Tuesday, 31 July 2007
How Much Does Football Cost 2007/08
An interesting article from the Telegraph mentioning the total costs for watching English football this year
Friday, 27 July 2007
Job Opportunites
Closing 3/8/07
Athlete Suppport Manager - English Insitute of Sport
Closing 8/8/07
Finance Assistant - Uk Sport
closing 12/8/07
marketing and communications assistant - Derbyshire sport
closing 20/8/07
Business Manager - Bucks and Milton Keynes Sport Partnership
Ongoing
Pavillion Stewards - Lord's Cricket Ground
Athlete Suppport Manager - English Insitute of Sport
Closing 8/8/07
Finance Assistant - Uk Sport
closing 12/8/07
marketing and communications assistant - Derbyshire sport
closing 20/8/07
Business Manager - Bucks and Milton Keynes Sport Partnership
Ongoing
Pavillion Stewards - Lord's Cricket Ground
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Deng 'slumming it’ at the Olympics to give Britain a rich reward
Luol Deng is a rising NBA force, but life was not always so bright. He tells The Times why he now wants to give something back
Matthew Syed in Bradenton, Florida
It is a late summer’s day in 1992 and the sun is beating down on a crumbling basketball court on the outskirts of the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria. The court, as ever, is populated by a small group of Sudanese teenagers, the children of families who have fled the brutal civil war that rages across Egypt’s southern border.
The backboards are falling apart and the rims are so badly damaged that the youngsters often have to rummage for screws to nail them back into place. Young Sudanese children line the perimeter of the court, wide-eyed as they watch their older brothers and cousins go through their paces. Among them is a seven-year-old called Luol Deng.
Unusually tall for his age, he is beckoned on to the court for the first time, his heart racing. Ajou, his older brother, talks him through the art of the lay-up, the first move that the group will practise today. He puts two pieces of paper on the floor to mark where Deng should position his feet and watches intently along with the rest of the group.
The youngster takes a deep breath and runs forward. He plants left foot, then right and leaps high, his small hand flicking the ball towards the backboard. After landing with a thud, he looks up: the ball has failed even to touch the rim.
It is an inauspicious start to a sporting journey that will take Deng into the fabled NBA in the United States and enable him to amass riches beyond dreams. The 22-year-old is on the brink of signing a five-year contract extension with the Chicago Bulls that could earn him more than $80 million (about £40 million).
I am sitting opposite Deng at the IMG Academy in western Florida, where he is about to embark on a training session with his team-mates from the Great Britain squad. The players have been assembled from clubs around the world for one purpose: to make it on to the podium at the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
Many NBA mega-stars turn their noses up at the thought of slumming it at the Olympics. Not Deng. His ambition for 2012, if anything, is even more intense than his Britain teammates. He wants to give something back to the nation that granted his family political asylum in 1993, the nation that provided him with a home and schooling, the nation he calls home.
“Things were tough in Egypt,” he says. “We lived in a three-bedroom flat: me, my eight brothers and sisters and two aunts. Most of the time my parents were in London fighting for political asylum, so we were brought up by my older sister. When Britain gave us the chance to move I was 8 and did not speak English. But it changed our lives.
“I will always feel grateful that Britain opened its arms to us. We had originally left Sudan [when Deng was 4] for Egypt because my father was a victim of political persecution [he was Minister for Transport in the Sudanese Cabinet but was imprisoned for three months after the government fell in 1989]. It is difficult to know what would have happened to my family had we not been granted asylum.”
Deng spent two years living in Wimbledon before the family moved to South Norwood. At first he neglected basketball in favour of football, but after a trip to Brixton for basketball training with his older brother, his passion was reignited. His remarkable talent caught the eye of Jimmy Rogers, the coach of Brixton Topcats, and by the age of 14 Deng had been offered a scholarship to Blair Academy in the US. Five years on he hit the jackpot, drafted into the NBA.
“It was a magnificent break because thousands of youngsters are aiming for the NBA and the competition is intense,” he says. “I worked really hard at school to get noticed [in his second year at Blair he was rated the second-most promising high school player in the country after Lebron Jones, who is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers]. The first match for the Bulls was nerve-racking, but things have gone really well over the last three seasons. But there is more to life than basketball – much, much more.”
