ATHLETICS
tenham Hotspur’s rival bid, the athletics fraternity can breathe a sigh of relief – safe in the knowledge that the track won’t be ripped up and the stadium razed to the ground to make way for a venue specifically fit for footballing purpose. Fulfilling the promise made by the Lon- don 2012 bid team to keep the track and
ON YOUR MARKS … N
Karen Maxwell talks to UKA facilities manager Peter Sutcliffe about athletic provision at new and existing public and private leisure centres
ow that West Ham FC has won the backing of Olympic bosses in the battle for tenancy of the Olympic Stadium over Tot-
field as a permanent feature after the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the new tenants intend to draw football, athletics and the local community to the stadium post 2012. However, the apparent lack of major track and field events that could be staged and generate enough income to use the stadium is a major concern. National Stadium aside, the cost of
facilities versus profitable events is, ac- cording to UK Athletics’ (UKA) safety and facilities manager, Peter Sutclifffe, well
understood within the sport. “Athletic tracks can be very expensive to operate and maintain and produce very little in- come,” he explains. So are athletic clubs and their facilities
up and down the country fit for purpose to meet the training and competition needs of aspiring athletes and local com- munities in the run up to London 2012, as well as the anticipated spike in interest after the big event?
Getting set According to Sutcliffe, apart from a few areas of the country, there are already sufficient tracks to accommodate the ex- isting athletic population as well as the potential increase in footfall, which may occur as a result of the Games. However, there are a number of issues
that need to be addressed. “Although there are a large number of
athletic clubs around the country, many are too small to deal effectively with an anticipated influx of young athletes. They have neither the coaching staff nor the administrative organisation to
Lee Valley serves the local community and Enfield and Haringey Athletics Club
54 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital Issue 1 2011 © cybertrek 2011
PIC: MARK SHEARMAN
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