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The organisation in charge of sport in Jersey has said that at least a third of children leave primary school either overweight or obese.
It's one of the reasons that Jersey Sport is urging the next Chief Minister to appoint a Minister for Sport and Wellbeing - which it also says would help to keep an ageing population fitter, and improve islanders' mental health.
The next Chief Minister will be elected by the island's politicians in a couple of weeks, with Ministerial posts following soon after.
Within days of the recent general election, Jersey Sport - which is funded by the States, but with an independent Board of Directors - is now getting involved in who those Ministers should be. Up until now, responsibility for sport fell to an Assistant Minister in the Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture department.
Jersey Sport says its recent campaign - #VoteForSport - which it ran during the recent elections, garnered support from around 1,000 people including many of the elected candidates.
“We need sport and active living to have a seat at the very top table,” said Jersey Sport Chairman Phil Austin. “The recent election has seen a number of publicly pro-sport candidates elected, and with the backing we got for our campaign it gives us a real mandate to push ahead and urge the Chief Minister to act.
“Sport has found itself aligned with various departments over the years but has often had difficulties competing for funding and attention when grouped with areas such as Education and Economic Development.
“We recognise that the States is currently going through a restructuring process, and to be clear we’re not lobbying for a separate department, but we do believe a ministerial role working closely with us would be hugely beneficial."
“We want to make it easy for adults to reignite their love for sport”https://t.co/lc6LQdHX76
— Jersey Sport (@JerseySport) May 18, 2018
The Chief Minister Designate will be selected on 4 June and new ministers will then be chosen on 7 and 8 June.
“The need to look after your physical and mental wellbeing through a good diet, not smoking and a reduction in alcohol consumption are all important parts of maintaining health, and as such there’s a strong case to link sport and active living with a ministerial remit that also focuses on wellbeing as a whole," added Jersey Sport CEO Catriona McAllister.
“To truly inspire an active Jersey there is much work to be done, and that’s why we need a dedicated ministerial role. We need to make sure facilities are fit for purpose, that public health promotion is given the resources it needs, and the schemes such as the Daily Mile are introduced. Sport and active living is an enabler for the government in achieving their wider political aims. Our new long-term strategy to inspire an active Jersey will be released later this year - having a ministerial role will be significant to accelerating the outcomes of that plan.”
Pictured: The pavilion at FB Fields, where Jersey Sport is based.
Jersey Sport was set up under the States sport strategy, Fit for the Future, as an independent, not-for-profit organisation which is intended to give sport a stronger voice in the island.
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