Deng is a young man of unusual depth: articulate, charismatic and deeply engaged with the world. He is among a tiny minority of athletes who regard sport not as an end in itself but an opportunity to do something grander with life. Conscious of his heritage as a Dinka, a tribe from southern Sudan, he is a spokesman for Nothing But Nets, a charity that combats malaria in Africa. “I have seen malaria and lost family members to it,” Deng says. He is also involved with Basketball Without Borders, the NBA’s community outreach programme.
Early next month he will spend a week in Reading to coach at a training camp for young English players. The Britain coaches describe him as “extraordinary”, “exemplary” and “one of a kind”. John Paxson, the general manager of the Bulls, said: “He really does epitomise everything I had hoped for as a person and a basketball player. I think it’s one of the reasons we’ve gotten to the level we’re at this year.”
The measure of Deng’s growing stature is that he recently won the NBA’s sportsmanship award in a vote by his peers. The award honours the player who best exemplifies ethical behaviour, fair play and integrity on the court.
“Right now I don’t feel that I can get involved in politics,” he says. “In Sudan, for example, the rival groupings are complex and the situation is very difficult. But I feel that I can do something to help those who are suffering and to assist the victims of war and illness. That is what I want to do. Playing basketball is something I am passionate about and I give it my all. But a large part of the motivation is that the better I get, the more influence I will have beyond the court.”
The next evening the Britain team are back in the gym for another training session. After the warm-up, the players divide into three teams of five who take it in turns to compete against each other. Although Deng is anonymous for the first few minutes, the gulf in class is soon apparent and his teammates take every opportunity to ship the ball his way.
The Britain team have not competed in the Olympics since the Games were last in London, in 1948, but it is easy to feel optimistic about any gathering of men spearheaded by Deng. “The prospects for British basketball have been transformed by Luol’s commitment to the cause,” Chris Finch, the Britain head coach, says. “Can we win gold in 2012? It is not beyond the bounds of possibility.”
National service
Aug 16 and 17 Great Britain v Ireland (international friendlies) K2 leisure centre, Crawley, West Sussex
Aug 21 Britain v Slovakia NIA Birmingham (EuroBasket)
Sept 1 Britain v Albania Meadowbank, Edinburgh (EuroBasket)
Sept 11 or 15 EuroBasket play-off Ponds Forge, Sheffield
— Tickets and event information is available at basketballgb.com
Matthew Syed in Bradenton, Florida
It is a late summer’s day in 1992 and the sun is beating down on a crumbling basketball court on the outskirts of the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria. The court, as ever, is populated by a small group of Sudanese teenagers, the children of families who have fled the brutal civil war that rages across Egypt’s southern border.
The backboards are falling apart and the rims are so badly damaged that the youngsters often have to rummage for screws to nail them back into place. Young Sudanese children line the perimeter of the court, wide-eyed as they watch their older brothers and cousins go through their paces. Among them is a seven-year-old called Luol Deng.
Unusually tall for his age, he is beckoned on to the court for the first time, his heart racing. Ajou, his older brother, talks him through the art of the lay-up, the first move that the group will practise today. He puts two pieces of paper on the floor to mark where Deng should position his feet and watches intently along with the rest of the group.
The youngster takes a deep breath and runs forward. He plants left foot, then right and leaps high, his small hand flicking the ball towards the backboard. After landing with a thud, he looks up: the ball has failed even to touch the rim.
It is an inauspicious start to a sporting journey that will take Deng into the fabled NBA in the United States and enable him to amass riches beyond dreams. The 22-year-old is on the brink of signing a five-year contract extension with the Chicago Bulls that could earn him more than $80 million (about £40 million).
I am sitting opposite Deng at the IMG Academy in western Florida, where he is about to embark on a training session with his team-mates from the Great Britain squad. The players have been assembled from clubs around the world for one purpose: to make it on to the podium at the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
Many NBA mega-stars turn their noses up at the thought of slumming it at the Olympics. Not Deng. His ambition for 2012, if anything, is even more intense than his Britain teammates. He wants to give something back to the nation that granted his family political asylum in 1993, the nation that provided him with a home and schooling, the nation he calls home.
