Six months to go until the general election – whats on offer?

John Goodbody

Journalist,

Sunday Times

You can usually tell when a general election is imminent because suddenly there’s a raft of proposals about sport from the political parties. And no sport attracts greater interest and potential votes than football.

This year’s conference season saw all three main political parties weigh in as the BBC published the results of an extensive survey into the cost of watching the national game. Average prices have risen at almost twice the cost of living since 2011. The investigation also found that Arsenal had the most expensive season ticket at £2,013 while Premier League champions Manchester City offered one for £299. However, the most telling statistic was that a season ticket at Barcelona costs £103, cheaper than any club in the top four divisions in England.

The Liberal Democrats voted in favour of an independent review of the sport, with stricter ownership rules, claiming that fans were being priced out. The Labour Party went further, saying that supporters would have seats on every board and the right to buy up to 10 per cent of the shares when ownership changes. Clive Efford, the shadow sports minister, said: “Too often fans are treated like an afterthought as ticket prices are hiked-up, grounds relocated and clubs burdened with debt or the threat of bankruptcy.” Currently only 14 league clubs have supporters on their boards.

However, as Tony Evans, the football editor of The Times, rightly pointed out: “Imagine the Glazers find a buyer for Manchester United at the sort of price they have already asked: £2bn. How could the supporters’ trust raise the 10 percent needed to purchase a significant stake? Having the right to buy is one thing. Having the ability is another.”

As a result of the controversy Helen Grant, minister for sport, set up a panel to forge stronger links between fans and clubs. The group is chaired by Joanna Manning-Cooper – member of the Portsmouth Supporters Trust and formerly head of media for LOCOG – and will include representation from Supporters Direct. However good these intentions are, one wonders just how successful any outcome will be.

Football is such a successful spectator sport – with 95 per cent of available seats sold in the Premier League so far this season – that clubs will argue that they are just obeying the laws of supply and demand. Also, seats at many clubs cost below the prices charged, for instance, in London theatres.

It is not just football that recently attracted the attention of the politicians. So did another activity, which is particularly popular – cycling. Victoria Pendleton made an appearance at the Tory conference, preaching about the benefits of school sport as it builds discipline, character and determination – “things that do not necessarily show up in test results but employers are always looking for.”

However, when the Department for Transport delivered its long-awaited ‘cycling delivery plan’, it wasn't well received by British Cycling because it “fell short” of what was expected, only providing an aspiration of funding to reach £10 per head of population by 2021. The governing body said this amount is the minimum starting point for targeted investment to improve the cycling environment in order to grow the number of cyclists.

As always, the economic demands constrain politicians in what they can deliver. As the election approaches, we can expect a number of proposals from all parties, many of which will not be carried out and may well be forgotten afterwards.

Cycling was one of two sports to get attention at the party conferences

The new anti-doping code is a fresh opportunity to protect sport

Andy Parkinson

CEO,

UK Anti-Doping

With the New Year comes new resolutions. For the sporting community, 1 January 2015 marks a new era for anti-doping. After three years of global consultation, the World Anti-Doping Code has been updated, along with a revised set of UK Anti-Doping Rules. This is a fresh opportunity to protect clean sport.

To implement these changes effectively requires collective responsibility from all of our partners in the UK, across every sport. Ultimately we need to ensure that our athletes and athlete support personnel are aware of their responsibilities.

Tougher sanctions and a focus on investigations and intelligence-led approaches are major steps forward for the Code. Greater focus has also been placed on athlete support personnel. Anyone found guilty of helping to cover up doping activity or avoiding detection could also face a lengthy ban from sport.

In the UK many of the new features of the 2015 code are already being applied, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not work to do. It’s not only athletes and athlete support personnel who must adapt to the changes. Sports have increased responsibilities and a duty of care to their members to manage the threat of doping. Failure to do so could damage the reputation of their sport and result in the loss of a high profile athlete, in whom resources have been invested.

UKAD is working with NGBs to ensure that by 1 January they have updated anti-doping rules, aligned to the 2015 code. For the majority of sports that adopt the UK Anti-Doping Rules this will occur automatically and no action is required. The message is clear – a new World Anti-Doping Code will not just impact our athletes. NGBs will feel the consequences too and need to be ready to implement revised strategies which protect and promote the reputation of their sport and athletes.

The new code includes tougher sanctions on those found guilty of doping / PIC: ©www.shutterstock