Organisation Access Sport CIO Salary £26,228 FTE Location Birmingham Contract type Fixed Term (Full time) Closing date 30 March 2026 Interview date 7 April 2026 Job Description Access Sport is a national charity with a vision that no one should be
excluded from the transformational benefits of community sport. We
are on a mission to make inclusion the norm in community sport by
tackling the access barriers faced by disadvantaged and disabled young people.
We do this by training, equipping, and supporting community sports
clubs, organisations, and volunteers to provide inclusive programmes,
unleashing their potential to transform the lives of underserved young
people in their local communities.
This work is either place based (Changing Places) or sport focussed
(Changing Sports). All the clubs we support are invited to join our
Inclusive Club Network.
In 2024/25 Access Sport engaged over 34,000 disadvantaged and
disabled young people, with a strong representation from ethnically
diverse communities, girls, and previously less active young people. Read more about our impact in our Annual Review. A number of videos
showcasing our work can be found on our YouTube channel. These
include a recent multi-sport festival in Birmingham and disability inclusive swimming sessions in East Bristol.
Role purpose
Summary
Access Sport is looking for a Community Coordinator to support the
growth of inclusive community sport across Birmingham. This full-time
role is part-funded (50%) through a two-year partnership with The FA,
which focuses on building grassroots football volunteering pathways for disabled volunteers, with the remaining 50% funded through Access Sport’s Changing Places and Changing Sports work in Birmingham.
The post holder will train, equip and support community clubs to provide inclusive opportunities for disabled children and young people across a range of different sports, while also increasing the number, diversity and sustainability of volunteers within grassroots football.
Community sport has many benefits for disadvantaged and disabled
young people, including improving physical and mental wellbeing,
confidence, life skills and community connection. However, disabled
people remain significantly less likely to be active than non-disabled
people, and many communities in Birmingham face persistent barriers to participation. This role plays a key part in addressing those inequalities locally.
Responsibilities
Community delivery
• Support the development, growth and sustainability of community
sports clubs and groups to enhance their offer to engage and
empower more disabled children and young people in Birmingham.
• Deliver Access Sport’s Changing Sports programmes and wider
disability inclusion initiatives in Birmingham, supporting clubs and
volunteers to provide high-quality inclusive opportunities.
• Carry out regular visits to clubs (during evenings and weekends
when required) to build relationships and better understand local
needs.
• Deliver Disability Inclusion and inclusive practice training to clubs,
volunteers and community partners.
• Provide clubs with equipment, advice, toolkits and practical
support to strengthen inclusive provision.
• Support and plan events such as the Inclusive multi-sport festivals.
• Contribute to the promotion and marketing materials to promote
inclusive sessions to the local communities.
Grassroots football volunteer development
• Support the recruitment, development and retention of volunteers
within grassroots football in Birmingham, with a focus on disabled
volunteers and those supporting the disability pathway.
• Engage local community groups, disability organisations and
support networks to raise awareness of volunteering opportunities
in football.
• Work with the County FA, clubs and leagues to identify
volunteering needs and support the development of sustainable
volunteer plans.
• Support clubs to create inclusive volunteering environments that
reflect and engage their local communities.
• Deliver or facilitate learning and development opportunities for
volunteers and volunteer managers, including relevant FA
programmes.
• Support recognition and retention approaches that improve
volunteer experience and satisfaction.
Partnerships
• Develop and maintain relationships with community sports clubs,
grassroots football organisations, schools, disability organisations
and local partners across Birmingham.
• Collaborate with FA partners and local football stakeholders to
coordinate inclusive volunteering pathways.
• Connect clubs with local organisations and services that support participation and volunteering.
Contribute to local partnership initiatives that strengthen inclusive
sport provision across the city.
Monitoring and evaluation
• Support monitoring and evaluation requirements across both
Access Sport and FA programme priorities.
• Collect participation and volunteer data, attendance records and
programme insights using internal systems.
• Gather case studies, stories and feedback to demonstrate impact
and inform programme development.
• Contribute to reporting requirements for funders and partners.
