Sportsmatch's Errington to retire (April 2005)
In the autumn of every year since 1992, Stuart Errington has met some 400 people from sport and business who have received cash awards from the Sportsmatch scheme which he chairs. Without exception they are enthusiastic about the scheme which has put £80 million into grass roots sport since it was founded in 1992.
The succession of sports ministers who have attended these annual prize-giving ceremonies have also been impressed: We have been patted on the back by every sports minister, but they don't have enough power. They can say nice things, but they can't do nice things
he says.
The 'nice things' that Errington wants the politicians to do involve finding more money for Sportsmatch to enable it to extend its role of providing a financial incentive for business to sponsor grass roots, community sport. With an annual budget of just £3.5 million - barely changed since Sportsmatch began - more than 5,000 companies have been motivated to sponsor community sport. More than 12 million people have participated in Sportsmatch-backed projects in 78 different sports.
"Our projects have been shown to deliver a whole year's worth of sports coaching to a youngster for £9.57. That's 12 months of safe, high-quality sporting experience for less than a couple of burger meals. There isn't a better value scheme in the entire world of sports funding and I fail to understand why Sportsmatch has not been given greater priority and funding by government."
It is this question of limited support for one of the best ideas in sport that irks Errington as he reaches retirement from the Sportsmatch chair in March. Other than that, he can look back on 13 years of unqualified success for a scheme that was born from a bit of honest envy at governments' matched funding support for the arts.
Sportsmatch's original brief to encourage commercial support for provision of sport for young people, schools, disabled people, ethnic minorities, women and girls and in areas of economic deprivation has also become the mantra of the current administration. As, too, has the belief that sport was capable of delivering benefits on a much wider front than the playing field; now, in the language of 'joined-up' government, sport is seen as a key vehicle for the delivery of social policy across education, health and law and order issues.
But Errington is wary of using sport as a panacea for social problems: Sports itself can provide the answers to these questions, but you shouldn't go into sport because you want to get on top of vandalism, that will be a likely end product but not the core reason,
he says.
"Sport takes effect in various ways: it could be in beating vandalism, it could be becoming a team player, it could be health, it could be just about getting people out of limited environments. All sport is enormously enjoyable and if it's enjoyable it's absorbing --concentrating on the game rather than an end product. These other objectives will emerge as by-products."
Many companies understand the importance of sport for their customers and their employees because business leaders often have sporting backgrounds: Many top people in industry have been successful at school by way of being head boy or head girl or by achieving success in sport in one form or another: it creates good qualities in an individual.
Sportsmatch struck a chord with many of these businessmen; nearly two thirds of sponsors have some connection with the clubs or organisations they support. Their desire to extend the sporting enjoyment they experienced was further enhanced by the good business sense of finding a partner to match their marketing investment.
The scheme also teaches important commercial lessons to sport, Errington argues: Sponsorship sets some sports apart from the mass of people seeking funds. Sportsmatch benefits those sports and organisations that are self-starters, they have to find a sponsor before they can benefit from the added advantage of an award.
"The 13 years I have been privileged to chair the Sportsmatch award panel have been exceptionally rewarding personally. They have combined a lifelong interest in sport and its value to the business community as commercial tool both in the promotion of products and the selection and motivation of staff.
"We have applied sound commercial practices to the running of the scheme with a small and efficient staff - which is not something everyone in sports administration can say - and I think we have been of real help to the 78 sports to which we have made awards.
"Sportsmatch is one of those ideas that have really made a difference: it is simple, it works and it has stood the test of time and successive governments. All it needs is a some more money each year to spread its net, and its example of commercial sporting self-sufficiency, a little wider. The benefits it has created for sport and millions of participants are already considerable: with further backing, the sky's the limit."
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