There are many types of performance pyramids, some specific to sports, others specific to an aspect of performance and others are designed specifically for one of the scientist support disciplines.

Below is an example of a standard performance pyramid.

This type of pyramid has been used repeatedly by many sporting organisations over the decades, but with what success? This pyramid works around the bases that if we increase the numbers of participants at a grassroots level it will eventually lead to greater numbers in the elite performance section of the pyramid, which should lead to greater success in British sport.

As each lower section grows, it creates a stronger foundation to build the next level of the pyramid on, so basically the theory is strong foundations will create strength throughout each level of performance, but where the cream will always rise to the top, This theory was created by Cross and Lynch back in 1991 and you can still see it today in textbooks and taught in GCSE PE and Sport Science courses. The issue here is that there has never been any actual evidence to show that this performance pyramid works, there is no data to support the development of elite performance, nor that grassroots sport has benefited from this structure. So we are left with more questions, why do we still teach it? and should we still be using it?

UK Sport, BOA, Sport England to name a few all have their own performance strategies, but these mainly revolve around the elite spectrum of sport and the grassroots level sometimes can be somewhat of an afterthought, which gets the hand me downs, so to speak of the elite sporting community.

I was recently on an online seminar hosted by Sport England discussing how the performance pyramid doesn’t work for community-based and grassroots sport. The discussion was based around what kind of performance model/matrix should be designed by Sport England specifically to develop lower level/participation sport-based sport. The suggestion was put to them that community/grassroots level sport should be run as a separate entity with their own structure, funding and development strategy. Based on the evidence these all seemed very good ideas.

Thanks for reading, Dave

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