sportsmanagement.co.uk Issue 3 2018 Volume 22 @sportsmag Jennie Price Nigel Owens Reflecting on 11 years as The first openly gay rugby CEO of Sport England p28 referee talks about his journey to self acceptance p38 ON THE COVER Max Whitlock The five-time Olympic medallist launches his gymnastics programme for kids p8 Gamify your club: Your customers will love you for it! 0\]RQHLVDOHDGLQJZHDUDEOHDQGWHFKQRORJ\VROXWLRQGHVLJQHGDQGEXLOWIRUWKHȴWQHVVLQGXVWU\ 0\]RQHDPSOLȴHVWKHJURXSH[HUFLVHH[SHULHQFHDQGSURYLGHVYDOXDEOHGDWDIRUFOXEVZLWKEXLOWLQ FKDOOHQJHVSHUVRQDOJRDOVJDPLȴFDWLRQDQGDQRQOLQHVRFLDOFRPPXQLW\ %HQHȴWVRI0\]RQH Get results your customers can trust with 99.4%(.*DFFXUDF\ Connect to 3rd party equipment and other ZHDUDEOHGHYLFHVIRUPD[LPXPYHUVDWLOLW\ &XVWRPHUVFDQYLHZWKHLUH΍RUWLQUHDOWLPH RQWKHLUVPDUWSKRQHRURQFOXEWY Myzone allows customers to earn points, gain VWDWXVUDQNLQJVDQGFRPSHWHZLWKIULHQGV +HOS\RXUFRPPXQLW\ȵRXULVKZLWKLQDSS social features which allows engagement and PRWLYDWLRQRXWVLGHRIWKHFOXEHQYLURQPHQW Learn more at P\]RQHRUJ or LQIR#P\]RQHRUJ #P\]RQHPRYHV_P\]RQHPRYHV_P\]RQHFRPPXQLW\ EDITOR’S LETTER Life habits learned young The awful consequences of inactivity continue to shock and yet the solution is right under our noses – we must teach children self-care while they’re at school t the ukactive Summit recently, delegates heard that 120 amputations of feet and toes are carried out each week in the UK, as a result of type 2 We’re stuck in a rut in the way we deliver A diabetes caused by obesity. This shocking statistic is just the latest in a long line education, but it doesn’t have to be of indicators which show how far we’re straying from this way. We retain information more health. It also gives an insight into the brutal reality easily if it’s sandwiched with activity of the current situation. Also launched at the event was Generation Inactive 2, making kids more employable, the lack of balance in the new report on kids’ activity levels. It makes grim the curriculum is both contributing to the activity reading, with only 25 per cent of boys and 20 per crisis and failing to do anything to turn the tide. We’re cent of girls in England doing the recommended 60 stuck in a rut in the way we deliver education. minutes of activity each day, and less in the holidays. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We have the The government has our children pretty much all knowledge we need to change things for the better. day from the age of four to 16-23 and during those There’s exciting research which shows we learn and years, has the opportunity to teach them self-care retain information far more easily if it’s sandwiched and inspire them to a lifelong exercise habit. with physical activity. The physiological arousal helps Yet this is simply isn’t happening and we’re raising prime the brain for the intake of new information generations of broken kids with mental health issues and the encoding of that information into memories. and physical and health challenges which will lead to Kids would actually do better at school if they spent disease. We simply can’t go on like this. Something less time studying and did more activity, and yet we fundamental needs to change. just stick them behind a desk and then wonder why It isn’t even as though the academic side of they grow up to be sedentary adults. the education system – which seems to be a total It’s time to review the way this works and make a obsession – is preparing kids for the modern world and plan to include physical activity in schools in a way the workplace. Ask any recruiter who’s been working that builds a powerful base for a life of self care and for a few decades and they will tell you standards enhances academic achievement. of even the basics like grammar have plummeted in recent years. So while this focus on learning isn’t LIZ TERRY, EDITOR, SPORTS MANAGEMENT Choose how you read Sports Management magazine PRINT DIGITAL PDF ONLINE leisuresubs.net sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital sportsmanagement.co.uk/contents sportsmanagement.co.uk ISSUE 3 2018 3 READER SERVICES Subscriptions Denise Adams People profi les: +44 (0)1462 471930 Olympic gymnast Circulation manager Max Whitlock tells Michael Emmerson +44 (0)1462 471932 us about his new EDITORIAL TEAM kids programme Editor Liz Terry +44 (0)1462 431385 p8 Managing editor © DANNY © LAWSON/PA WIRE/PA IMAGES Steph Eaves +44 (0)1462 471934 News editor News and analysis: Tom Walker +44 (0)1462 471934 Liverpool FC’s £50m ADVERTISING TEAM academy; Women Advertising sales in Sport report; GPs Jan Williams +44 (0)1462 471909 urged to refer golf WEB TEAM Tim Nash +44 (0)1462 471917 p14 Michael Paramore +44 (0)1462 471926 Emma Harris +44 (0)1462 