The latest news and views from SAPCA
MADE IN BRITAIN
ondon 2012 delivered the greatest show on earth. And whilst the glory went to the athletes, the volunteers and the organisers, without the sta- diums, arenas, pools and pitches there would have been no Games.
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We asked David Moorcroft OBE how the British sports construction industry – those companies that are involved in designing, building, testing and delivering sports and play facilities – can capitalise on the success of the Games. David, as well as being a 5,000m world-record holder, was formerly chief ex- ecutive of UK Athletics and has, most recently, chaired the West Midlands’ Nations & Regions Group, an organisation set up to lead and drive 2012 activity in the region. He also sits on the Board of SAPCA, the UK trade as- sociation that represents sports and play construction companies.
What role did British sports construction companies have in London 2012?
Britain leads the world in many respects and whilst not all facilities used for Olympic and Paralympic events were completely British-
David Moorcroft answers questions on the state of the industry
made, the majority used a plethora of UK-based suppliers. The Olympic Stadium alone, for example, used over 240 companies in its construction.
What opportunities does this provide?
British-built sports facilities have long been praised but London 2012 enabled us to show- case to the world what we are capable of. It has given us the potential to enhance exports for those British companies involved in sports and play construction. UK Trade & Investment,
along with SAPCA, is currently looking into a programme of activity to do just this. British companies just need to seize the opportunities.
There has been much talk of securing a lasting sporting legacy. How does this apply to sports facilities?
The challenge for companies is To be innovaTive and creaTive in how They work wiTh faciliTy developers
Top athletes, sadly, very rarely mention or credit sports facilities with having a role in their success. I wonder if there is an opportu- nity to align talent more with the quality of the facilities they use and to link the two aspects publicly. The government obviously agrees as it has committed to continuing to fund elite sport and to providing world-class sports facilities to support them as part of its post-London 2012 sporting legacy.
One thing is for sure – if we haven’t got sports facilities we haven’t got sport! This applies at every level and it is crucial that community facilities are also developed and enhanced. Whatever sport they are in, most athletes started by going along to a local facility or club.
What do you suggest? The Places People Play initiative has created many more multi-sport facilities 74 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital
The government, through its Places People Play initiative, has invested in 12 large-scale multi- sports facilities and is upgrading community sports facilities as well as enabling schools to open up their facilities to the local communi- ties. But when times are tough sport is often an area that gets cut. The challenge for compa- nies that provide sports facilities is to be more innovative and creative in how they work with the facility developers and funders – to develop partnerships that work with local schools, clubs and community groups to create facilities that can be used by and shared by all.
Issue 4 2012 © cybertrek 2012
PHOTO COURTESY OF WICKSTEED
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