Edition number 73; dateline 4 June 2013
Parkinson’s tournament honours England star
A group of Danish people with Parkinson’s (or PwPs) have created a football tournament named in honour of former England star Ray Kennedy and are looking forward to welcoming participants from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and England to Copenhagen on 22 June. The tournament is the brainchild of physiotherapist Finn Egeberg Nielsen who realised that the movements required in football were very similar to the ones that he asked his Parkinson’s patients to perform. The Ray Kennedy Cup has been named for the Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s at the end of his playing career and eventually forced to retire in 1984, aged 32. It is widely acknowledged that keeping active helps combat the progression of Parkinson’s but organisers believe the event will have benefits beyond this by creating a sociable, fun environment for the players to enjoy. Heino Jespersen, of the Danish Parkinson’s Association (Parkinsonforeningen) is enthusiastic: “Exercise really works as medicine. The movements required in football – which develop balance and co-ordination – are great for PwPs. I'm sure that football and exercise can alleviate the burden of the disease. This tournament shows that a Parkinson’s diagnosis is not the end of physical activity or the end of life. We are fighting back by moving forward together.”
STA and UBM pool resources in LIW deal
The STA will be centre stage at Leisure Industry Week (LIW) this year thanks to a newly announced three-year partnership with UBM, the show’s owners, which will see the aquatics governing body hosting the STA Swim Zone within the exhibition. The zone will showcase a range of exciting events and visitors will be able to see swimming, lifesaving and pool plant demonstrations live as well as hear from some of the UK’s leading suppliers of aquatic services and products. Theo Millward, STA’s operations director, told The Leisure Review: “LIW is the industry’s biggest show so we are thrilled to be able to partner with the show organisers. The interactivity of the STA Swim Zone will add a real buzz to the pool and spa zone offer at LIW as well as provide visitors with ideas on they can further maximise their pool space and increase revenue.”
Active transport: the fast track to better living
The Environmental Policy Forum (EPF), a network of UK environmental professional bodies promoting environmental sustainability and resilience for the public benefit and representing around 40,000 environmental professionals, has written to Patrick McLoughlin, the secretary of state for transport, urging him, and by inference the government, to share its members’ vision of “natural and built environments that benefit both people and diverse ecosystems as a result of switching to active transport – cycling and walking”. The letter goes on to offer a number of strategic actions underpinned by the assertion that “cycling and walking are everyday activities that enhance and complement the built and living environments”.
Manchester Coaching Insight confirmed
The Leisure Review in partnership with the University of Manchester, Sport Cheshire and GreaterSport will be holding the latest in its highly regarded Coaching Insight series of seminars on 11 September at the university’s Armitage site. The theme of the evening, Coaching young adults: the Gen Y conundrum, will be explored by the Rugby Football League’s B-J Mather and StreetGames’ Justyn Price; facilitator David Haskins will also mediate a discussion with a panel of the university’s coaching workforce. The seminar will challenge developed and developing coaches alike. Those wanting to book places should go through their local county sports partnership.
Walking, talking volunteers wanted
Over the next year the Ramblers will be starting a conversation across Britain which will inform their strategic vision for the next 5-10 years. It seems they are not picky about who they talk to – “We want to stimulate conversations with members, non-members, walkers, people that enjoy the outdoors, the young and old”, they say – and so the search is on for a small team of volunteers to be called their ‘Walk 'n' Talk’ team. Successful applicants will be expected to start conversations with people who have an interest in walking at various locations, follow a set of conversation guidelines to allow the gathering of useful information and record the information in an agreed format. Volunteers will receive training and expenses but there is no mention of a branded anorak in the advertisement.
