Secretary of State’s speech to the Sport England conference
10 March 2009
Everybody here today has at least one important thing in common.
We are lucky enough to be in positions of leadership in sport at English and British sport’s moment of greatest opportunity.
It is something to think about at least once every day, because with that chance to shape the future comes a heavy responsibility on us all to use it well.
Collectively, we can change sport’s place in our society, build a more active and more successful sporting nation.
But we will only do that if we apply to our own jobs and organisations the same restless energy and relentless focus that we rightly celebrate in our best performance directors.
It means forever asking tough and awkward questions of what we do and how we do it; never living in a self-congratulatory comfort zone but always going further, challenging the way we operate and setting new levels of ambition.
Let me assure you that this ‘Brailsford’ approach applies just as much to the performance of Ministers as anyone else.
Gerry and I should rightly be challenged by you every day to do more for sport, to go further than we have gone before taking steps big and small.
This week, for instance, we will announce with DCLG a change to the regulations on playing fields – further tightening the regulatory regime. In the great scheme of things, a small change. But one that will make an impact when played out over a century.
I know there are many more things that you want us to do. And we’re ready to hear those requests.
The whole thrust of our sports policy has been to create empowered and emboldened sports governing bodies making the running and lifting sport up the political agenda.
And it’s great to see the rising confidence amongst you.
But what should we ask in return?
It is not our job to tell you how to run your sports.
We do, however, have a responsibility to voice the wider public interest as we see it and to challenge sport where issues of public concern arise.
Since we met last year, the world has changed and so too, I sense, has the public mood. It’s our job to consider how sport responds to these changing times, and we want you to ask searching questions of your own sports.
Over the last 20 years, we have seen the growing commercialisation of sport. This has brought many benefits – but it needs to be watched and regulated and, if left unchecked, can damage sport’s integrity.
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As we enter a new funding period – and changed economic times – it is right to challenge all sports to reassess priorities.
So, today I would like to pose two challenging questions on this theme.
First, has each sport got the right level of ambition to make the most of the public investment over the next four years?
Second, and more broadly, has each sport got its relationship with money right?
But, before that, let’s look back on the last year. I see it as a year of genuine progress.
From here on, we can all have confidence that we are building on very solid foundations at every level – school, club and elite.
In schools, we achieved our two hour target a year early in 2008 and the Youth Sports Trust and Sport England have plans in hand to deliver the five-hour ambition. This is not just about quantity but quality too. I want decent coaching and competition to be at the heart of a vibrant school sports system, with well-resourced governing bodies reaching down into schools to make that a reality.
At elite level, we have concluded difficult negotiations over a funding package for the London cycle that keeps the overall ambition in play. Our announcement two weeks ago of a new fund-raising partnership between all the 2012 players is another vital part of sports legacy: creating a permanent three-stream funding mix – Lottery, tax and private – for elite sport in Britain.
But we all recognised that it was in that crucial middle tier – club and community sport – where the government side had more work and more thinking to do to complete a coherent and integrated sports policy - with a funding structure that goes with the grain of sports’ voluntary spirit.
Refocusing Sport England as a strategic commissioning body that challenged but also empowered NGBs was a crucial step on this journey.
We’ve worked hard with Jennie and her team since the launch of ‘Playing to Win’ last June to complete the reform of Sport England and get it ready for this new era.
We know it’s been tough and big changes have had to be made. But everyone risen to the challenge – on both sides - and a leaner, and more fit-for-purpose Sport England has emerged.
I wish to thank Jennie and Mike Farrar for their dedication to driving forward these reforms with all our partners represented here today.
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And, of course, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate and welcome Richard Lewis. He needs no introduction to the issues and, helpfully, can see things from your perspective. His background and experience make him ideally placed to lead Sport England into this new era.
It begins next month with the new Whole Sport Plans. Richard’s job is to make sure it brings the new opportunities, flexibilities and freedoms that have been promised.
But it’s also his job to put you on the spot. All sports, with no exceptions, need to be more accountable to the public for what they do.
Gerry and I have been watching the development of the Whole Sport Plans with great interest and are genuinely excited about what this may deliver. There is much to be proud of as we enter this transitional year.
But, before the ink dries on these Plans, in line with the Brailsford approach, it is right to ask you one last time whether they are sufficiently ambitious.
- Are you confident that increased public funds will drive the development of each sport?
- Will the WSPs really take your sport into new territory?
- Will they really deliver new opportunities to people who might otherwise have not got the chance to participate?
Of course, we want you to squeeze every last drop of value for your sports out of this public money by reaching all parts of the country and all sections of the community.
There are many examples of good practice but more needs to be done. Public money must demonstrably benefit all sections of the population.
