PROFILE
SEAN HOLT A
s newly-formed professional mem- bership bodies go, the Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical
Activity (IMSPA) has a lot of advan- tages. Launched last May following the merger of the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) and the Institute for Sport, Parks and Leisure (ISPAL), the organisation was almost immediately awarded char- tered status by the Royal Privy Council; its board of trustees is made up of some of the most experienced and respected people in the UK sports and physical activity sector; and its stated aim of professionalising the industry is being enthusiastically backed by gov- ernment and other stakeholders keen to ensure a strong Olympic legacy. As everyone in the active sector knows, however, the road to IMSPA has been a rocky one. Industry leaders have spent years trying and failing to reconcile warring membership bodies in order to provide the industry with a single, unified voice. After the creation of the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM) in the early 80s,
the first real step towards unity did not come until 2007, when that organi- sation joined forces with the National Association of Sports Development (NASD) to create ISPAL – but without ISRM’s involvement after a last-minute withdrawal, real progress could not be claimed. So this year’s merger is a watershed moment for the industry. But with such a difficult history, can IMSPA really command the confidence of the professionals it represents and get on with raising standards?
NEW BEGINNINGS Sean Holt – interim CEO of the new institute and formerly of ISRM – is understandably reluctant to dwell on the years of in-fighting leading up to the merger, stressing it's a new begin- ning for both the organisation and the wider industry. “The past is the past, and there’s not a great deal I can do to control that,” he says. “The focus is the future… the prize of going through the pain is that we now have an oppor- tunity to grow and professionalise the sector. What I would say to people is don’t look back, look forward to the opportunities – get involved with the institute and make it a force for good.”
After decades of wrangling, the active sector finally has one unified membership body. The interim CEO of the Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (IMSPA) explains how the newly-chartered organisation is putting the past behind it to raise standards in the industry
Holt is keen to quash any fears that the new organisation will be hindered by the kind of tribalism that plagued the merger process itself. “You just have to look at the statistics, which show that 96 per cent of both insti- tutes voted in favour [of the merger],” he says. “If I was a politician, I’d be delighted with that mandate!” Nor, he says, does the appointment of himself and Marc Newey – both from ISRM – as IMSPA’s CEO and chair respectively indicate in any way that ISPAL has been marginalised. Stressing that both he and Newey are “absolutely committed” to the new institute, he points out that his “very clear remit” when he took over from Ralph Riley at ISRM in December 2009 (following 14 years of service with Sport England) was “to modern- ise ISRM and ensure it was in the best possible position for entry into an equal merger with ISPAL". As for the transitional board of trus- tees – which is made up in equal parts by ISRM and ISPAL represent- atives, plus two independents (Dave Stalker, executive director of the FIA and health behaviour economist Denise Hampson) – they have, says
Holt says IMSPA will place a strong emphasis on regional initiatives and opportunities within the physical activity and sports sector 34 Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital ISSUE 4 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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