Seamless transition at fitness giant
Industry veteran Rob Barker has been named as the new Precor president following the announcement that long-standing incumbent, Paul Byrne, will retire on 1 September. Byrne, who has been with Precor for 28 years and is hailed as being one of the most recognised and respected executives in the fitness industry began his career as the co-founder of Concept 90, which helped introduce the concept of specialty fitness retail in the United States. In 1985 Byrne joined the then fledgling Precor and in 2000 took the helm as president. Upon Byrne’s recommendation, Barker was unanimously approved as the new president by the Amer Sports board of directors and Heikki Takala, their president and CEO, who said: “I’m really glad that we have been able to internally grow a professional like Rob to assume Paul’s role. Rob’s many years of experience with Precor has given him the skills to succeed in the new position.”
Rochdale sing Academy’s praises
The STA Swim Academy, which first launched in Shropshire in 2011 and is now helping to raise swim teaching standards across the country, has achieved further success after figures in Rochdale revealed a huge increase in enrolments and income. The Link4Life Swim Academy, which operates at Middleton Arena, Heywood Sports Village and Rochdale Leisure Centre, was launched in May 2012 after the Rochdale-wide trust saw the impressive achievements STA had achieved in Shropshire. Twelve months on, the Link4Life Swim Academy has seen enrolments increase by 24% and revenue all but doubled. John Matson, business development manager for Link4Life, said: “We are really pleased with the success of the programme. With STA we are providing high-quality swimming lessons which offer more fun and more progression for more children.”
CIMSPA still “viable” despite revenue funding
The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) has told The Leisure Review that it remains “financially viable” despite requiring financial support totalling almost £100,000 from Sport England. Grants of £86,250 and £13,500 were made by Sport England to CIMSPA on 14 December 2012 and 7 January 2013 respectively and appear on the list of grants made by Sport England under the budget heading “Whole Sport Plan”. Responding to an enquiry from The Leisure Review, CIMSPA stated, “The money was given to CIMSPA as an exchequer grant to help support the Institute in the short term, while helping it to evaluate potential options to achieve its long-term sustainability.” Asked whether the Institute now has a viable business plan that will enable it to operate without additional public subsidy, CIMSPA’s written response explained, “The Institute has always had a viable business plan in place and as a result of this, we experienced a much better, than anticipated, financial performance in the last quarter of 2012. CIMSPA recognises that we, like most businesses, are experiencing tough times and are not immune to the current economic climate. In this context, as part of our agreement with Sport England, the Institute is currently writing its next three years [sic] business plan. CIMSPA will be consulting key stakeholders, partners and members on this, over the summer months.” While readers of The Leisure Review may wonder at the Institute’s choice of punctuation and the apparent contradiction between the two answers – one of which states that CIMSPA has a long-standing viable business plan while the other has it they are still evaluating options to achieve long-term sustainability – CIMSPA members are presumably less concerned, having been made aware of the grants and, we may infer, the implications of such support for the management of the Institute’s financial affairs to date. Asked whether CIMSPA members had been informed of the grants, CIMSPA confirmed that this had been the case, stating, “CIMSPA members have been made aware of the grant [sic] from Sport England, this was documented in a letter from acting Chair Marc Newey, on behalf of the board of Trustees.”
Credit where credit is due
Its Volunteers Week next week, according to Volunteer England (and they should know), and this year’s theme is “Time to say Thank You”. The hope is that between 1 - 7 June some of the nation’s two million adult volunteers who give at least one hour a week will get a pat on the back or a cheery “Ta, mate”; although, since most of the people doing the thanking will be volunteers, one fears it may all get a bit circular.
News in brief
Staccato reports from the cultural typeface
Friday 10 May
Arrests continue in the investigation of abuse at Manchester music schools. Campaigners trying to prevent the skaters and BMX-ers being moved on from their home at the Southbank are to try to register the concrete undercroft as a village green. Having been convicted of doping offences by a Spanish court, Dr Fuentes says he will finally spill the beans – or rather bags – on doping in major sports if the price is right; several media outlets are thinking it over. Olympic yachtsman Andrew Simpson, 36, is killed during training for the America’s Cup.
