Leading the Physical Activity and Wellbeing Legacy for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Sport Birmingham is excited to welcome Dean Hill to their team this Summer, as the Physical Activity & Wellbeing Legacy Lead for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Dean joins the city's Active Partnership from the Great Outdoor Gym Company where he was National Head of Active Cities, and previously as the Primary Services Prevention and Healthy Places Manager within Dudley Council.

Dean's role is to coordinate the development and delivery of the physical activity and wellbeing strand of the Games, and this will involve working closely with the Organising Committee for the Games and all of it's partners including Birmingham Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority, the WM Active Partnerships and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The investment is made by Sport England who has funded the post for 4 years in order that legacy is maximised and sustained beyond the Games.

Dean has 25 years of professional experience within the fields of Sport, Health and Physical Activity, and 40 years (and counting) experience of personally and passionately participating in physical activity and sport to varying levels. His experience working closely with Public Health England, Sport England, NHS, Planning, Housing and Transport colleagues at a local, regional and national level will be a real asset in this new role, working with Sport Birmingham and the region's Active Partnerships as well as local, regional and national partners.

Dean says "I believe that the climate for change around sport and physical activity is shifting, albeit at a time when local funding for this 'none statutory provision' is in decline. The Commonwealth Games provides a great opportunity for system wide approaches to ensure sport and physical activity, and its hugely wide-reaching outcomes become more accessible to the citizens of Birmingham and the Midlands.

"I have realised that I want to see results for communities, and long term policy and infrastructure change that leads to the many and varied life changing opportunities that an active place can bring, and I want to do it in a place and with organisations that share this vision and passion"