Report to: Culture & Leisure Executive 11 March 2004

Report by: City Leisure Officer

GREAT SOUTH RUN

Purpose

1. The purpose of the report is to outline proposals from the race promoters for an expansion of this major event and to recommend the way forward.

Recommendations

2. It is recommended that:

(a) The long-term vision for the Great South Run is accepted;

(b) Subject to satisfactory negotiations with major partners that the city council supports the expansion of the Great South Run.

Background

3. The Great South Run (GSR) is one of the series of ‘Great Runs’ in the UK alongside such as Great North Run (GNR), Great Manchester Run, Great Caledonian Run and Great Ireland Run. The runs started in the North East of England in 1981 with the GSR arriving in Portsmouth in 1991.

4. Since then, the Portsmouth event has risen from 3,000 adult runners and 192 junior and mini athletes to 12,500 and 1700, respectively.

5. It is a highly-regarded event by the organisers (NOVA International), the sponsors (BUPA) but, more importantly, by the athletes themselves who recently voted the event the second most popular race in the UK, just being pipped by the London Marathon, but beating GNR into 4th place. This is quite an accolade and credit must go to the city council’s events team (managed by the Leisure Service Department, but working with other departments, eg, City Engineers, Economic Development & Tourism). The criteria involved in the assessment of the race included – organisation, course, location and ambience of event. It is regarded as the best 10-mile road event in the UK.

6. Athletes come from a wide geographical area – from Aberdeen to Bath, Bradford to Cambridge, Belfast to Bournemouth. 12.5% of entrants come from the city, with a further 12% coming from other PO post codes; 17% from the GOSE/SEEDA area and the rest from well beyond the city’s boundaries. Given this range it is clear that the event has the potential to be one of national significance eventually earning the right to ‘live’ terrestrial television as does the GNR (47,000 + athletes) and London Marathon (46,000 athletes). 7. The GSR has now reached a watershed and the organisers believe that we must, with them, decide whether the event really ‘takes off’ and gains a much greater national profile, whilst encouraging increased local participation, or, alternatively perhaps over time, declines in popularity.

8. It is proposed to adopt the former approach as it is believed that this event can play a significant and growing role in promoting the area as a whole, and the city, in particular, of generating visitor numbers on the back of it and, certainly, encourage thousands more of all ages to participate in an event which will improve their general health.

9. Participation in healthy physical activity is rising steadily in the national agenda, linked to concerns over cardiac health and obesity. The GSR can be a major force for good here, involving activity throughout the year in training for the ‘big day’.

Vision

10 The event’s growth potential will make it a year-round project with increased

• entries • TV coverage • profile • credibility • marketing

Such a vision would see the adult entries increase to double the present levels: eventually, this would have implications for the race route.

11. All this would be predicated on the following vision:

(a) To be the largest and most prestigious 10-mile running event in the world, with a professional infrastructure to support it.

(b) An event to rival the GNR and the Manchester event.

(c) Enhanced national and international TV coverage.

(d) A weekend sporting festival for Portsmouth and the South of England, including the likes of a pre-event pasta party and expo event.

(f) More strength-in-depth within elite fields.

(g) Stand-alone junior events with Music Festival on the Saturday

(h) Computer chip timing on athletes’ shoes allowing fully accurate race times for all – a “state of the art” event.

(i) Increasing number of entrants who require overnight(s) stay: increasing spend in the city.

2 12. The city council, at a meeting in November 2003, passed a resolution to make contact with the London 2012 Olympic bid. Although this was primarily an offer to stage the sailing and football events in Portsmouth, there was also a request to offer the city as a venue for training camps for many national teams, which would be required eventually as part of a successful bid (known by July 2005). As a result, the Leader of the council and the Executive Member, with officers, have been invited to meet with the Director of Sport for the bid to look at these possibilities. They are interested too in events / sports development initiatives, which raise the profile of the Games and then contribute to any ‘legacy’ after the London Games. Having a track record of delivering major events like the Tour de France / GSR has impressed them.

