Spotlight on Heritage – National Sporting Heritage Day

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This episode of Spotlight on Heritage marks National Sporting Heritage Day with John Coster and Rob Watson discussing the importance of preserving grassroots sport. They reflect on the legacy of major events like the Olympics and Paralympics, the challenges of sustaining community clubs, and the role of volunteers in keeping local sport alive. The conversation highlights how photographs, programmes and memories from cycling clubs, football teams and minority sports all contribute to a shared civic heritage that deserves recognition and support.

In this week’s Spotlight on Heritage, John Coster and Rob Watson mark National Sporting Heritage Day with a conversation about why grassroots sport matters and how its legacy can be preserved. While global events like the Olympics and Paralympics dominate the headlines, the real heritage of sport is often found much closer to home – in the photos, programmes and memories of local clubs, coaches and volunteers.

John and Rob reflect on their own experiences of mass participation events, from Leicester’s Sky Ride to the London 2012 torch relay, and ask what lasting impact these moments have on civic life. They question whether the promised “legacy” of major events has truly strengthened grassroots participation, and highlight the continuing challenges of sustaining community sports infrastructure in the face of funding pressures and volunteer burnout.

The discussion also touches on the need to archive and celebrate local sporting stories, from cycling clubs and football teams to minority sports that rarely make national news. Sporting heritage, they suggest, is not just about elite achievement, but about movement, participation and the sense of belonging created when people come together on the pitch, in the park, or at the community hall.

National Sporting Heritage Day is a reminder that every photograph, programme, or personal memory can contribute to a collective story. For Leicester, and for communities everywhere, capturing and sharing these stories ensures that the everyday achievements of grassroots sport are valued alongside the spectacles of international competition.

You can hear the full conversation on the Spotlight on Heritage podcast, available now on Soar Sound.