Contributed by Patricia Yee/Singapore Sports Council

Singapore, Monday, March 28, 2011 — Come 4 April 2011, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) will embark on the mammoth task of reviewing and consolidating the sporting practices of 4,500 households across the country for the National Sports Participation Survey (NSPS) 2011. Conducted once every five years, the NSPS aims to ascertain the degree of sports participation by Singaporeans.

Apart from this, the NSPS 2011 also aims to gauge other aspects of sports such as spectatorship and volunteerism at sports events.

“Singaporeans do more than play sports. We’re fans, volunteers, coaches, officials, administrators and more. Through this new participation survey, we can measure and analyse how our love for sport translates into action. It will help us understand the impact sport has on our diverse society and how we can best direct our strategies to keep the momentum growing,” said Mr Richard Seow, Chairman, SSC.

A survey consisting of 57 questions and a one-to-one interview are the tools that the SSC will use to delve into the psyche of an estimated 9,000 respondents. The data gathered will reveal the sporting habits, trends and desires of today’s population, giving decision makers a better understanding of the sports composition in the daily lives of Singaporeans.

As Singapore lays the foundation and constructs the infrastructure for future generations to enjoy, the NSPS 2011 will also seek to ascertain if the attitudes of parents are indeed shifting towards making sports a bigger priority in the lives of their children.

In addition, even though the pride for our local sporting heroes is difficult to quantify, the NSPS 2011 aims to get a sensing of the people’s attitude, degree of openness and interest for the local sports scene and for Team Singapore athletes.

The survey will also take into consideration new capabilities in technology as these changes have altered the way in which people consume sports. To reflect current day trends and practices, the survey will cover areas such as electronic gaming – to include questions on using game consoles like the Nintendo Wii as a form of exercise, as well as the usage of mobile devices for the watching of sports events and getting up-to-date sporting information.

“The Sporting Singapore landscape is always changing, with new records, events, infrastructure and people. However the SSC’s key role remains the same: to provide opportunities and access for Singaporeans to enjoy a life in sports. The results of this survey will help us refine our strategies to ensure that we deliver more of what Singaporeans want in sports,” Mr Seow said.

The results of the NSPS will be ready in the first quarter of 2012. Findings gathered will be the reference point from which the SSC will use to determine the direction and strategy to take when formulating future sporting programmes, initiatives and campaigns for the masses.