Uneasy Bedfellows: Amateurism and Coaching Traditions in Twentieth Century British Sport
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Uneasy Bedfellows: Amateurism and Coaching Traditions in Twentieth Century British Sport Tegan Laura Carpenter A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Manchester Metropolitan University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2012 Tegan Carpenter July 2012 If you do well in sport and you train, ‘good show’, but if you do well in sport and you don’t train, ‘bloody good show’. Geoffrey Dyson, 1970 Tegan Carpenter July 2012 Dedication This thesis is proudly dedicated to my parents, Lynne and John, my two brothers, Dan and Will and my best friend, Steve - Thank you for always believing in me. Tegan Carpenter July 2012 Acknowledgments This thesis would not have been possible without the continued support of family, friends and colleagues. While I am unable to acknowledge you all individually - I will be forever indebted to you. To my supervisor, Dr Dave Day - I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had such an attentive and committed mentor. Someone who transformed the trudge of a PhD into an enjoyable journey, and because of this, I would not hesitate accepting the opportunity again (even after knowing the level of commitment required!). Thank you for never losing faith in me and for your constant support and patience along the way. I would also like to thank Dr Neil Carter and Professor Martin Hewitt for their comments and advice. Special thanks to Sam for being the best office buddy and allowing me to vent whenever necessary! To Margaret and the interviewees of this study – thank you for your input and donating your time. Finally I would like to extend my thanks to my immediate family. My parents for their continued support and the sacrifices (mostly financial!) that they have made over the years to ensure I achieved my ultimate goal, without them, I’m certain I wouldn’t have reached this point. To my brothers - Dan, for your continued support and the reading of endless drafts which I have thrown your way during my academic career, and Will, for keeping me young at heart and never letting me lose sight of the important things in life. Steve, not only for the endless cups of tea and coffee (!) but also for the unfaltering optimism and encouragement you have offered me over the past three years. Tegan Carpenter July 2012 Uneasy Bedfellows: Amateurism and Coaching Traditions in Twentieth Century British Sport Abstract Amateurism acted as the guiding principle for the many sporting clubs and governing bodies that were created and developed by the late Victorian middle-classes. While some forms of coaching and training were tolerated, many organisations, such as the Amateur Rowing Association, expressed a preference for amateur honorary coaches rather than professionals. Through the use of archival material, oral history interviews, and ongoing case studies in athletics and swimming, this thesis traces the trajectory of the less than harmonious relationship between amateurism and professional coaching in Britain throughout the twentieth century. In the pre and interwar period, a number of proposals for coaching schemes emerged, especially after poor Olympic performances, but continuing resistance within the amateur establishment meant that these initiatives were uncoordinated and experienced short life-spans. Even in the post-war period, characterised by an increasing number of centralised coaching schemes and the appointment of national coaches, amateur officials sought to maintain strict control over their appointments. A reluctance to accept advice from professional coaches, coupled with a struggling economy and a government determined to remain distant from sport, contributed to a further decline in international sporting performance. British athletes had long proved unable to compete with the Americans and the emergence of another sporting superpower at the 1952 Olympics, the Soviet Union, finally prompted a number of responses, including the 1960 Wolfenden Report. The government subsequently took a more active role in sport, resulting in an inevitable shift towards greater specialisation as centralised funding became inextricably linked with targets and results. Although this encouraged a more widespread utilisation of professional coaches and improved the integration of sports science, the ethos of amateurism proved far- reaching, even at elite levels. The evidence suggests that, while it is no longer considered a guiding principle, its legacy continues to impact on the working lives of many British coaches. Keywords: Amateurism; Coaching; Training; Swimming; Athletics; Geoffrey Dyson; Sports Science. Tegan Carpenter July 2012 Uneasy Bedfellows: Amateurism and Coaching Traditions in Twentieth Century British Sport