The TLR January update; dateline 7 January 2013
Linkedin links up coaching advocates
It might not be the Arab Spring but an esoteric discussion on an obscure Linkedin group has sparked what might become a major shift in the way coaches and coaching are perceived in the UK. When Andy Gair, a consultant and coach with a CV boasting spells in the coaching departments of national governing bodies, county sport partnerships and Sports Coach UK itself, posed the question “Does the UK need an association for coaches?” he did not expect to find himself in a meeting debating how best to form a national coaches’ association but that is what happened. “The question sparked a passionate debate,” explained Gair. “Then someone asked whether ‘we’ were prepared to stop talking and start doing. The upshot was an exploratory meeting outside Leeds with coaches and others from across the north of England just after Christmas. Given the short notice and time of year, I was pleased to see anyone there at all but, with apologies from a number of keen individuals, I think we can honestly say we have a group of people from all corners of the coaching world, who want to secure a voice for coaches.” Coaches, coach educators and coach deployers who want to know more should contact Gair on andy.gair@apexslm.com
SRA stretch political point
It appears that the Sport and Recreation Alliance has submitted a response to the government's Key Stage 4 consultation and suggested that they do so on behalf of the sport and recreation sector. Whether anyone else in the sector would agree that the proposed English baccalaureate certificate, or Ebacc, will derail Team GB’s drive for Olympic glory is moot but its definitely what Andy Reed, now complete with an OBE, is claiming while simultaneously trying to align sport with the arts, which are also not to be a core subject. “The failure to place PE alongside subjects like languages and humanities will compound the worrying decline in the number of teenagers studying PE at Key Stage 4 and beyond,” he said. It seems that over the last four years the number of pupils taking PE at GCSE level has dropped by a third and, according to Reed, “To ensure that we do not marginalise sport and creative subjects, we believe they must be included as a sixth pillar of the new Ebacc qualification, in addition to the five core subject areas proposed by the government.” Reed seems unmoved by the argument that PE lessons actually put people off sport but then he has a constituency to placate.
Edition number 67; dateline 10 December 2012
Coaching Insight series continues into 2013
The Leisure Review’s Coaching Insight series, which began in the summer of 2010 and is increasingly recognised as the source of some of the most innovative and effective professional development for coaches, will continue into the New Year with confirmed seminars in Manchester on 17 January and Nottingham on 28 February, along with plans for a Derby event early in the year and a seminar in Winchester in March. Breaking new ground, the principal partner for the first of the 2013 series is the University of Manchester rather than a county sports partnership. The evening event has been crafted on the esoteric theme: “Think like a duck: understanding where your athletes are coming from”, while the Nottingham seminar, also in the evening, will focus on delivering inspiration. Details as they become available will be posted on TLR’s Coaching Insight page.
Aquatic apprenticeship aspirations
The Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) has announced a new partnership with ICON Training, which will see ICON deliver government-funded apprenticeships that exclusively incorporate STA’s swimming teaching qualifications including a Level 2 Aquatics training package. Both organisations hope the apprentice scheme will help to address the shortage of aquatic personnel in the UK leisure industry in a way that is not only cost-effective but also ensures that these potential leaders of the future have the basic practical skills and theory they need to help them start developing their career paths. Andy Dent, head of operations at ICON, explained: “In the leisure industry, there is a real need for aquatics apprenticeship training to bridge staff shortages and because of the huge benefits they provide.” Roger Millward, CEO of STA, concurred, saying that leisure employers are relying on quality apprenticeships more than ever as a way of reducing staff turnover, plugging skills gaps and talent-spotting young professionals.
Franchise award win for Water Babies
Water Babies, the leading baby swimming company and long-term supporter of The Leisure Review, were among the winners at the 2012 Best Franchise Awards. Water Babies was named best mid-sized franchisor and was also short listed for best franchise system. Water Babies managing director Steve Franks was delighted to receive the award. “As an organisation the single most important driver in our success is people,” he said, “and our ability to be the best that we can be is fundamentally underpinned by a core cultural belief that our people can do extraordinary things and very often do, thereby ensuring we continue to learn, develop and evolve as a dynamic and progressively thinking organisation. This award is a significant milestone in the history and story of our company’s journey in the pursuit of excellence.” Water Babies is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary and now teaches over 32,000 babies to swim each week across the UK, Ireland and Australia.
Post-Games reverie gains Bomentum
With the National Audit Office report on the London Olympics and Paralympics declaring that the Games were £9 billion of public money well spent, the mayor of London Boris Johnson was quick to join the list of names pinned to this particular bandwagon, albeit a bandwagon laden with caveats regarding the long-term legacy aspirations and new interpretations of the phrase ‘under budget’. “The overwhelming success of the 2012 Games, from our unfaltering transport system to the enthusiasm of our army of volunteers, is undeniable,” Johnson said. “We delivered the best Games ever on time and considerably under budget. The doomsters and Olymposceptics have been confounded yet again. This report puts into black and white the scale of the achievement in organising such a successful festival of sport, and pays tribute to the many different players who helped make the Games the greatest show on earth. I’m determined to build on this momentum to create a lasting legacy which benefits Londoners for generations and provides a blueprint for future host cities to follow.”
