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Just 2297 days to go – so time for a fresh start on road to 2012 WE’VE just had our worst results for a generation at the World Indoor Championships, Commonwealth Games and World Cross Country, but history will record that financially we have never been so fortunate. With the government “legacy” funding and the latest Norwich Union Sponsorship, the sport has all the funding that anyone could want, we have a new governing body and we have a project plan. The key question is, do we have the talent to implement the plan and rise to the challenge? The key recommendation of the Foster report was not the creation of England Athletics but the rationalisation that could follow afterwards. According to the UKA accounts filed at Companies House, UKA has an annual budget of over £18 million and employs 94 full-time employees, who cost just over £3.5 million. All that to look after the 38 athletes on their World Class Performance Programme and the 79 athletes on the World Class Development Programme. Most people are incredulous at such financial figures and yet they are tiny in comparison to what is going to be spent elsewhere on the 2012 Olympics. We need the best possible team at UKA to deliver success in the stadium in six years time and exceptional people are required. Do we have enough exceptional people in place? If not, is now the time to put them in place? Would it make sense to split the implementation of the Foster report (a major task on its own) and the day to day operations from the long term strategy and planning required for 2012? Could there be a role for Lord Coe? Maybe he could take on a role of Chairman of UKA so that all Olympic matters are under his direction and that the long awaited Foster rationalisation can now begin? Matthew Fraser Moat, Publisher
From issue 61-15,
13th April 2006.
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