Introduction 1-2 Overview 3-7 Themes 7-16 Amateurism 17 Outline Chapter One: London and Stockholm – British Olympic Performances and Ad-Hoc Coaching Developments 18-21 The Evolution of the Olympics 21-24 Creation of the British Olympic Association Early Olympic Games- British Perception 24-31 1908 London Games and Aftermath 31-37 1912 Stockholm Games and its Influence Chapter Two: Interwar Sport and the Formation of Early Coaching and Training Schemes 38-43 Interwar Period 43-44 Interwar Athletics Coaching Scheme 44-46 1936 Berlin Games Coaching Schemes – Post-1937 47-51 Athletics 51-57 Swimming Chapter Three: British Sporting Decline and Post-War Coaching Developments 58-66 Post-War Context Post-1945 Coaching Scheme Developments 66-70 Athletics 70-76 Swimming Chapter Four: 1948 London Games and ‘The Father’ of British Coaching 77-84 1948 London Games Post-Olympic Games Coaching Developments 84-86 Athletics 86-93 Geoff Dyson: ‘The Father’ of British Coaching 93-96 Swimming Chapter Five: ‘Shamateurism’ and Sports Science: An Exploration of the Soviet Sporting Model Soviet Sport Organisation 98-102 Pre-WWII 102-107 Post-WWII 107-108 The Soviet Union and the Olympic Games 108-112 Western reactions to Soviet Success Tegan Carpenter July 2012 112-117 Components of Soviet Success 117-120 Key Factors Chapter Six: Soviet Influence on British Sport 121-125 Helsinki and Melbourne from a British Perspective Post-Melbourne Coaching Scheme Developments 125-133 Swimming 133-140 Athletics 140-142 Britain in the World of Sport 142-153 The Wolfenden Report and its Impact Chapter Seven: Government Intervention and the NGBs Battle for Autonomy 154-156 1965 Advisory Sports Council 156-161 How Coaching Was Valued 161-170 1972 Executive Sports Council and Modern Developments Chapter Eight: Emergence of Sports Science and Medicine in British Sport 171-172 Early Forms of Sport Science 172-173 Relationship between Early Sports Science and Coaches 174-177 Interwar Developments 177-182 Development of Sports Medicine 182-189 1965 Altitude Research and British Sport Chapter Nine: Institutionalisation of Sports Science in the British Post-War Period Use of Science in Swimming and Athletics in Post-War Britain 190-197 Science, Coaches and Swimming at Loughborough 197-200 The Amateur Athletic Association and the Incorporation of Science 200-203 Formalisation of Sports Science in Britain 204-207 Resistance to Sports Science 207-209 Improved and Future Integration of Sports Science Conclusion 210-214 Concluding Comments 214 Limitations and Future Research 214-217 Amateur Legacy Appendix A: Short Biographies of Oral History Interviewees 218-219 Bibliography 220-236 Tegan Carpenter July 2012 Abbreviations AAA Amateur Athletic Association AAC Athletes’ Advisory Club ASA Amateur Swimming Association ASC Advisory Sports Council BAAB British Amateur Athletic Board BANC British Association of National Coaches BASES British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences BASM British Association of Sport and Medicine BASS British Association of Sport Science BOA British Olympic Association BOC British Olympic Council CCPR Central Council of Physical Recreation CCPRT Central Council of Recreative Physical Training ESC Executive Sports Council FIMS Fédération Internationale de Médecine du Sport GB Great Britain IAAF International Association of Athletics Federation IAC International Athletes Club IOC International Olympic Committee ISF International Sporting Federation KAR King’s African Rifles LTAD Long Term Athlete Development MMU Manchester Metropolitan University NCF National Coaching Foundation NFC National Fitness Council NGB National Governing Body NOC National Olympic Committee NSMI National Sports Medicine Institute NTO National Technical Officer OUAC Oxford University Athletic Club REF Research Excellence Framework SDC Sports Development Council SSEP Sports Science Education Programme SSSP Sports Science Support Programme USA United States of America Tegan Carpenter July 2012 Introduction At the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, the British team successfully achieved a total of forty-seven medals, of which nineteen were gold. However, previous British performances at the Olympics have not always been so successful. Despite competing in every Games since its inception in 1896 this was the highest medal tally ever achieved, apart from that of the 1908 London Games. This result was not a lucky coincidence; it was achieved through a carefully planned and well-resourced professional system which integrated several different aspects of athlete development. Sports science and medicine, intensive training centres, full-time professional coaches and greater funding availability for athletes all created an environment which allowed full time training and preparation using the best facilities. However, this shift towards