At the start of the year, British Wrestling carried out a British Wrestling members survey to better understand the experience of the wrestling family in the United Kingdom.
The survey is built on previous iterations and aims to collate the views of members and non-members, participants, volunteers and fans. It was published for 5 weeks in January and February 2024 and received 125 responses.
What We Learnt
Below is an infographic showing some of the key findings, click the image to see a full-size version. You can also access the full report as a download at the bottom of this article.
Representative Sample
The number of respondents gives us confidence that the survey is representative though there are some areas of the demographic split where we need to improve our reach in future years.
Of respondents just over two-thirds were current members of British Wrestling with 16% never having been a member and just over 10% having previously been a member. In comparison to British Wrestling membership the respondents were more likely to be White British and of higher socio-economic groups. There was a greater female representation than in the membership numbers.
Wrestling Experience
The 2024 British Wrestling Members Survey demonstrated that the wrestling experience at a local level is good and that the culture within the sport is strong and inclusive. The majority of both participants and volunteers report activity in wrestling on a weekly basis. Very pleasing is that most respondents report that their involvement is likely to stay the same or increase over the next 12 months.
Areas To Improve
The British Wrestling Members Survey clearly identified three key areas of improvement for .
- The respondents patently identified the need for more localised opportunities to get involved in wrestling, be that in the creation of new clubs, more local competitions or greater distribution of training courses. This is evidence of increased demand for wrestling and a need for the sport to grow.
- Further to this, the quality of wrestling competitions including the planning and delivery, specifically officiating, needs to increase.
- Conversely, the satisfaction levels for volunteers indicate that we need to do more to support our volunteers with training, administration and planning being key concerns.
- Finally the responses to questions regarding safeguarding highlighted a limited understanding of the topic and this should be a key are of focus for British Wrestling over the coming period.
Social Impact of Wrestling
The British Wrestling Members Survey again featured questions about the social impact of wrestling as defined by the governments Sporting Future – A New Strategy for an Active Nation.
Overall, the wrestling family reports higher than the national average on the four individual-focused government outcomes. In short, the wrestling family are more likely to be active, have better mental wellbeing, have a stronger belief they can achieve their goals and are as trusting of others compared to the average population.
Comparison to 2020
This years survey replicates the survey done in 2020 which you can access the results from here. In general, the results are a mixed bag compared to 2020 and there is further work needed to better understand the trajectory of our progress across these key areas.
Prize Draw
Congratulations to Lilly Hilton the winner of the prize draw who received £1000 Amazon voucher and a years free membership.
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey, we appreciate your support and views on how we can continue to work as a wrestling family to improve the sport for all.
