By James MacDougall, Head of Policy at the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
With 2011 drawing to a close, so is the Polish presidency of the European Union. They have seen turbulent times during their six-month stint, but for sport it’s been a period of proactivity. The final conclusions are currently being discussed in the historic city of Gdansk at the sports directors’ meeting, which sees the top sports officials from the 27 member states come together to create a future direction for sport in the EU.
And what’s on the agenda? The Alliance’s favourite topics - governance and sustainable funding - areas the Alliance takes the lead on in Europe. We chair the European Commission’s working group on sustainable financing of sport and it’s our voluntary code of governance which has been highlighted as good practice in Poland’s presidential conclusions.
We were also asked to present our work to the sports directors this week- one of only three sports organisations to be invited to take the floor from across Europe. It is vital to be involved in these discussions to prevent the EU going down a route which affects sport and recreation detrimentally in the UK. Our view is that governance should champion good practice and promote a race to the top, rather than being a mere box-ticking exercise which regulation could turn it into.
And the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport echoed these thoughts at the meeting, highlighting the value of the voluntary code in the UK. Yet, legislation could still loom. While it’s admittedly a last resort, tighter legislation for football could be a reality in just six months if the UK government doesn’t see the expected improvements in governance.
Whilst the Polish presidency is drawing to a close, the work at European level doesn’t. The baton is passed on to Denmark and the Commission will continue its work, stating a desire to review the Council of Europe’s recommendations on match fixing with stakeholders in the new year.
There is definitely a feeling at EU level that match fixing needs to be addressed, and the Alliance will look to work with the Commission to complement the work we do chairing the UK’s Sports Betting Group in 2012.
So, the UK sports movement has been recognised at EU level. The work our members have done to transform their governance and their future has not gone unnoticed. And while we may be looking in at what Europe is doing in only some areas, we are leading the way on sport.