“Things were tough in Egypt,” he says. “We lived in a three-bedroom flat: me, my eight brothers and sisters and two aunts. Most of the time my parents were in London fighting for political asylum, so we were brought up by my older sister. When Britain gave us the chance to move I was 8 and did not speak English. But it changed our lives.
“I will always feel grateful that Britain opened its arms to us. We had originally left Sudan [when Deng was 4] for Egypt because my father was a victim of political persecution [he was Minister for Transport in the Sudanese Cabinet but was imprisoned for three months after the government fell in 1989]. It is difficult to know what would have happened to my family had we not been granted asylum.”
Deng spent two years living in Wimbledon before the family moved to South Norwood. At first he neglected basketball in favour of football, but after a trip to Brixton for basketball training with his older brother, his passion was reignited. His remarkable talent caught the eye of Jimmy Rogers, the coach of Brixton Topcats, and by the age of 14 Deng had been offered a scholarship to Blair Academy in the US. Five years on he hit the jackpot, drafted into the NBA.
“It was a magnificent break because thousands of youngsters are aiming for the NBA and the competition is intense,” he says. “I worked really hard at school to get noticed [in his second year at Blair he was rated the second-most promising high school player in the country after Lebron Jones, who is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers]. The first match for the Bulls was nerve-racking, but things have gone really well over the last three seasons. But there is more to life than basketball – much, much more.”
Deng is a young man of unusual depth: articulate, charismatic and deeply engaged with the world. He is among a tiny minority of athletes who regard sport not as an end in itself but an opportunity to do something grander with life. Conscious of his heritage as a Dinka, a tribe from southern Sudan, he is a spokesman for Nothing But Nets, a charity that combats malaria in Africa. “I have seen malaria and lost family members to it,” Deng says. He is also involved with Basketball Without Borders, the NBA’s community outreach programme.
Early next month he will spend a week in Reading to coach at a training camp for young English players. The Britain coaches describe him as “extraordinary”, “exemplary” and “one of a kind”. John Paxson, the general manager of the Bulls, said: “He really does epitomise everything I had hoped for as a person and a basketball player. I think it’s one of the reasons we’ve gotten to the level we’re at this year.”
The measure of Deng’s growing stature is that he recently won the NBA’s sportsmanship award in a vote by his peers. The award honours the player who best exemplifies ethical behaviour, fair play and integrity on the court.
“Right now I don’t feel that I can get involved in politics,” he says. “In Sudan, for example, the rival groupings are complex and the situation is very difficult. But I feel that I can do something to help those who are suffering and to assist the victims of war and illness. That is what I want to do. Playing basketball is something I am passionate about and I give it my all. But a large part of the motivation is that the better I get, the more influence I will have beyond the court.”
The next evening the Britain team are back in the gym for another training session. After the warm-up, the players divide into three teams of five who take it in turns to compete against each other. Although Deng is anonymous for the first few minutes, the gulf in class is soon apparent and his teammates take every opportunity to ship the ball his way.
The Britain team have not competed in the Olympics since the Games were last in London, in 1948, but it is easy to feel optimistic about any gathering of men spearheaded by Deng. “The prospects for British basketball have been transformed by Luol’s commitment to the cause,” Chris Finch, the Britain head coach, says. “Can we win gold in 2012? It is not beyond the bounds of possibility.”
National service
Aug 16 and 17 Great Britain v Ireland (international friendlies) K2 leisure centre, Crawley, West Sussex
Aug 21 Britain v Slovakia NIA Birmingham (EuroBasket)
Sept 1 Britain v Albania Meadowbank, Edinburgh (EuroBasket)
Sept 11 or 15 EuroBasket play-off Ponds Forge, Sheffield
— Tickets and event information is available at basketballgb.com
UK Sport responds to announcement of BOA Anti-Doping Commission
Responding to the announcement of an Anti-Doping Commission by the British Olympic Association, John Steele, Chief Executive of UK Sport, said: “The fight against drugs in sport is central to Britain’s sporting success and we are totally committed to maintaining the UK’s role as a world leader in anti-doping. At the same time there needs to be clarity about who is responsible for what in sport, and make sure that our collective efforts and resources are channelled to areas of greatest need in the build up to both the Beijing and London Games.
