Connect To Sailing's overriding goal is to revitalise grass roots participation in all categories of sailing outside elite activity and put sailing firmly back into a growth sport with a focus on youth.

There is evidence to suggest that participation in sailing around the world is in decline and the age of active participants increasing, as sports seek to compete with each other to attract participants and compete with a multitude of other interests seeking to attract today's youth.

As a first step, the Connect To Sailing concept aims to bring together the organisations involved in and supporting the sport of sailing in a country, such as the member national authority, the sailing industry, sports council, boat show organisers, commercial sailing schools, media, NGO's and GO's etc. By working together in partnership (or Task Forces) these organisations will share their resources and experiences to achieve a more integrated approach to the development of the sport. It will only be a shared approach with all stakeholders working together that we will make a significant difference.

Part of ISAF's mandate is to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to participate and benefit from the sport.

ISAF has a community - its members - the national sailing authorities around the world who in turn link into their own national and regional networks. ISAF will look to MNA's to show leadership in the development of the Connect To Sailing programmes in their respective countries.

The initiative needs global support to move forward and ISAF will actively engage with its Member National Authorities and ensure that ‘Connect to Sailing’ is on the agenda of each country. It is then the responsibility of each nation to identify its partners and move forwards together to identify the best strategy for the development of the sport in that individual nation. ISAF recognises that there will not be a 'one size fits all' solution and the Connect to Sailing team will help find the right solution for your country.

ISAF is developing a toolkit to enable a nation to take the initiative to open the initial dialogue in creating a National Task Force, including a blueprint for the opening meeting and the Taskforce Terms of Reference. The Connect To Sailing support team are available to help through the steps to make the change that will start the focus back on the development of of sailing.

There are many fantastic ‘development’ programmes already out there, excellent examples of best practice, which can be picked up in entirety or revised for an individual nation. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

‘Connect to Sailing’ aims to share best practice developed by all participating groups, using a combination of workshops, written manuals, website and mentoring. The Connect to Sailing website will be a database of best practice from around the globe, enabling the sharing of knowledge.

It is now ISAF’s role to ensure that our partners in the sport take up the challenge to deliver solutions.

To view a slide show illustrating the ideas behind Connect to Sailing's vision, click here