Ministers from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland sporting chiefs to launch a new All-Island Physical Literacy Consensus Statement that aims to promote a culture of lifelong participation in physical activity and sport for all.
Being physically active throughout life can enrich a person’s quality of life. As physical literacy plays a key role in influencing choices to participate in physical activity, it must be clearly defined so it can be understood by everyone.
Ireland is now one of only three countries in the world, and the first in Europe, which has a national Consensus Statement for physical literacy.
The statement defines physical literacy as:
“Physical literacy is the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding that enables a person to value and participate in physical activity throughout life.”
This will be relevant to future policy, practice and research; and will encourage collaboration between key organisations and sectors.
It provides the foundation for the creation of a culture wherein lifelong physical literacy and physical activity for all are valued and promoted, and in which each person has the opportunity to benefit from a better quality of life.
“This is a very important development to create an All-Island Consensus Statement and encourage lifelong participation in sport for everyone,” said Minister of State for Sport, Jack Chambers.
“Having a clear understanding can be a major benefit for people to become more active, more involved and have a greater enjoyment in physical activity regardless of the activity being undertaken. I am looking forward to seeing the fruits of this come to life in the future. I would like to complement both Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland for coming together to create and develop this statement which will have many benefits in the future.”
Minister for Communities at the Stormont Assembly, Deirdre Hargey added “I am delighted to attend the launch today of the All-island Consensus Statement, which provides an agreed definition for physical literacy.”
“This emphasises the importance of learning fundamental skills from a young age, so that we can enjoy a lifetime of participating in sport and physical activity. My Department’s Strategy for Sport and Physical Activity – Active Living, aims to get more people, more active, more of the time. Physical literacy plays a key role in this regard, especially as it can influence the choices for individuals to participate in physical activity whether young or old.”
“As someone who advocates for being physically active within sport, this Consensus Statement sheds a light on the definition of physical literacy, which in turn encourages everyone to be motivated and confident in their physical activity journey,” said Dr Una May CEO of Sport Ireland.
“It is a fundamental concept that will be a pillar of Sport Ireland policy. It will be included in the new Sport Ireland strategy and embedded across Sport Ireland’s programmes. We would like to extend our thanks to the all-island research team made-up of academics from Ulster University, University of Limerick, Dublin City University and University College Cork, who completed the research in this area on our behalf. We also thank Stranmillis University College, which was instrumental in the development of the statement.”
“Across a huge range of sports there are skills that form common building blocks, whether it be throwing and catching, swinging and striking, or balance and movement,” concluded her opposiite number at Sport NI.
“How we think about them, do them, and how they make us feel when we are participating, all make up our experience of sport, including from a very young age. This all-island agreement will help create a culture in which physical literacy and physical activity are valued and promoted, that will benefit our children and communities for generations to come.”
The aspiration to create an All-Island Physical Consensus Statement was advanced in 2020 when Sport Ireland collaborated with Sport Northern Ireland to create one definition that would be endorsed, disseminated and implemented on an all-island level.