“We would never say that the BOA should not consider an issue as fundamental as doping, in particular their own bye-law, and the individual expertise on the Commission is not in doubt. However, as the body responsible for managing anti-doping in the UK, it would have been helpful for us to have the opportunity to help frame their work. Until there is greater clarity on the Commission’s purpose, therefore, it is difficult to see what value it is going to add over the next year and at a time when the UK system is already under close scrutiny.”
In addition to formal review of its activity through the work of Parliamentary Committees, official Auditing Bodies, and an Independent Scrutiny Panel, UK Sport has proactively instigated a number of recent investigations into global best practice in anti-doping. For example, as a key partner of the World Anti-Doping Agency, UK Sport recently hosted a WADA symposium looking at how legislation and greater co-operation between law enforcement agencies and government can benefit the fight against doping in sport. It has also met with officials from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) about the approach they take to anti-doping against that in place in the UK.
Steele added: “We are in no way complacent, and are continually striving to ensure the highest possible standards across all areas of anti-doping – both in terms of our testing and athlete education programmes. We are playing a proactive role in the current revision of the World Anti-Doping Code and through regular liaison other National Anti-Doping Organisations across the world we share best practice and take on board constructive suggestions for the further evolution of our anti-doping programme.
“Against that we must be wary of constant investigation and review, in particular where there is no formal mandate for it. The last thing British sport needs as we build up to Beijing 2008 and London 2012 is distraction, confusion about roles and duplication of effort. We all have significant roles to play – let’s just get on with them.”
R. Langley - 24/07/07
“We would never say that the BOA should not consider an issue as fundamental as doping, in particular their own bye-law, and the individual expertise on the Commission is not in doubt. However, as the body responsible for managing anti-doping in the UK, it would have been helpful for us to have the opportunity to help frame their work. Until there is greater clarity on the Commission’s purpose, therefore, it is difficult to see what value it is going to add over the next year and at a time when the UK system is already under close scrutiny.”
In addition to formal review of its activity through the work of Parliamentary Committees, official Auditing Bodies, and an Independent Scrutiny Panel, UK Sport has proactively instigated a number of recent investigations into global best practice in anti-doping. For example, as a key partner of the World Anti-Doping Agency, UK Sport recently hosted a WADA symposium looking at how legislation and greater co-operation between law enforcement agencies and government can benefit the fight against doping in sport. It has also met with officials from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) about the approach they take to anti-doping against that in place in the UK.
Steele added: “We are in no way complacent, and are continually striving to ensure the highest possible standards across all areas of anti-doping – both in terms of our testing and athlete education programmes. We are playing a proactive role in the current revision of the World Anti-Doping Code and through regular liaison other National Anti-Doping Organisations across the world we share best practice and take on board constructive suggestions for the further evolution of our anti-doping programme.
“Against that we must be wary of constant investigation and review, in particular where there is no formal mandate for it. The last thing British sport needs as we build up to Beijing 2008 and London 2012 is distraction, confusion about roles and duplication of effort. We all have significant roles to play – let’s just get on with them.”
R. Langley - 24/07/07
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Digger in the Guardian
BOA doping initiative upsets UK Sport
Relations between the British Olympic Association and UK Sport reached a new low yesterday with the BOA's announcement of an anti-doping commission to examine drugs policy ahead of the London Games in 2012.
The initiative, led by the BOA chairman, Colin Moynihan, is seen by UK Sport as a hostile move, as among the issues the BOA's commission will examine is whether drug testing should be carried out by an independent body. UK Sport is responsible for drug testing and the funding of elite athletes and has interpreted the BOA's commission as an attack on its competence.
Moynihan said UK Sport was fully aware of the doping commission and referred to an exchange of letters with its chief executive, John Steele, in March in which Steele invited the BOA to contact him "if we can be of assistance".
