Leading the conversation

SAPCA has launched a new three-year strategy which sets out a roadmap to ensure the association leads the conversation on safe, high quality and sustainable play facilities

As the trade association and professional standards body for the UK’s play construction sector, SAPCA (The Sports and Play Construction Association) sits at the intersection of play, construction, facilities and physical activity. It represents the companies that design, build, maintain and supply the UK’s play and physical activity facilities, everything from playgrounds and MUGAs to artificial turf pitches, padel courts and major sporting venues. A membership organisation, SAPCA brings together more than 270 contractors, manufacturers, consultants, testing laboratories and specialist suppliers. Members are independently vetted and must meet strict criteria relating to technical competence, financial stability and professional conduct.

SAPCA also develops technical guidance on construction and design, publishes industry standards, provides training and education, works with governing bodies and funding organisations and acts as an independent voice on issues affecting play facilities and sports infrastructure. It also operates inspection and quality assurance programmes designed to ensure facilities are built and maintained to recognised standards.

Crucially, each member is required to comply with the SAPCA’s Codes of Practice and quality assurance processes. This means that, for those looking to fund, build and develop play facilities, this acts as an added guarantee. By using a SAPCA member, they can ensure that their project will be built according to the latest industry standards.

Strategic direction

In February this year, SAPCA revealed its new three-year strategy. The plan represents the next phase in the organisation’s development and aims to build on the foundations established since its launch in 1997.

At the heart of the strategy is the aim for SAPCA to lead the wider conversation on play facilities and to drive forward the agenda towards safe, high-quality and sustainable venues. This overarching vision is based on four guiding principles.

The first emphasises the collective strength of the SAPCA membership, recognising the combined expertise and credibility of member companies across the sector. The association will increasingly use its collective voice to influence decision-makers and deepen partnerships across the play sector. An example of this is the work with Play England to organise the first ever National Play Conference.

The strategy recognises that the association is owned by – and works for – its members

The second principle reinforces SAPCA’s role as a self-regulating professional body, committed to maintaining high industry standards and leading on key issues affecting the sector. As part of this, SAPCA will continue to set the benchmark for excellence and uphold design and construction standards, “even when that means some tough conversations”.

A third priority is to shift the organisation’s mindset from custodianship to leadership, ensuring it takes a proactive role as the industry evolves. This is in recognition that the industry is changing rapidly and the association and its members shouldn’t be bound by what has been done in the past. Rather, it should be directed by what the future demands.

Finally, the strategy places members firmly at the centre of SAPCA’s work, with new measures to improve transparency and accountability, including the introduction of an independent annual member survey. The strategy recognises that the association is owned by – and works for – its members.

Together, the four principles will continue to position SAPCA as the trusted, independent voice for the UK play construction sector, while ensuring the association continues to champion quality, innovation and collaboration across the industry.

If a SAPCA member was found to be constructing play facilities below the required level, then this would be flagged with them and discussed to ensure that the standard of work was improved. Fortunately, this rarely happens

PlayNation sat down with SAPCA CEO, Richard Shaw, to find out about the new strategy, the association’s direction of travel and also his views on the wider play construction sector.

What are the benefits that member companies gain from SAPCA?

While most applicants come for the quality badge, they stay for the information, networking, events and updates. What I think they don’t often see are the harder parts to talk about.

Our members directory on the website is an easy to use guide for play operators and facility owners, as well as developers, to use to get details of companies that they can trust. This gets a lot of hits and we know we drive business to our members through this.

Our dispute resolution system ensures that unhappy customers can get an opinion on issues they believe they have. We are able to advise on issues and are able to stop many issues at source through advice and mediation.

We also increasingly engage with industry bodies to set standards external to SAPCA. A recent example of good has been the work we have done with Sport England on end of life turf where we engage with DEFRA, Environment agencies and governing bodies to represent the views of our members and the wider sector. We also have a strong relationship with Play England – the National Play Conference being the most obvious example of how we work together.

What happens if a SAPCA member’s quality of work is deemed not up to standards? And does it happen often?

We carry out an inspection programme on members’ construction projects which assesses all elements of construction. The process includes a defined number of criteria that are assessed and critiqued to ensure that a standardised approach of projects and internal quality processes is made.

If a member was found to be constructing facilities below the required level then this would be flagged with them and discussed to ensure that the standard of work was improved. As a follow up, the member would be inspected again the following year to ensure that the working practices had improved to the required standard.

Fortunately, this rarely happens, which highlights to SAPCA that the level and standard of work being undertaken in the play construction industry is at a high level.

SAPCA also offers a Mediation and Advisory Service for Complaints, which allow clients to approach SAPCA directly when they think that they have an issue with the technical quality of work being delivered by a SAPCA member.

What are SAPCA’s priorities over the next 12-24 months?

To demonstrate leadership around a number of issues within the industry and show that SAPCA and its members can self-regulate, are responsive to public concerns and mature enough to adapt to change.