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Drop in funding would put UK sport back decades, says university expert

8 August 2012

Following Team GB’s gold rush this week in the London 2012 Olympic Games; athletes, ministers and university experts are calling on the government to continue funding for both elite and school sport after the Games.

With the Rio 2016 Games to be seen in the horizon now, the government can give no guarantee that the current level of funding can continue. Olympic minister Hugh Robertson spoke today to the Metro, saying: “I am pretty confident that we can maintain funding at the current level and that is what I am going to do my utmost to achieve.

“Is it an absolute guarantee? No it isn’t but we are going to do everything we possibly can.”

David James, senior lecturer in sports engineering at Sheffield Hallam University, spoke at Podium’s Olympic reception warning that a drop in funding would put UK sport back decades.

Speaking just before Sir Chris Hoy claimed Team GB’s 22nd gold medal, James said: “We need to carry on in the same trajectory, let’s not get a few months down the road and suddenly veer off in a different direction. Don’t just suddenly kill all the funding down to 10% of what it’s been, let stay here.

“We understand that this has been the zenith of our sporting trajectory for a while, but don’t just kill it otherwise it will take us decades to get back to where we are now.”

Having worked on a number of Olympic sport research projects, including Sheffield Hallam’s cycling research, James understands the difficulty of gaining funding. He explained the issues with the current system, saying: “Sport doesn’t even have a research council that is dedicated to it so we have to temper expectations slightly just because of the scales of investment.

“Sport should have an equal billing to other disciplines, but, what happens is, if you’re making a grant application to a research council and you put sport in the title its value is not what it should be. It would be nice to see a different culture.”

With Team GB’s recent success, many hope for a culture recognising the importance of sport funding.

University of Plymouth historian Kevin Jefferys, author of ‘Sport and Politics in Modern Britain: the Road to 2012’, is confident that there will be enough political pressure to keep elite sport funding at the current level, but said: “Sports which haven’t delivered medals will the one to look out for. Waterpolo, handball and volleyball have been funded up to London 2012 because of their automatic qualification, but their continual funding will need to be watched. They have proved popular in the public mind so it will be interesting to see if that plays a part.

“Overall I think the future for elite sport funding looks good as no Prime Minister will want to be the one to jeopardise Britain maintaining its position in the medal table for future Olympic Games.”

With the Closing Ceremony drawing ever closer, soon all eyes will shift to future Olympic Games and we can safely predict that sport funding will remain an issue in the spotlight.

Both David James and Kevin Jefferys are Podium Games Experts – you can find more experts at www.games-experts.com.

By Ruth Faulkner

Comments

I suspect that elite funding will be sustained, albeit with adjustments related to success.

But the biggest threat is lack of funding for grassroots sport. The UK should not make the same mistake as Australia, which drastically cut its budgets for community sport after Sydney. It's no accident that, 12 years on, the Australians have done so poorly (for them!) at the Olympics. Funding for elite without a sound foundation makes no economic sense.

And if only the Government would take the action required to improve delivery of physical education in schools, there could be massive gains without extra programme funding.

The Government could show commitment WITHOUT extra spending, by demonstrating the one quality which seems to be lacking, ie the political will to use better, what we already have. So they could immediately:
(1) Insist that the Teaching Agency stop sitting on its hands and acknowledge the damage which is being done, by their lack of action, ie allowing so many teacher training providers to pay lip service to primary school physical education. More than 60% of primary trainees receive less than 6 hours preparation to teach physical education - a national scandal. Yet some providers so manage to do a good job and their newly qualified primary school teachers deliver good quality physical education. if they can do it, all can, and should be expected to do so. Our political leaders can and should require this simple measure to be taken - and no extra cost.
(2) Require Ofsted to inspect and report on curriculum time physical education and out of hours sport, in all achool inspections. This would ensure that school leaders take it seriously, provide sufficient curriculum time and invest in professional development for both teachers and coaches.
(3) Conduct a review of initial training for specialist physical education teachers - long overdue - toward a 21st century curriculum, to establish quality physical education which our children and young people need and deserve.
These measures would cost NO extra funding, and result in systemic improvement which would benefit every child in the school system. They would also enable teachers to work more effectively with coaches and instructors to enrich the offer to children, hence also building better links with local clubs.
ALL IT WOULD TAKE IS THE POLITICAL WILL. Then grassroots funding for extra curricular and out of school sport would go further. Simple!

Posted by Margaret Talbot, President, ICSSPE on 9th August 2012

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