Despite this UK Sport was taken aback at the extent of the commission's brief and insiders are angry that they were not shown terms of reference until yesterday morning. The hostility to the BOA's latest move was barely disguised in a statement that abandoned diplomatic niceties: "We would never say that the BOA should not consider an issue as fundamental as doping . . . [but] until there is greater clarity on the commission's purpose it is difficult to see what value it is going to add," said Steele.
The BOA is disappointed at UK Sport's reaction but maintains it is entitled to examine the issues.
Watery rescue
Yesterday's spat came after the British Olympic Association was among the victims of flooding last week, with the basements of its Georgian townhouse headquarters in Wandsworth inundated on Friday afternoon. Two of the basements were flooded by water from the road outside while the other two were filled with sewage from overflowing toilets. On Monday the chief executive, Simon Clegg, led the clean-up effort as a chain of BOA employees hauled furniture and valuables to safety.
Brook dammed
As expected the election for the new England and Wales Cricket Board chairman will be a two-horse race between Surrey's Mike Soper and Somerset's Giles Clarke. The process would have been far livelier, however, had television executive David Brook, the man who led the Keep Cricket Free campaign after the ECB sold its rights to Sky, made it on to the ballot paper. Brook was sounded out by former executives about standing for the post vacated by David Morgan, but failed to get support from any county chairmen. He did not expect to get the job, but was keen to use the platform to start a debate about the game's future. "I was never going to get on because you need two county chairmen to propose you for the post, and cricket is a closed shop," he said. "It is a shame because the governing body is seldom held to account by the wider cricket public, and the election of a new chairman is a perfect opportunity for debate."
Fletcher takes aim
One of the first issues the new ECB chairman will have to tackle will be the fallout from Duncan Fletcher's autobiography, the final draft of which was delivered to publishers on Monday by his ghost, Guardian writer Steve James. Fletcher has been in the UK finalising the manuscript with James for the last week, and several senior ECB figures including the chairman of selectors, David Graveney, can expect severe criticism for their handling of the Ashes campaign and the World Cup. Fletcher's departure was not warm, and he is likely to serve his revenge equally cold.
Familiar voice
Setanta has finalised its commentator line-up for its first season of Premier League coverage, with the seasoned ITV voice Jon Champion joining Setanta's Scottish Premier League commentator Ian Crocker. Champion, who has found himself down the ITV pecking order recently, will split his time between the two channels. The former Scotland international Craig Burley will be the summariser and studio pundits will include Steve McManaman, Emmanuel Petit and Tim Sherwood.
paul.kelso@guardian.co.uk
Relations between the British Olympic Association and UK Sport reached a new low yesterday with the BOA's announcement of an anti-doping commission to examine drugs policy ahead of the London Games in 2012.
The initiative, led by the BOA chairman, Colin Moynihan, is seen by UK Sport as a hostile move, as among the issues the BOA's commission will examine is whether drug testing should be carried out by an independent body. UK Sport is responsible for drug testing and the funding of elite athletes and has interpreted the BOA's commission as an attack on its competence.
Moynihan said UK Sport was fully aware of the doping commission and referred to an exchange of letters with its chief executive, John Steele, in March in which Steele invited the BOA to contact him "if we can be of assistance".
Despite this UK Sport was taken aback at the extent of the commission's brief and insiders are angry that they were not shown terms of reference until yesterday morning. The hostility to the BOA's latest move was barely disguised in a statement that abandoned diplomatic niceties: "We would never say that the BOA should not consider an issue as fundamental as doping . . . [but] until there is greater clarity on the commission's purpose it is difficult to see what value it is going to add," said Steele.
The BOA is disappointed at UK Sport's reaction but maintains it is entitled to examine the issues.
Watery rescue
Yesterday's spat came after the British Olympic Association was among the victims of flooding last week, with the basements of its Georgian townhouse headquarters in Wandsworth inundated on Friday afternoon. Two of the basements were flooded by water from the road outside while the other two were filled with sewage from overflowing toilets. On Monday the chief executive, Simon Clegg, led the clean-up effort as a chain of BOA employees hauled furniture and valuables to safety.
