News & Insights
As the national governing body for group exercise, EMD UK has one focus – supporting the group exercise workforce.
As the national governing body for group exercise we are dedicated to achieving our vision of healthier communities through group exercise. We work with instructors, operators and organisations across the sector to provide help, support and advice and to ensure that group exercise continues to inspire people of all ages and abilities to take part in physical activity.
As part of our work to support the Uniting the Movement strategy, EMD UK received £5 million of funding over five years from Sport England for the period of 2022-27. This funding enables us to deliver our work to support the group exercise sector and enhance the workforce’s ability to provide health and social benefits.
As the only National Governing Body (NGB) for group exercise we are dedicated to achieving our vision of healthier communities through group exercise. We work with instructors, operators and stakeholders across the sector to provide help, support and advice and to ensure that group exercise continues to inspire people of all ages and abilities to take part in physical activity.
Our work spans a number of areas, as an NGB, key to this are our systemic and governing roles.
Our systemic role is to be the leader, influencer, collaborator, and coordinator across the group exercise sector with a focus on the instructor workforce. We have a clear ambition and strategic vision to be the voice of group exercise, with extensive plans to provide advice, support and guidance to the workforce and wider ecosystem to achieve greater collaboration and create inclusive and healthier communities through group exercise.
Our governing role is to provide leadership, innovation, and governance for the group exercise sector. EMD UK is the only National Governing Body (NGB) for group exercise in the UK, offering professional recognition to instructors through our membership. This recognition is rooted in governance, remit, and partnerships across the sector, ensuring that instructors are officially recognised against a scope of practice.
With group exercise generating £5.3bn in social value annually, and with 4.8 million people in England aged 18 and participating in group exercise weekly, group exercise has a huge impact. This is why our work to support instructors is vital to the sector. In fact, we see ourselves as the people who stand behind the people at the front. The team that provides support and development opportunities, represents the interests of group exercise instructors and stakeholders at a national level and, importantly advocates for their work.
We set and maintain high standards for the sector, via our scopes of practice and recognised the expertise and dedication of group exercise instructors via our professional recognition. Not just a credential, this helps to open doors to new opportunities and sets instructors apart in a competitive market.
We also conduct research and insight to understand trends, challenges and opportunities within the group exercise sector. All with a view to providing the sector with robust evidence to enhance and promote the impact of group exercise.
We recognise that instructors are predominately a lone workforce which is why we work to bring instructors together to foster a sense of community, provide networking opportunities, share best practice and support each other.
Our work is essential for ensuring that group exercise remains a credible, trusted, inclusive and accessible option for all, contributing to the overall health and well-being of the nation.
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