13. To turn the event into one with a significantly larger profile, bringing with it the increased visitor spend, and also the health benefits, requires increased resources. For example, in order to encourage coverage by ‘live’ television, there is a need to increase the number of top class athletes (that is what TV really wants). This, in turn, results in increased entries, both youngsters and adults, which, in turn again, enables more top class athletes to be encouraged to enter. This is clearly not a one-year strategy but one which must be promoted over the next 3 – 5 years.

14. Currently, the overall budget is c £420,000 of which the city’s contribution is around £65,000. The promoters, NOVA, take the major risk raising income from entry fees, sponsorship (BUPA) and from other concessions.

15. They are now seeking an increased contribution of some £100,000 to take the event budget to nearer £520,000: this will make a significant contribution towards the realisation of the vision by:

(a) Increasing elite fields and therefore television coverage (initially recorded programmes, rather than ‘live’);

(b) Computer chipping of athletes;

(c) Increasing the Junior event by staging a children’s ‘festival’ on the Saturday.

16. A meeting was held recently with NOVA when an invitation was extended also to SEEDA and Sport England, both of whom have an interest in increasing participation in physical activity, and raising the profile of the area through sporting events.

17. Both expressed serious interest in ‘partnering’ the city council. During April 2004, Sport England will publish its Regional Plan for Sport and the role of major events will feature prominently. SEEDA is supporting the South East Hampshire Area Investment Framework (A.I.F.) which, as part of the section on improving the area’s cultural Infrastructure, supports the staging of events and festivals.

3 18. Negotiations are underway with those bodies to finalise their financial contributions, but I am confident that at least 75% to 80% of the required sum can be found from key external partners.

19. The potential shortfall of £20,000 - £25,000 would need to be found locally, either from local sponsorship, or other partners (like PCT) or the city council. We are exploring such possibilities including income generation from concessions granted over the 2-day festival of sport. Any additional city council contribution would be contained within existing cash limits.

20. In addition, a body called Health Active Ltd based at Newcastle College in the north east of England, would like to introduce a distance learning programme at GSR, having had some 10,000 clients participating each year in GNR. It is a lifestyle awareness course where the participants are given advice on exercise and diet, keep a training log and receive accreditation at the end of the course – and then run in the event. It is free to those participating (paid for by Learning and Skills Council). We hope to have 1500 involved with the company, linking with Highbury College. Here we have an important education facet within the event.

Evaluation of Benefits

21. The growth of the event indicates its popularity – the runners’ poll ranking it the 2nd most popular road race is further evidence of its potential for further growth. Given that there is a great percentage of runners who travel several hundreds of miles to participate (eg, from Aberdeen), and therefore stay overnight, the economic benefits to the city are quite substantial. However, it is recognised that this outcome-based evidence needs to be marshalled in a more robust fashion and, in future, it is intended to undertake surveys to include the following:

(a) The health benefits for the participants – young and old.

(b) Media analysis – to show how the event promotes the region, and also the city.

(c) The direct economic benefits to the city from runners staying overnight in hotels, etc and visiting restaurants and attractions.

(d) The ‘feel good’ factor of the city’s residents: what the event does for them.

(e) The views of the promoters, sponsors and partners.

One likely source for this will be the 1500 or so who will be taking part in the Health Active Ltd programme.

22. An early decision is required to allow sufficient time for planning and promotion.

4 Proposal

22. Subject to satisfactory agreements with the range of partners indicated above, it is proposed that the city council accepts the long-term vision set out in paragraph 11, ensuring that the Great South Run eventually becomes the most prestigious 10-mile running event in the world.

23. There is a Sport England Regional Sports Board meeting on 4 March attended by City Leisure Officer. An oral report on that meeting can be given at the Executive meeting.

…………………………………………….. David J Knight City Leisure Officer

Background Papers

Statistics re Great South Run, Leisure Service office

The recommendations set out above were approved / approved as amended / deferred / rejected by the Executive Member on 11 March 2004.

…………………………………………………. Cllr Terry Hall Executive Member for Culture & Leisure

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