Leisure Media Issue 3 2009 - Leisure Opportunities

With London 2012 now firmlyon the horizon, plus a hostof other major internationalsporting events to look forward to duringthe next decade, these are excitingtimes for sport in the UK. The real legacyof this golden decade would beBritain building on its growing statusas a world leader in sport, and I wanttwo million more people more active,including one million through sport, by2012. To do this, a strong communitysport infrastructure is crucial.The recession is a challenge to allsectors but the government’s commitmentto sport is unwavering. AcrossWhitehall, government departmentsunderstand its value. Our £140m freeswimming programme – backed by fiveThe recent CCPR survey, in whichhalf of sports clubs say that therecession is having a negativeeffect, is alarming. If the trends that thesurvey identifies continue, sport at alocal level will face problems.All but a handful of sports clubs arerun by volunteers and funded by themembers and their activities. Almost40 per cent of clubs have alreadyexperienced a downturn in membershiprenewals, and with nearly 30 percent seeing a fall in new membershipenquiries, the financial outlook is bleak.Most local councils are reviewingtheir budgets and, for many, thiswill include a review of their culturaland sports activity, including thegrant funding that they give to voluntaryorganisation such as sportsdepartments – shows we are workingtogether. And the Budget included anew initiative to create 5,000 new jobs.An unprecedented amount of publicmoney has gone into community sportto ensure its growth and success, andsport has received nearly £6bn since1997. We also run a range of initiatives,including a tax relief scheme of up to80 per cent on business rates that 5,000clubs are currently enjoying.Now is not the time to be talkingdown sport. Of course some clubs areclubs. Further cuts in the already limitedsupport that councils provide maywell lead to closures. The drop in participationthat a quarter of clubs havealready seen will weaken their argumentfor continued council support.Nationally, central government fundingfor sport via Sport England isincreasingly being directed towardsthe national governing bodies for sport.There is little indication that much, ifany, of this funding will end up helpinglocal clubs with basic costs. Theday-to-day reality for a voluntary sportsGERRY SUTCLIFFESports ministerDepartment for Culture, Media and Sportgoing through tough times but we aredoing all we can to support the grassroots.The government continues toinvest heavily in community sport andstrongly encourage local authoritiesand businesses to do the same.Almost £500m is going to sports governingbodies from now until 2013 toincrease participation. With this andfurther investments, we’ll see that legacycome alive – Britain becoming aworld leading sporting nation withcommunity clubs at its heart.CHRISTINE NEYNDORFFDirectorHertfordshire County Sports Partnershipclub is a continuing struggle with soaringexpenditure for facilities, energyand coaching. This is against a backdropof increasing regulation and aheightened expectation on the part offunding agencies, local authorities andschools of the capacity of clubs to supportnational initiatives.An increasing number of clubs aresuggesting that talk of developing ‘aworld leading community sports system’is beginning to ring hollow. Oursports clubs need support – and theyneed it now.ISSUE 3 2009 © cybertrek 2009Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 19