Athletics UK - New Staff and New Directions

Athletics

As per our discussions in strategic management and through reviewing the Foster Report http://www.ukathletics.net/about-us/modernisation/ it is clear that Athletics in Great Britain is in need of quite significant organisational change.

The following stories from the BBC and various sources;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/6244449.stm as can be seen Warner has significant experience outside sport in finance/funds management that he can hopefully bring to the direction of UK Athletics. (More on Warner from the official press release http://www.british-athletics.co.uk/foster/edwarner.pdf)

Joining him in senior management is Niels de Vos whose appointment is recorded here http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/6310763.stm Once again the management of the sport has looked to business to lead it.

Interestingly they have both agreed that the UK's medal hopes of finishing forth at the 2012 Games here in London may be unattainable (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/6329633.stm). At present no athlete from Great Britain is inside the top 50 athletes for men and women in the world (source IAAF website). This is not necessarily all doom and gloom as Colin Jackson recently declared there may be junior athletes rising.

Nevertheless throwing money at the problem will not necessarily assist it, i.e. if this is an attempt to coerce funders to give athletics more money. Maybe we have to address the competitive position of athletics in school. Can it compete with other sport offerings? If there is a push toward individualism then couldn't athletics capitalise on that?

This is an interesting case in the management of a high profile sport (especially at Olympic times) I am sure more will follow.