West Yorkshire
Everybody should have the opportunity to participate in sport, whatever his or her ability. Through
our partnership working structures and community links, we are dedicated to improving the access
to sport and physical activity for all disabled people within West Yorkshire – Bradford, Calderdale,
Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield.
Facilitated through strong partnership links with West Yorkshire Sport and the Equality Standard,
we are working through the County Sport Partnership network to create an equitable sporting
environment for all its members. This includes Local Authorities, National Governing Bodies of Sport,
Community Clubs, Health and Education.
Access to facilities and services are at the forefront, in addition to the access to quality coaches and
a safe environment. In conjunction with this we appreciate that sport is also a tool that can unite
communities so our aim is to help combat prejudice and discrimination that many disabled people
experience.
School Sport is a vital component to these developments, as we believe that all children should have
access to physical education; disability should not be a barrier to inclusion in sport programmes.
The links between education and the community will not only support the development of disability
sports, but will aim to develop some truly fantastic athletes, coaches and volunteers for the London
2012 Paralympics.
West Yorkshire Development Officer
“Hi, I’m James and I am the West Yorkshire Disability Development Officer. My role is to work
across West Yorkshire to ensure that the needs of disabled people are taken into account in sport
and physical activity provision. This includes participation opportunities, coach education, club
development, volunteering, etc. My aim is to increase the number of disabled people taking part in
sport and physical activity on a regular basis.”
James is employed by the Federation of Disability Sports Organisations and based within the team at
West Yorkshire Sport. The key areas of work within disability sport include:
- Workforce Development
- Player Pathways (Including Playground to Podium)
- Youth and Club Development
- Marketing and Communications
Collectively we aim to ensure there are more high quality opportunities to participate, with
sustainable pathways, utilising networking & information sharing with a partnership approach.
The West Yorkshire Disability Sport Steering Group was formed to support the work of local partners
in the area. The steering group is made up of representatives from school sport, the five local
authorities (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield), county level governing bodies of
sport and disability sports organisations. The group was established to provide a fully integrated
West Yorkshire approach to disability sport and to make recommendations to the Delivery Agents of
Sport on disability issues. This group has provided guidance, local expertise and support with regards
to the development and delivery of the county work programmes.
See the WYS website for more details:
http://www.westyorkshiresport.co.uk/disability-sport
If you have any questions surrounding disability sport please get in touch with James on the
following contacts:
James Brown
West Yorkshire Disability Development Officer
Tel: 01484 234087
Mob: 07533 769787
Email: james.brown@wysport.co.uk
c/o West Yorkshire Sport
Kirklees Culture & Leisure HQ
Red Doles Lane
Huddersfield
HD2 1YF
News & Events
http://www.westyorkshiresport.co.uk/disability-sport/news-events
Clubs & Contacts
http://www.westyorkshiresport.co.uk/disability-sport/disability-clubs-and-contacts
Playground to Podium
http://www.westyorkshiresport.co.uk/disability-sport/playground-to-podium