Brook dammed
As expected the election for the new England and Wales Cricket Board chairman will be a two-horse race between Surrey's Mike Soper and Somerset's Giles Clarke. The process would have been far livelier, however, had television executive David Brook, the man who led the Keep Cricket Free campaign after the ECB sold its rights to Sky, made it on to the ballot paper. Brook was sounded out by former executives about standing for the post vacated by David Morgan, but failed to get support from any county chairmen. He did not expect to get the job, but was keen to use the platform to start a debate about the game's future. "I was never going to get on because you need two county chairmen to propose you for the post, and cricket is a closed shop," he said. "It is a shame because the governing body is seldom held to account by the wider cricket public, and the election of a new chairman is a perfect opportunity for debate."
Fletcher takes aim
One of the first issues the new ECB chairman will have to tackle will be the fallout from Duncan Fletcher's autobiography, the final draft of which was delivered to publishers on Monday by his ghost, Guardian writer Steve James. Fletcher has been in the UK finalising the manuscript with James for the last week, and several senior ECB figures including the chairman of selectors, David Graveney, can expect severe criticism for their handling of the Ashes campaign and the World Cup. Fletcher's departure was not warm, and he is likely to serve his revenge equally cold.
Familiar voice
Setanta has finalised its commentator line-up for its first season of Premier League coverage, with the seasoned ITV voice Jon Champion joining Setanta's Scottish Premier League commentator Ian Crocker. Champion, who has found himself down the ITV pecking order recently, will split his time between the two channels. The former Scotland international Craig Burley will be the summariser and studio pundits will include Steve McManaman, Emmanuel Petit and Tim Sherwood.
paul.kelso@guardian.co.uk
Malcom Conn on School Sport
He's a little late getting on board as most of the info is a tad old but its got FYI - click on title for article
Saturday, 21 July 2007
Fundraising and Sponsorship
Friday, 20 July 2007
Tour de France
The news is a tad bit old but you may have seen the decision by the German broadcasters to pull coverage of this year's race due to the positive A sample from a T-Mobile rider, details here
A bit over the top and premature and if I was workign for Eurosport I would be chuffed. Obviously some political issues at work
A bit over the top and premature and if I was workign for Eurosport I would be chuffed. Obviously some political issues at work
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Job Opportunities
Date indicates closing
Various roles at UEFA - click on the apply now to reveal the jobs here
16/7/09
Supporters Direct - Membership and Service officer here
17/7/09
Sales and Marketing Coordinator at World Academy of Sport here
20/7/07
Amatuer Swimming Association - Lifelong Participation Officer here
23/7/07
Institute of Swimming - Assistant Head of Workforce Development here
27/7/07
LOCOG are after more competition managers - I think this is readvertised or they just need a lot of staff - more to be found here
Various roles at UEFA - click on the apply now to reveal the jobs here
16/7/09
Supporters Direct - Membership and Service officer here
17/7/09
Sales and Marketing Coordinator at World Academy of Sport here
20/7/07
Amatuer Swimming Association - Lifelong Participation Officer here
23/7/07
Institute of Swimming - Assistant Head of Workforce Development here
27/7/07
LOCOG are after more competition managers - I think this is readvertised or they just need a lot of staff - more to be found here
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Sheffield United Lose Appeal
Not overly surprising but it looks as though Sheffield United will defintely be playing in the Championship this season.
I think is was a poor decision to contest it - as now their unfrotunate supporters technically get relegated twice in the one season all becuase the Board were looking to deflect the blame!
Some details from the Guardian here and The Times here
I think is was a poor decision to contest it - as now their unfrotunate supporters technically get relegated twice in the one season all becuase the Board were looking to deflect the blame!
Some details from the Guardian here and The Times here
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Government Changes to Ministers
On Richard Caborn
click here for UK Sport's version on his departure
where he is heading now
the Times view on who to replace him here
the replacement announced here
On Tessa Jowell
she has been moved to the Cabinet office and will take charge of the Olympics as opposed to the otehr functions of the DCMS
James Purnell is now in charge - details here
the CCPR's statement
click here for UK Sport's version on his departure
where he is heading now
the Times view on who to replace him here
the replacement announced here
On Tessa Jowell
she has been moved to the Cabinet office and will take charge of the Olympics as opposed to the otehr functions of the DCMS
James Purnell is now in charge - details here
the CCPR's statement
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