Person specification
Skills/ experience
Essential
• Experience of supporting, volunteering or helping out at local
community sports clubs or teams.
• A passion for empowering and inspiring underserved and disabled
groups to reach their full potential through sport.
• An understanding of the barriers that may affect participation in
community sport.
• Ability to engage, motivate and communicate effectively with a
diverse audience, including volunteers, community organisations,
parents, carers and young people.
• Understanding the importance of safeguarding and child
protection (training will be provided).
• Strong written and verbal communication and an ability to
communicate with a diverse audience.
Desirable
• Lived experience of one or more of the underserved communities
we support i.e. D/deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, women and girls,
ethnically diverse communities and low-socio economic
backgrounds.
• Experience in volunteer recruitment, retention, or recognition,
particularly in grassroots football.
• Experience working with or knowledge of the structure of
grassroots football and FA programmes.
• Experience of working with or coaching young people from our
target groups; less active, disabled young people and young people
from the most deprived communities.
• Experience of working in, or knowledge of the sport sector.
• Coaching instructor qualifications or experience delivering sport
sessions to young people.
Personal attributes
• A passion for Access Sport’s cause and empowering underserved
and disabled children and young people to reach their full potential
through sport.
• A personal commitment to Access Sport’s vision and values.
• Self-motivated, able to use initiative, and a highly flexible
approach to work.
• Proactive and adaptable - ability to think creatively and use
initiative to achieve outcomes.
• Reliable and hardworking with the confidence to work
independently.
• A strong team player with good interpersonal skills.
• Committed to continuing personal and professional development.
In addition:
• The post holder must have the right to work in the UK.
• The post holder must be able to travel to locations across
Birmingham.
There will be some requirements to work on evenings or weekends,
for which time off in lieu (TOIL) can be taken.
Equal opportunities
We welcome and encourage applications from people of all
backgrounds. Access Sport is committed to creating an inclusive culture through fostering a diverse workforce where everyone feels like they belong, differences are valued, and everyone can reach their potential.
We are actively seeking to diversify and create a workplace that is
welcoming for all, ensuring that our workforce is representative of wider society and the communities we support. If you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, at either the application or interview stage, please contact us (details below).
We offer disabled applicants the option of requesting that their
application is considered under the terms of our Guaranteed Interview
Scheme (GIS). If you wish to apply under our GIS, please indicate this in your cover email. For more information, please visit our Join the
Team page.
Background checks
As this role may, at times, involve working in a regulated environment
with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory
background checks which includes a criminal record check with the
Disclosure and Barring Service and two references.
Staff benefits
Access Sport is an exciting and dynamic place to work. We pride
ourselves on being a close-knit and well-supported team with a clear
sense of purpose, delivering real impact. Inclusion is at the heart of
everything we do.
We are committed to supporting the development of our team members and, should you wish, there are opportunities for team members to get involved in different aspects of the charity, from the delivery of our programmes on the ground, to fundraising, events and advocacy.
Staff benefits include:
• Employee Assistance Programme - Access to a 24/7 confidential
helpline, counselling services and online information.
• Annual leave - 28 days annual leave, including 3 days between
Christmas and New Year, plus 1 extra day of leave per year of
service for the first 5 years. This equates to 33 days of annual leave
after 5 years of continuous service. Plus 8 days paid public holidays.
• Healthy living and wellbeing employer - We welcome staff to
embed regular exercise into their daily work lives and have
quarterly team away days.
• Volunteering/ personal development days - Two additional days of
paid leave each year to volunteer for an Access Sport club or other
charity, or to use as personal development days.
• Pension - 5% employer pension contribution.
• New Mums and Dads, including adoptive parents, can take
enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• Flexible working and family-friendly - Hybrid and flexible working
arrangements which are family-friendly and provide flexibility
around caring responsibilities.
• 24/7 GP service to provide employees with a phone or video
appointment at a time and date that suits them.
• Cycle to Work scheme - saving up to 39% off a new bike and
accessories.
• Group Life Assurance for all staff on payroll.