Saturday/Sunday 11/12 May
Lord Young, former cabinet minister and now a government enterprise adviser, tells the coalition government that a recession is a good time for companies to boost profits at the expense of workers’ terms and conditions (any questions from those members of the electorate still wondering?). It seems that in the Marathon of the North in Sunderland only the winner ran the correct distance; a marshalling error shaved off 200-odd metres for everyone else. In the Giro British riders – Alex Dowsett and Bradley Wiggins – come first and second in the first time trial. Fergie says goodbye to Old Trafford with the Premier League trophy in his hands. Another report shows that the government’s austerity measures are hitting the most vulnerable the hardest and widening the gender gap.
Monday 13 May
Dan Brown’s back and his new novel is going to sell like proverbial hot cakes; or is that what the Pope wants you to think? Tate Britain has had a rehang, putting everything on the wall in chronological order, and the general response is positive. Michael Gove, the Con-Dem government’s answer to a malevolent Tintin, is apparently making education policy based on PR surveys done on behalf of Premier Inn and UKTV Gold. Laura Robson beats Venus Williams in straight sets at the Rome Open.
Tuesday 14 May
There’s a crisis of masculinity affecting British men, according to Diane Abbott MP. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says that the UK government’s austerity policies are hitting the poor and the young hardest while widening inequality; but apart from that it’s all going well. The Venice Biennale is to include a pavilion hosted by the Vatican, the contents of which have been inspired by the book of Genesis (insert your own Phil Collins joke here). Neil Black, new performance director at UK Athletics, says that British athletics will be “back with a vengeance” this year. HMRC has decided that football coaches are the the latest people to target for unpaid taxes.
Wednesday 15 May
Anish Kapoor observes that the German attitude to art and artists is “rather healthy” and in marked contrast to that in Britain; British policy on the arts, the second largest economic sector after finance but with only 0.1% of government spending, is, he suggests, “completely scuzzy”. HS2, the proposed high-speed rail link, is £3.3 billion short says the National Audit Office; it is expected to cost £33 billion. It’s the middle of May so it’s snowing and a series of botanical lithographs by Salvador Dali are to be sold at auction. In the Giro d’Italia there is positive drugs test, prompting a swift arrividerci from French rider Sylvain Georges. The process of UK Athletics coming “back with a vengeance” will have to be done with a new head coach, its third in a year, after Peter Eriksson says he is going home to Canada for “family reasons”.
Thursday 16 May
David Beckham announces his retirement from football, having given up running around a couple of seasons ago. The British Medical Association, that noted hotbed of lefties and revolutionaries, says that the government’s policies threaten to drive families into poverty and are having a profoundly damaging impact on the lives of children. In other news of profoundly unsurprising events, three players involved in the Indian Twenty20 cricket competition have been arrested on charges of match-fixing. The British library is holding an exhibition of propaganda posters. It seems that the driver of a speedboat involved in a fatal accident in Cornwall was not wearing a cord designed to cut the engine in the event of the driver falling overboard.
Friday 17 May
It seems that the prime minister has been persuaded to drop plans to require plain packaging on all cigarettes on sale. Chinese tourists are warned by the Chinese authorities to behave while they are overseas to protect the national image of their nation. Jimmy Anderson becomes the fourth England bowler to take 300 Test wickets. Mark Cavendish wins his fourth stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia, while Bradley Wiggins departs the peloton after struggling through the rain and snow of an Italian summer with a chest infection.
Saturday/Sunday 18/19 May
It seems some people are prepared to pay touts £500 for a £12 seat at the Proms. There is another Eurovision, which the favourite won, and shop vacancies in the UK are now at record levels, according to the British Retail Consortium. In France politician Marine Le Pen fractures vertebrae after falling into an empty swimming pool at her home and Westminster Abbey hangs Ralph Heimans’ portrait of the Queen but you’ll have to pay the entrance fee to see it.
