ABSTRACT
Sports development in the UK is usually conceptualised as a continuum comprised of four stages of development: foundation, participation, performance and excellence. Foundation refers to the early development of movement literacy and physical skills upon which all later participation is based. Participation has traditionally applied to recreative activities undertaken primarily for fun, friendship and fitness. Performance signifies a move from recreative to competitive sport where people more seriously seek to improve their performance. Excellence is about reaching the highest standards in top-level sport. This model of sports development, conceptualised and promoted by the Sports Council in the late 1980s and 1990s has been used as a framework for planning sport by both public and voluntary sectors (Houlihan and White, forthcoming). The Council of Europe also accepted it as a means of promoting a common European framework for sports development (Council of Europe 1992).
