Organise a Games
These pages are for you if you are thinking about organising a Games for your community, or if you are already planning your Games.
If you want to know a bit more about the programme do download our Five Minute Guide.
We have developed a range of resources and support designed to ensure your Community Games is a great success.
The biggest help to you will probably be our Community Games toolkit; please click on the ‘Planning Your Games' link on the left hand side for more information.
We’ll help you to promote your Games by giving you a page on the ‘Take Part in a Games’ section of this site.
And after your Community Games, we will want to hear how things went – what was really successful and whether there’s anything you would change for next time?
And you’ll be able to find some additional help on our ‘Ideas & Inspiration’ pages.
Here are some questions that we often get asked about Community Games (and the answers):
What is meant by a ‘Community’?
What are the characteristics of a Community Games?
What are the key features of a Community Games?
What does a Community Games Event look like?
Can an existing event be a Community Games?
Who actually organises the Community Games Events?
Can individual schools organise a Community Games?
How many Community Games have already taken place?
What help is available for Community Games Organisers (CGOs)?
Is there any funding available to help?
THE COMMUNITY GAMES EVENTS
A community could be a street, an estate, a local business, regular users of a park or other public space, people involved in a shared interest group or who people have a shared cultural heritage. This is not an exhaustive list and there will no doubt be other types of communities that come forward to organise a Games. It is important that the Games are driven and shaped by a community and although an event can be facilitated by a local authority or other statutory organisation, the community itself must be instrumental in the development and delivery of the event.
What are the characteristics of a Community Games?
That they will:
- Be community-driven
- Be local, accessible and convenient
- Be multi-activity
- Be fun, friendly and open to all
- Signpost participants to further opportunities to both participate and volunteer in new sporting and cultural activities
- Reflect and celebrate the communities' diversity
What are the key features of a Community Games?
A Community Games includes both sporting and cultural events, and some sort of ceremony, ideally an opening and/or closing ceremony.
What does a Community Games Event look like?
They all look different – some are held on one day at one venue, some over a week at multiple venues. Some involve an element of sporting and cultural competition, others focus on participating in new activities. The important thing is that each event reflects the wishes of the community it is organised by and for.
Can an existing event be a Community Games?
Yes if it incorporates all of the key features above. If it doesn’t, it could be added to and become a Community Games.
Who actually organises the Community Games Events?
We are looking for people to volunteer to engage and celebrate their community by organising a Community Games. Although one person will be the Lead Organiser it is an ideal opportunity to involve other people, particularly young people, to give them valuable experience.
Can individual schools organise a Community Games?
This is a great idea. We would encourage schools to invite parents and grandparents along to be part of the Games. And to give young people some valuable event management experience some schools are encouraging their older pupils to organise the Games for the younger children.
How many Community Games have taken place?
Since January 2012 3,551 communities have enagaged with and staged Community Games, involving more than 2,500,000 participants.
SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY GAMES
What help is available for Community Games Organisers (CGOs)?
There is a Community Games toolkit, which is available to download free of charge. This contains a wealth of valuable information and tips for organising an event. The answers to many of the detailed questions that prospective CGOs may have can be found in the toolkit.
In addition, a Support Programme is up and running which includes the following elements:
- Local advocates and advisers to help CGOs to shape their ideas - your local Lead Officer will contact you once you have expressed an interest in Community Games
- An e-learning package to take you through the process of organising a Community Games
- Free access to workshops on how to organise and market successful events
- Promotion and marketing templates and resources
- A regular newsletter with information and news on what’s happening across the region
Is there any funding available to help?
There are funding opportunities in some areas. Your local Lead Officer will be able to advise you.
Can Community Games Organisers fundraise through making a charge, for example an entrance fee, for their Games?
We hope that the Community Games programme will ‘be accessible to all and ideally free of charge for participants.’ We would encourage all Games Organisers to adopt this philosophy, and think of ways of fundraising prior to their Games, perhaps by holding a quiz night or car boot sale. Ideas for raising money on the day(s) of the Games include raffles (ideally with donated prizes – this could be a way of getting local businesses involved) or by encouraging local craftspeople or organisations to have a stall at the Games and charging them a fee for doing so. Alternatively, if you’re still struggling to cover costs, you could consider charging for selected activities rather than charging an entrance fee.