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I am clear that this country needs more focus on developing girls’, women’s and disability sport.
Traditional structures and approaches have not served these groups well in the past. Too often they have been treated as an after-thought rather than a key part of any development strategy.
It is also a worry that my own department’s Taking Part survey shows that despite rising participation in sport overall, it is going in the opposite direction for BME groups.
And I am not yet satisfied that, particularly in disability sport, we are not going far enough to increase participation or indeed that we are showing sufficient ambition.
Should we be doing more? Do more NGBs need the confidence to adopt explicit targets on this?
Specifically, are sports doing enough to encourage participation by those with learning disabilities? We held a roundtable on this recently and felt that this is an area that has long been neglected.
Let me be clear. This not political correctness, nor box-ticking for the sake of it. It is about hard-wiring this determination to reach new audiences into everything we do, creating sports with a broad base and a genuine sport-for-all ethos.
That way we create in the long run successful sports with a national reach and sustainable supporter and fund-raising base. In short, it is enlightened self-interest.
Each sport’s long-term health, however, is not just about using public money well.
It is also about getting the right balance between money and sport overall.
Raising commercial income can drive sport development but it should never become an end in itself and overtake that primary objective, or threaten the integrity of the sport.
For many of the sports here today, commercial sponsorship is crucial; others are completely reliant on public investment as they build their capacity.
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I think the time has come for sport to ask these searching questions about money. How it spends it, how it is invested, and in some instances, how it is regulated.
Specifically, sport needs to consider the internal flow of finance within professional and be sure that it is supporting a healthy and vibrant competition at all levels. Is internal regulation and control right to ensure it does not damage reputational interests and integrity?
Secondly, is each sport investing enough commercial income in the grassroots? Or is too much going out of the top of the sport, disproportionately enriching individuals rather than the good of the game?
First, let me be clear: I’m not saying that money in sport is a bad thing. Invested wisely and with the right objectives, it can have transformative results.
Yes, money can bolster and strengthen sport, it can build new infrastructure, reward our sportsmen and women and help provide the very best in coaching. It can help drive participation and stimulate world class club competition at the highest level. But we should never allow it to threaten the integrity of our competitions.
Sport needs balance in competition to keep it vibrant.
The “dash for cash”, as some might call it, can have negative ripples throughout sport, from top to bottom. It can lead to real imbalances in professional structures – and, in extremis, can potentially alienate the viewing public.
Recent events have shown how there is real antipathy when money takes undue precedence over sporting values.
Sport is commercially attractive because it is an endeavour that promotes local and national pride.
But if people lose interest because of a lack of real competition – or because the sport’s values have been eroded – it can turn people away, and damage participation.
Part of the answer is good governance and regulation with rigour.
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Sport needs strong systems to ensure that commercial imperatives do not weaken competitions or the development of young talent.
Proper controls should be in place in order to guarantee that the money within professional sport is properly channelled and creates a sustainable climate for its long term growth.
There are many examples of sports that have taken the initiative on good governance. What can we learn from them and can this good practice be shared where appropriate?
How do we ensure money is being ploughed back in to boost capacity for future generations and to drive new participants and audiences from all backgrounds?
Any sport must be seen as a whole entity from top to bottom. An unhealthy or under-nourished layer at any level can damage its long-term health.
So, as well as regulating the flow of money within the professional game, sports need to work even harder to harness the benefits of commercial rights for the lower professional leagues and the grassroots. It is not just the job of public money to water the grassroots.
Firstly, what do we mean by “grassroots”? Is it possible to set out some common principles?
Secondly, is 5% re-investment enough for those sports with large TV contracts and huge commercial deals, or should this be a bare minimum?
Taking the long-term view on public and private income will help secure the long-term health, and commercial attractiveness, of each sport. It is about "Future Building" - expanding the supporter base and boosting participation.
We have established a platform of partnership, close working arrangements and challenging targets to create a healthy playing to win culture in sport with competitive opportunities for all.
We have the foundations in place to re-establish the UK as a world-leading sporting nation. But we must not be complacent.
We must establish firm guiding principles, and abide by them – overall, that money serves the cause of sport, not vice versa.
Getting this balance right is the only way for sports to ensure long-term commercial success. The public will keep watching if the competition is healthy and balanced, the values in sport are right, the competition is first and foremost about sport and new talent is bursting forth from the lower leagues and grassroots.
Get the balance wrong – when sport seems as if it is serving money – and people will start to turn off.
These are the challenges as we enter this new era but I have every confidence that we will solve them together.
We’ve achieved so much together – and, without exception, has taken huge strides forward with the vision in their Whole Sport Plan.
But let’s stay ahead of the game. These are challenging times. With the right plans, and the right values, sport will always prosper.
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