Read the National Audit Office report for yourself at:
www.nao.org.uk
New gym development for the Fens
Fenland District Council, Chatteris Town Council and the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) team at Cambridgeshire County Council are to join forces to build a brand new £2.45-million leisure facility on the playing fields of Cromwell Community College in Chatteris.
Safe as necessary, says RoSPA
Launching a new partnership with health and safety and quality management specialist Right Directions, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has explained its approach to safety within the leisure environment. David Rushton, RoSPA’s head of education and leisure, said, “RoSPA believes that accessible sport and physical activity is important for quality of life for people of all ages and should be as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible. Quality and well-managed safety arrangements, which do not detract from the participant’s experience of an activity, go hand in hand.” The new partnership between RoSPA and Right Directions will see the two organisations working together to produce improved accident and incident information within the leisure sector for benchmarking and research purposes, as well as collaborating on policy, industry initiatives, training programmes and campaigns.
Brighton Festival announces Michael Rosen for 2013
Brighton Festival has announced that the 2013 guest director is the celebrated poet, writer, broadcaster and previous children’s laureate Michael Rosen. Brighton Festival – “three weeks of unrivalled arts celebration across the city of Brighton and Hove” – will take place from 4 – 26 May 2013. Full programme details will be announced on Wednesday 27 February 2013 and you can find them online at brightonfestival.org
A long-term relationship continues
The Leisure Review is overjoyed to be able to announce the continuation of the magazine’s premium partnership with STA, one of the world’s largest swim teaching and lifesaving organisation, into its third year. Also welcoming the deal, Theo Millward, head of IT and marketing at STA, said: “STA is thrilled to extend its partnership with The Leisure Review for 2013. The Leisure Review provides a credible and independent voice for the industry, and also provides a great platform for STA, the UK’s leading authority on swimming teaching, lifesaving and pool plant management, to share and disseminate its expertise to key decision-makers.”
News in brief
Staccato reports from the cultural typeface
Monday 26 November
The short list for the BBC’s sports personality of the year award is unveiled with appropriate ceremony; there are Olympians and, unlike last year, some women. The National Portrait Gallery has acquired a portrait of Amy Winehouse by Marlene Dumas, while the Pennine Tower Restaurant on the M6 between junctions 32 and 33 has been listed by English Heritage as part of the heritage of motoring’s “golden age”. Performing in Beijing, Elton John dedicates the show to his friend Ai Weiwei, apparently causing a visible wave of unease through the audience. The Leica camera used by David Douglas Duncan to take many pictures of his friend Pablo Picasso has been sold for £1.4 million.
Tuesday 27 November
Stella McCartney, the designer who put a belt on a tracksuit, is honoured at the British Fashion Awards as designer of the year. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence publishes a report recommending active travel – essentially walking and cycling – as a focal point in tackling the obesity epidemic; local authorities, schools and workplaces are urged to do their bit to make people active. The Southbank Centre announces a year-long music festival, The Rest is Noise, and work starts on removing the seating pods from the Olympic aquatics centre. The British Library is sending the Cyrus cylinder out on loan for the first time, while another British-owned export, James Bond, is credited with rescuing Pinewood Shepperton studios. On the rugby pitch, England’s women beat New Zealand again to take the three-match series, their second series win in succession against the Black Ferns. Ben Ainslie says that he won’t be competing in the next Olympics, preferring instead to focus on the America’s Cup, a move that some suggest could see him recognised as the best sailor since Drake, if not of all time.
Wednesday 28 November
It’s Celeb Central in New Zealand as stars head for the premiere of The Hobbit. The home secretary, Theresa May (we all know that), announces that legislation will be introduced for a minimum price per unit for alcohol. Noted equalities campaigner Herman Ousley says that the Equality Commission has failed and would not be missed if it were to disappear. Demonstrating the bizarre effect that a tenancy at the DCMS seems to have upon the mental faculties of politicians, Jeremy Hunt says how much he admires Nadine Dorries for going on I’m a Desperate Celebrity and how we should “treasure” such characters in parliament. And to prove the point, step forward the current culture incumbent (you should know this), who takes issue with Sir Nicholas Hytner’s condemnation of government attitudes to the arts; Hytner’s criticisms are dismissed as outrageous (it’s Maria Miller) given that the government funds the arts and culture to the tune of £3 billion, even though it doesn’t (the current culture secretary’s £3 billion figure seems to include lottery money, rather undermining her point, according to some commentators). England’s men’s cricket team is to have two coaches; Ashley Giles is to take over the helm of the one-day side, leaving Andy Flower to focus on the Test side. On the eve of the Leveson Report Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert explains his concept of integrity to journalists: “If I was going to lie to you, honestly, I would lie. I ain’t lying.” Meanwhile West Ham are said to be favourites to be named as tenants at the Olympic stadium, bringing the established oafish values of football and the Hammers’ own brand of racism and thuggery to sully the magical memories of the Olympic Park; well done everyone involved.
