SEMINAR: From "Sport for Good" to "Sport for Sport's Sake"

SPORT AND LEISURE HISTORY SEMINAR

FROM 'SPORT FOR GOOD' TO 'SPORT FOR SPORT'S SAKE': REVERSING INTO THE PAST

Speaker: Professor Michael Collins (University of Gloucestershire)

Under New Labour, sport attained hitherto unreached policy salience, for
youth under the £1.1bn PE School Sport and Young People Strategy, and for
elite sport as a result of success generated by more professional coaching
and Lottery funding; despite continued moderate funding, mass
participation languished. But minister Richard Caborn wanted 'sport for
good' - to help with extrinsic benefits in helping to tackle the 'wicked
issues' of regeneration, social inclusion, lifelong learning, improved
health and social cohesion. Winning the London 2012 Games boosted hopes of
linking increased participation to Olympism.

Soon after Caborn was replaced by Gerry Sutcliffe, there was a rapid
reversal of policy into 'sport for sport's sake.' The wicked issues, even
health, were other people's business, so the focus was solely on sport,
and the coalition continued this. Governing bodies of sport and HE were to
be the new standard-bearers of increasing participation, to levels
achieved by Finland (some of the world's highest) in only 8 years. I will
give one international and eight domestic reasons why this was always
extremely unlikely, now even more so because of recession and cut backs-
even minister Hugh Robertson says sport in local government will take 'a
huge hit' because it is non-statutory.

Professor Michael Collins was head of research, town planning, and
strategic planning at The Sports Council for its first 17 years, where he
managed 500 research projects including the first National Fitness Survey
and produced its first two national strategies (Sport in the Community:
The Next Ten Years, 1982 and its 1987 update). After moving to
Loughborough in 1989 he has researched in countryside recreation,
children's play, social exclusion (producing Sport and Social Exclusion
(2003)) and sports development (Examining Sports Development (2010)). At
Gloucestershire, as a Visiting Professor, he is helping to start unique
courses in Sport and faith communities and associated research via the
Centre for Sport, Spirituality & Religion.

Time and Date: 5:15 PM, Monday, 8 November
Location: Ecclesiastical History Room, Institute of Historical Research,
Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU.

All are welcome. For more information, please contact Dion Georgiou, at
sportshistory@hotmail.co.uk.