Sports Management Issue 1 2012 - Leisure Opportunities

INTERVIEW
UK Sport has a close working
relationship with the home
countries’ sports councils
themes, some of which may reinforce the
need for research and innovation work,
and helps to extend the expertise of specialist
coaching development.
“Some issues can be resolved quickly,
others may need more work from one
of our designated team members – who
have responsibility for each potential element
where a sport may need help – or
maybe from our research and innovation
team,” she explains.
“We can then offer to add value to
their work to help improve athlete performance,
as well as their health and
wellbeing, expanding the sport’s system
support or improving the climate and culture
of their organisation so they can get
the very best from their athletes.
“Everybody understands the Mission
2012 process and can see that they are
all part of one team, with one mission
and that it’s within everybody’s interests
to have an open and honest dialogue
with us,” she says.
SUSTAINABLE ADMINISTRATION
A recurring theme that’s currently being
addressed is the upskilling of the people
working within the NGBs.
“We’re aware that one of the weakness
within NGBs is that generally their focus
is much more about delivery rather than
personal development,” says Nicholl. “We
have an International Leadership Development
programme – the Elite Coaching
Apprenticeship Programme. For example,
over the past 12-18 months we’ve been
running a leadership programme to support
performance directors and will be
providing similar programmes for CEOs
and chairs.” She adds that UK Sport also
previously worked with the British Olympic
Association (BOA) and the SRA in the
setting up of a four-year Women in Leadership
programme, to ensure that women
were also given the right opportunity
within that structure.
Thanks to sports’ higher media profile
however, Nicholl has noticed that good
business people, with a passion for sport,
are coming into the boards of sports as
independent chairs, which she says could
make a real difference to the NGBs sustainability
administration post-2012.
This increased media attention is also
attracting sponsors, many of which have
created a partnership role that could also
benefit the sport post-Games.
Our no compromise approach to funding is about
NGBs getting the right support to the right
athletes for the right reasons
Sky’s relationship with British Cycling,
British Gas’ link with British Swimming
and Siemens’ tie-up with British Rowing
is testament to this trend. Nicholl also
highlights the FSTE 100 companies partnership
the BOA has initiated, which she
says can offer fantastic business expertise
to Olympic and Paralympic sports.
2012 AND BEYOND
Looking ahead, Nicholl says the Mission
2012 model has already been introduced
for the Winter Games, so the relationship
with the four Olympic and two Paralympic-funded
sports for Sochi 2014 is exactly
the same as the Summer Olympic and
Paralympic Games. And this process will
also continue towards Rio 2016.
“We’re in a fantastic position for Rio
2016 because we’re likely to have about
the same amount of money in this funding
cycle,” says Nicholl. Although she says
that there are still some risks because of
the 65 per cent reliance of National Lottery
funding and exchequer funding is as
yet only confirmed to 2015 – in line with
government policy.
“You need a compelling goal to continue
that ‘one team one mission’ feel
on the journey from London to Rio,”
she says. “Our ambition is that we’ll
do what no Summer Olympic and Paralympic
host nation has done before,
which is maintain some of the great
performances achieved at our home
Games right through to the next
Summer Games in 2016.”
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