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Published in Sports Management 2014 issue 1

No compromise approach does work

John Goodbody
John Goodbody
John Goodbody,

Journalist,

Sunday Times


To those who have shall be given. From those who haven’t shall be taken away. UK Sport’s recent announcement of its revised £271m funding package for the Rio Olympics and Paralympics has caused delight, satisfaction and also aggrieved fury in almost equal measure. Not for the first time, UK Sport’s “no compromise” approach has outraged those sports where financial support has been cut or even stopped.

The clear strategy of UK Sport is to deliver the most number of medals, not only in 2016 but also in 2020. As Liz Nicholl, its chief executive, says: "To continue funding sports which cannot win a medal by 2020 would be a high risk strategy that compromises opportunities elsewhere.”

Notable casualties among those sports where funding has now been suspended are basketball, women’s water polo and synchronised swimming. In December 2012, basketball was given £7m over four years but since then the British men’s and women’s teams have failed to reach their targets of a topsix EuroBasket place.

This disappointment did not stop Roger Moreland, British Basketball’s performance chair, from saying: "The basketball community at home and abroad will be aghast that this can happen again. What price a legacy from 2012?”

David Sparkes, the CEO of British Swimming, no doubt mindful of the political capital to be made out of the fact that culture secretary Maria Miller is also the minister for women and equality – and that minister for sport is Helen Grant – played a predictable card. He said the decision was “an extremely dark day for women’s sport”.

Of course funding team sports such as basketball, volleyball, handball or waterpolo is extremely expensive because of the numbers involved. Men and women’s hockey received £16m from UK Sport although a maximum of two medals can be won at the Games. Contrast that, for instance, with, say, judo (which has received £7.3m) and where a total of 56 can be garnered. UK Sport officials insist that, despite this imbalance, the organisation will always fund other team sports where it is justified. And I believe them.

Of course, sports which are not currently supported financially by UK Sport, such as basketball and table tennis, still receive backing from Sport England for grassroots activity. Basketball is getting at least £9m between 2013-17 and table tennis about £6m for the same period. As a comparison with two heavily funded sports at the elite level, rowing receives £8.2m from Sport England and sailing £9.3m. However, the argument of officials in those activities, which do not receive money from UK Sport, is that they need even a moderately successful national team to drive interest among the grassroots and inspire youngsters. There is some validity in this argument. The problem, however, is that if these sports were to be supported, it would drastically reduce the money available for sports where medals seem highly likely to be secured in 2016 and 2020.

My only reservation when it comes to UK Sport’s strategy is that sometimes it is influenced in the allocation of money by the structure of an NGB’s preparations rather than concentrating exclusively on results. Otherwise, UK Sport has carried out a difficult task with judicious care and its strategy surely remains the right one as we approach Rio.

The basketball Team GB's struggles resulted in funding being suspended
The basketball Team GB's struggles resulted in funding being suspended

Women's sport taking big strides - but more needs to be done

Ruth Holdaway
Ruth Holdaway
Ruth Holdaway,

CEO,

Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation


It was wonderful that Lizzy Yarnold’s first commitment after winning the skeleton gold medal was to use her Olympic success in Sochi to inspire more girls to play sport. But she will face an uphill struggle as the odds are stacked against creating the role models girls need.

We all hoped that the triumphs of Jessica Ennis-Hill, Katherine Grainger, Nicola Adams and other athletes at London 2012 would provide a legacy of female participation – and increased coverage of women’s sport. Yet – despite new commercial partnerships in women’s cycling, football, netball and rowing – there's a long way to go. What women’s sport needs is prominence.

Shockingly, our report Women’s Sport: Say Yes to Success shows that since September 2011, women’s sport has accounted for a pitiful 0.4 per cent of the total value of reported UK sponsorship deals in sport. The media do not help. While interest from television companies in covering women’s sport is undoubtedly increasing, women’s sport makes up only 7 per cent of all sports coverage.

This contributes to a situation which means that sponsorship deals for women tend to be smaller and less common. A cycle of poor financing and poor coverage has been established which will take some breaking.

Here at WSFF we are clear on what needs to be done to break this cycle. That is why we have launched a new campaign, Say Yes to Success aiming to secure increases in both commercial investment for, and media coverage of, women’s sport. For women’s sport to make progress, it must secure more media coverage, more commercial investment, and excite and attract the fan base.

To do this it needs to develop its own calendar of major events which spectators, the media, and commercial partners come to expect, anticipate and look forward to.

It isn’t that there has been no progress in the thirty years that WSFF has existed: women’s sport has come a long way and there is a high degree of political and campaigning spirit behind the drive to make further progress. We are going to keep fighting for it.

While the men struggled, the Women's cricket team recorded a famous Ashes victory
While the men struggled, the Women's cricket team recorded a famous Ashes victory "down under"

How to care for pitches hit by flooding and weather

Alistair Beggs
Alistair Beggs
Alistair Beggs,

Head of Agronomy and Ecology,

Sports Turf Research Institute


Over the wintermonths, much of the UK and Ireland have been subjected to extreme weather. The storms, tidal waves and flooding have meant that few areas have escaped unaffected.

Such extreme weather has a major impact on our landscape and many of our sporting facilities. Sports fields, golf courses and bowling greens situated close to rivers and the seaside have borne the brunt of the storm damage.

As the weather finally starts to quieten down we can now take stock of the damage and set about restoring turf and playing quality in time for the 2014 sports season.

For inland sports facilities, the most likely source of problems will be from flooding and tree damage. This may be in the form of silt accumulation or prolonged soil saturation and water retention, which can lead to thinning turf and eventual grass loss. It is important to remove the silt as quickly as possible to avoid any potential damage to the turf or the soil which may compromise future drainage performance.

Renovation in the form of aeration, overseeding and top dressing may be required once soil and weather conditions improve or – if the damage is particularly severe – returfing may be required.

Be aware of what operations will achieve, as untimely activities could cause future problems if the soil profile is de-structured or sealed when conditions are still wet.

For coastal facilities, the immediate issue to address is from debris brought onto the course from the sea. Due to the power of the sea, larger items of debris may have caused direct turf damage and localised repair will be necessary. Accumulations of sand will require removal to avoid smothering damage.

If saltwater ingress has occurred to fine turf areas, it is important to allow rainfall to flush the salt from the soil profile and this will be encouraged via aeration and wetting agent application. Salinity tests of affected areas may be prudent to assess the level of salt in the soil.

If you do have a problem following the storm damage, don't hesitate to contact the institute – we will support you in any restoration work and to improve your facility.

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