The DSActive team have reached a new milestone…
1000 people who have Down’s syndrome are now regularly involved in DSActive sessions across the country!

DSActive was set up in 2006 in response to the awareness that many people with Down’s syndrome were not leading active lives. Research showed that 70% of people with Down’s syndrome were overweight or obese.

Over the years the DSActive team have worked to change this, by providing sport and fitness sessions specifically for participants with Down’s syndrome across England and Wales. The DSActive team now supports 90 sessions in many different sports.

A big part of the work the team do is training coaches on how to better support people with Down’s syndrome into sport and physical activity. Since March 2017, the team have trained over 400 coaches in a multitude of different sports. Each DSActive club receives our workshop, and we also act as a training provider for many different sports.

The DSActive team also run regional and national festivals for athletes with Down’s syndrome, including our National Football festival which is one of the biggest events in the world for people with Down’s syndrome. We also help National Governing Bodies develop their player pathways so there are competitions for people with Down’s syndrome to get involved with.

DSActive Project Manager Alex said “It’s a really fantastic achievement to support 1000 people with Down’s syndrome to be more active, healthier and play more sport. Our Sports Officers Emma and Doug work tirelessly to help as many people as we can and they deserve huge credit for all the work they do. We know there is more to do, but it’s also important to celebrate how far the programme has come. We also want to say a huge thank you to all the clubs and organisations who have helped us along the way.”

To find out more about the DSActive programme or find a session near you click here or email the DSActive team.