Last week the Observer hosted a live debate on its campaign to put sport at the top of the political agenda.
A panel comprising Richard Caborn (Sports Minister), Colin Moynihan (ex-Sports Minister), Trevor Brooking (the FA) and Olympic medallist James Cracknell gave their forthright views and took questions from the audience. (Read more at Observer Sport.)
Everybody who attended was given a form asking for their views – the question being: 'What's the one thing you would do to improve British sport?' Answers were restricted to about 50 words. This is what they said:
Sport access and encouragement should certainly begin in primary schools and the development of 'type neutral' sports coaching should be implemented forthwith. At the same time there needs to be a clearer link to the overall education strategy and that of health. It may be that a more prominent career structure/ framework is required. As a long time NHS worker I applaud the public health white paper recently put out by the Chief Medical Officer. The NHS is still too much a 'sickness' service and sport has a significant role to play, not least in the treatment of certain kinds of mental illness. Much more emphasis should go on encouraging GPs to seek sport/ fitness regimes as credible alternatives to drugs or other interventional treatments. ML Boden
A major structural difficulty is that there are THREE Ministers for of Sport in Britain - [and three budgets; three Health Ministers; three Education Ministers] not necessarily of the same political persuasion or having the same priorities. The structural challenge - as challenging as the 400-plus governing bodies - is to get those three political institutions working together on one strategy for Sport for Britain. Otherwise, the alternative is for England, Scotland and Wales to compete separately in the Olympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games and World Cups . Separate policies, budgets, and priorities for London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff will not help to improve British sport generally. An employee at a national governing body
The attitude towards sport by the nation as a whole needs to be addressed. Take, as an example, the England women's basketball team, who have made great progress since 1987, when they first competed. From this September, seven of the 12 players will be in America on scholarships, where they will all be studying for a degree as well as being treated as professional athletes. This would not be the case if they went to university in England. Their academic studies will be tailored to fit in with their playing and training. Again, this would not happen in England. Chris Prior
We need greater recognition of the commercial sector's role in funding of grassroots sport and more monetary support from government for schemes which stimulate and encourage that investment. If the delivery of sport at club and community level becomes more effective and better promoted, businesses will be attracted to provide much needed support. Mike Reynolds Director Sportsmatch
The first change I would make would be to introduce a 'one-stop-shop' capable of delivering funding and policy directly from the Minister to the national governing bodies of sport. This would cut beaurocracy and radically simplify funding streams. Hugh Robertson Con, shadow sports minister
The creation of the opportunity to choose the pursuit of physical literacy must become a mandatory task for Local Government. John Hadley Company Administrator,London Youth Games
We need to be talking about youth crime, educational attainment, health and fitness, preventive medicine and above all integrated and harmonious communities.The head of the Met would have been a more relevant speaker needed at your debate. As long as the debate is framed in terms of sport we will always be on the margins. The debate needs to be about reviving our communities and how sport can be instrumental in this. If the governing bodies were capable of developing community programmes they would have done it by now.All they really want is bigger handouts from government in order to preserve their little empires. They have no enthusiasm for the agenda of social inclusion. This lot have been mismanaging community sport for years so why are they suddenly going to change now? Jon Kaufman Teacher and volunteer manager of London Progress Table Tennis Club
Three ideas: 1) Make sport part of the government's criteria against which schools are assessed, in addition to exam results; 2) Work with the media to encourage positive sporting role models, particularly women; 3) Encourage business to acknowledge the contribution made by staff to sport, in bursaries, paid leave and so on. Many thanks for a thought-provoking evening. Rona Hunnisett Head of PR, England Netball
Raise the profile of sport in primary schools. Make sport compulsory every day. Provide better facilities and staffing for greater participation in organised sports and games from a younger age. Enthuse the children to find their chosen activities so that they will want to continue for life. Tim Herbert Brighton Sports teacher and primary schools football organiser
The Government's programme to invest in 'Schools for the Future' could have featured a requirement for a minimum range of sporting facilities to be incorporated as a condition of any investment. Facilities would be available out of school hours for local clubs who would be involved in the management of the facility – and this could form the backbone of any future strategy and be developed over a five- to 15-year programme. Anne Lippitt Friern Barnet London N11
I would improve sport by making regular, life-long sport participation a HABIT, not a pastime. Start the habit in schools by raising awareness of the BENEFITS of regular sport. Continue the habit by LINKING schools to local sports clubs. Through public pressure, shock the Government into providing MORE RESOURCE FUNDING for sport. The achievements of the Jamie Oliver 'School Dinners' programme in exposing the poor situation of food in schools and through public pressure, shocking the government into finding £280m, is a good example of what might be achieved. Perhaps James Cracknell could star in a "School Sports" programme. Grant Page Wincanton Tennis Club & Wincanton Sports Ground, Somerset
A plea to the new Government: Stop knocking the Governing Bodies. They are the delivery mechanism for competition, coaches, participation and our future champions. Through their affiliated clubs they are the link into schools and communities. Government must move away from an over-emphasis on funding today's stars, at the expensive of tomorrow's potential. Lord Moynihan
The two most fundamental principles are to increase government funding of sport and to enhance its status within the structure of government. To this end we must: 1) Match or better the French investment in sport of £110 per head against Britain's £21. 2) Merge the position of Minister of Sport and the Secretary of State, thereby raising one person to senior Cabinet status. He or she would be able to raise the profile and status of sport within government. The foregoing would complement the billions of hours put in by voluntary workers, who are the grassroots of British sport, as well as improving the health of the nation. Maurice F Oldroyd Chair, British Amateur Rugby League Association
Cut the crap! Structure is a mess - Government funding gets delayed or eaten up by bureaucracy. Invest in community sport through the simplest mechanism---> National Governing bodies should be empowered to fund a support schools, clubs and athletes.
Simon Taylor Independent Sports Review