471921 free2cycle: Dean Fox CEO Eric Craig wants +44 (0)1462 471900 to help workers get Sport-kit.net Lauren Heath-Jones active by harnessing +44 (0)1462 471927 the commute DESIGN Sharon Hale +44 (0)1462 471924 p50 RESEARCH Joe Neary +44 (0)1462 431385 FINANCE Accessibility: Denise Adams +44 (0)1462 471930 Is your centre Rebekah Scott sending the right +44 (0)1462 471930 message to people Leisure Media with disabilities? Portmill House, Hitchin, Herts, SG5 1DJ, UK +44 (0)1462 431385 leisuremedia.com p60 fi [email protected] 4 ISSUE 3 2018 sportsmanagement.co.uk CONTENTS ISSUE 3 2018 08 PEOPLE Roger Black, Max Whitlock Jennie Price: and Ronaldinho The outgoing CEO NEWS & ANALYSIS of Sport England 14 27 ANDY REED looks back on 11 We need to learn from failure years in the role 28 JENNIE PRICE The Sport England CEO reflects p28 on her 11 years in the role TALKING POINT © TREVOR LEIGHTON TREVOR © 34 What advice would you give the new CEO of Sport England? Nigel Owens: 38 NIGEL OWENS The rugby union referee shares “Nobody should have IMAGES ARCHIVE/PA MATTHEWS/PA ANDREW © his journey to self-acceptance to choose between 42 NEWS REPORT living a lie and giving Dallas Cowboys’ new facility up their sport” 44 BE A GAME CHANGER The inspirational winners of p38 the #BeAGameChanger Awards 50 FREE2CYCLE CEO Eric Craig’s new take on a cycle-to-work scheme Mark Gannon: 56 MARK GANNON The CEO of UK Coaching on Getting more people building a network of coaches active by ensuring 60 ACCESSIBILITY there are plenty How operators can market of great coaches their centre to disabled guests 64 DUNCAN WOODALLUM The MD of SLC responds to our p56 feature on leisure contracts © SHUTTERSTOCK/WAVEBREAKMEDIA© 68 WALKING FOOTBALL The sport is gaining popularity among all types of people Walking Football: 72 UKSDN CONFERENCE Originally created Dr Chris Mackintosh reports on for older men, the the recent conference sport is reaching new 75 SUPPLIER SHOWCASE How Precor AMT helped a non- levels of popularity runner run seven marathons 76 PRODUCT INNOVATION p68 The latest innovations in sport 78 DIRECTORY sportsmanagement.co.uk ISSUE 3 2018 5 LETTERS HAVE YOUR SAY Have you got a view on the state of the sports sector? A topic you want to discuss? An opinion on an article featured in Sports Management? Write to us at: [email protected] New learn to swim standards are setting us up for failure read with interest the recent news in © SHUTTERSTOCK/MICROGEN © Sports Management about the new Learn to Swim standards introduced by the I European Swimming Federation. Ensuring children are all taught the same skills regardless of the country they live in is a step in the right direction and the ambition to get children to swim 200 meters in a recognisable stroke by the time they are 11 would be a dream come true. However, this objective in the new stand- ards raises more questions than answers. For the last decade, the ambition in the UK has been to get children to swim 25 metres by the time they’re 11. Currently, our success rate in relation to this target is just 45 per cent. How can we possibly increase this eight times without any acknowledgement of Ferré suggests that swimming the current challenge? If we were already lessons be made a compulsory achieving the 25-metre goal, raising the bar Ofsted requirement at this stage would make sense, however, my concern is that this new goal will set us up for failure if appropriate changes are not made. We’re also missing the details. How did the Overall, I am firmly in favour of these Federation arrive at 200 metres in the fi rst new standards and I applaud the European place? How will this be measured? Is there an To achieve the 200- Swimming Federation for its ambitious goal. accurate method for collecting and analysing metre goal, there needs I’d love to see all children learning to swim this data? What is the timescale for this goal? 200 meters by age 11, swimming confi dently To achieve this worthy objective, there needs to be a realistic and and ultimately embracing swimming as a to be a realistic and attainable plan in place. attainable plan in place form of fi tness. Achieving the goal will be a Finally, there needs to be greater challenge, but I support it wholeheartedly. transparency on how the 200 metre goal is infrequently throughout the year. This is not As soon as more details are available, I am going to be accomplished. Will there be a suffi cient to learn to swim 25 meters in a keenly interested in collaborating with the mandate to reduce the number of children in recognisable stroke, let alone 200. Perhaps European Swimming Federation to achieve a class to ensure more focused teaching? more budget needs to allocated to schools this important objective.