LETTERSDo you have a strong opinion about your industry?Where are things going wrong, or right?<strong>Sports</strong> <strong>Management</strong> would love to hear from you.Email: sm@leisuremedia.comGovernment cuts leave charities fearing closureMany charities working primarily to improvethe lives of children and youngpeople living in England will be concernedby new research published by theNational Children’s Bureau (NCB). Beyondthe Cuts forecasts that children andyoung people’s charities, which number34,000, will lose £405m in statutoryfunding over the five years to 2015/16.And this is a cautious estimate.Funding cuts of close to half a billionpounds is not good news for our country’schildren and young people. Neitheris it good news for a sector reeling fromthe burden of an economic downturn,decreasing sources of public fundingand increasing demands.According to our research, children andyoung people’s charities are more vulnerableto these cuts, as they receive moreof their income from statutory sourcesand are four times less likely to receivecorporate support.The organisations we consulted are, ofcourse, taking action to manage the impactof the cuts. This includes reducingChildren and young people’s charities will lose £450m in statutory funding by 2016the number of staff they employ andcutting back on the range of servicesthey offer, as well as developing consortiaand mergers. However, a small butsignificant minority thought it was “likely”or “very likely” they would be forcedto close in the next 12 months.Shutting up shop is a short-term answerto a long-term problem. Whilechildren’s charities must be at theforefront of creating solutions, thereis still a role for national governmentto put its weight behind the developmentof new partnerships and newways of working.We must ensure that children andyoung people are not deprived of crucialservices during this age of austerity.Dr Hilary EmeryCEO, National Children’s BureauWe need to make sport more attractive to girlsIt’s well known that school children areless active than they should be and thisproblem is particularly severe for girls.While many schools are doing greatthings, PE and school sport is actuallyputting the majority of girls off beingactive – even though three quarters ofgirls are keen to do more exercise.Girls are put off sport through PE lessonsAt the Women in Sport and FitnessFoundation, our new report Changingthe Game for Girls shows that: Half of all girls (51 per cent) are putoff physical activity by their experiencesof school sport and PE. 45 per cent of girls say “sport is toocompetitive”, and more than halfthink boys enjoy competitive sportmore than girls. Over half of all boys and girls agreethat “there are more opportunities forboys to succeed in sport than girls”. Half the girls surveyed (48 per cent) saythat getting sweaty is “not feminine”.We need schools and the governmentto urgently address this issue, and createpolicies to help keep girls fit and healthy.The priority needs to be getting allchildren active not just focusing onthe sporty ones. That’s why we havelaunched a new toolkit for schools tohelp them provide the best physicaleducation they can for girls.We simply cannot afford to keep ignoringthe evidence that school sportplays a key role in shaping attitudes tohealth and fitness.Some schools throughout the countryare leading the way in delivering excitingand inclusive PE lessons, but there isstill a great deal to be done. And, withsport front of mind in <strong>2012</strong>, now is theideal time to do it.Sue TibballsCEO, Women in Sport and Fitness6 Read <strong>Sports</strong> <strong>Management</strong> online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digitalIssue 2 <strong>2012</strong> © cybertrek <strong>2012</strong>
LigaTurf RS+N o .1 in theFrench LigueLigaTurf RS+The benchmark for football turfThe Polytan LigaTurf RS+ is the premiumproduct from PolytanSTI and it is preferredfor use in professional sport today.French Ligue 1 teams FC Lorient and ASNLNancy as well as the Ligue 2 club LB Berrichonnede Châteauroux play on a LigaTurf RS+ pitch.LigaTurf 240 RS+ at the Stadium Marcel Picot, Nancy,France, is FIFA Recommended 2 Star certified.Polytan <strong>Sports</strong>tättenbau GmbHGewerbering 3, D-86666 BurgheimTelefon +49 84 32 / 870www.polytan.de
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