment evidence base. This was informed by extensive in-situ consultation with local and regional leagues, officials and grounds associations, area cricket boards and Sport Wales, alongside a wide range of other interested parties.

KKP’s national cricket club survey was completed by 149 of the 185 clubs affiliated to Cricket Wales. This meant that 81% of the nation’s community cricket clubs took the opportunity to engage with the consultation process, inform the resulting evidence base and shape the future of their game.

Cricket Wales’s area managers were integrally involved in strategy development. They are closely connected to local cricket and its development, so their role in the review and verification of information collected was vital. The data was then stored and analysed within a bespoke database created by the KKP data analysis team specifically for this project.

The focus on face-to-face meetings, information gathering and data verification enabled the project group to gain a clear picture and a deep understanding of the present state of the game across Wales and the range of issues that will need to be considered and addressed to shape its future. The team worked collaboratively to develop a set of recommendations and identify a network of key sites for cricket that will underpin development of the game in specific growth areas while also supporting the work and activity of local cricket clubs.

To assist the delivery of the strategy recommendations and any future planning requirements, KKP used data collected during the project to develop an online interactive map. This enables Cricket Wales and GCCC to plan and prioritise actions at a national, regional and local authority level. It will also serve as an essential post-project tool to monitor implementation of future actions and developments.

With the summer of 2020 set to be the summer of The Hundred, cricket fans in Wales and the south west of England will soon be as familiar with the achievements of the Welsh Fire as they have been with Glamorgan. The Cricket Wales and Glamorgan CCC joint strategy should ensure that they have plenty to look forward to in the years to come.

Paul Ashton is a senior consultant with KKP.
Contact Paul at paul.ashton@kkp.co.uk

March 2020

NEWS RELEASE: EFL Day of Action highlights research findings and celebrates impact of football on local communities

Posted on by alistair.monaghan

ISSUE DATE: 10 March 2020

 

EFL Day of Action highlights research findings and celebrates impact of football on local communities

KKP analysis demonstrates scale and value of club/CCO impact

 

The EFL will be celebrating the positive impact of professional football clubs on their local communities today (Tuesday 10 March) following the publication of research carried out by KKP on behalf of the EFL Trust.

Football clubs across the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two will be taking part in the EFL Day of Action showcasing the programmes and activities that EFL clubs and their club community organisations (CCOs) deliver to help with a wide range of social issues, including diversity and inclusion, education, and health and wellbeing.

The report, produced by KKP and titled Measuring the Impact of EFL Clubs in the Community, shows that over a 12-month period EFL clubs/CCOs delivered some 562,000 hours of group activity, involved more than 886,000 people, and spent over £62.8 million on social and community projects. The study comprises the first comprehensive overview of club-based involvement in, and impact on, local communities and, viewed collectively, the whole of England.

Findings were based on a three-stage methodology devised by KKP in conjunction with the EFL and EFL Trust to apply common measures to the national network of clubs/CCOs, creating a clear national picture underpinned by robust data. The methodology comprised initial analysis of work carried out by clubs/CCOs, followed by a detailed pilot study of eight EFL clubs and, finally, the roll out of comprehensive survey to all EFL clubs nationally.

Rick Parry, EFL chair, introduced and acknowledged the importance of the report, commenting: “Our clubs have always had a unique position at the heart of their respective towns and cities, so it is important that we celebrate some of the fantastic work being carried out on a daily basis, and also understand the effect that clubs have on their individual and collective communities. Commissioned by the EFL to survey all EFL clubs and club community organisations, KKP has provided a unique study which allows us to demonstrate what clubs do on a national scale.”

KKP chief executive John Eady commented: “KKP’s extensive experience in the field of impact evaluation and specialist performance measurement expertise enabled us to devise a research method that generated the data and developed the analysis to demonstrate the huge community impact – and potential – of EFL clubs/CCOs.”

John Eady continued: “Over the course of the research more than one million data cells were produced and analysed. This was a huge task for Peter Millward and the KKP data team, which also applied a whole raft of geographic, socio-economic and household data to deliver results that were credible, insightful and replicable. The 93% response rate for the survey makes for robust, comprehensive data and is a testament to the effort and commitment of the KKP team to the project.”

In addition to a national report and dataset, KKP produced specific reports for each club and CCO. Each includes a catchment area profile (age structure, total population, projected population, deprivation measures and maps, ethnic composition, income, benefits dependency, crime rates, health indicators and activity rates) and findings related to participation, engagement, purpose, environment and funding.

The national picture that has emerged confirms the scale, human resources and time deployed in programmes that are covering: sport and physical activity; health and wellbeing; education and employability programmes; and community engagement.

Within the Measuring the Impact of EFL Clubs in the Community report, the EFL notes: “Looking ahead, a comprehensive baseline now exists that is not only informative in its own right but enables a more insightful strategic approach nationally and at individual clubs/CCOs.”

Notes for editors