Unit 1 – Social Basis of Sport and Recreation

Professional Sport - Overview

Professional Sport - OverviewHistory of Professional Sport in UK

Task: Spend two minutes discussing in pairs how professional sport started?

• Started with upper class paying patrons in foot races, fights, cricket and horse-racing.

• Oxbridge = making of rules• Increase in time = growth in spectators

Professional Sport - OverviewDiscuss in pairs:

What problems did professionalism face?• The problem was that middle/lower class men had to

work.• They couldn’t take time out of work to play sport• ‘Broken Time’ payments were given by the upper class

to these men to participate in different events.

Professional Sport - Overview

• Football – mass of people wanted to turn pro, if there was a split then the FA would have dis-assembled

• RFU – only the north wanted to turn pro the split was not seen as a problem

• Cricket – needed to turn pro as skilled performers were needed

• Horse-Racing – again skilled performers needed• All because the upper classes had wagers on the outcome.

Professional Sport - Overview• Rise of media = rise of professionalism• NGB’s – code of conduct, rules, control of money

and transfer fees• CCPR – Central Council Physical Recreation

(advisory)• IOC – largest governing body• FIFA – largest sporting governing body

Professional Sport - Overview• Nurture of Talent• School Sport – began 1800’s = cricket, football,

swimming, athletics, gymnastics.• ESFA – 1904• 1907 – first schools international Vs Wales• 1944 – Education Act states that provision for

physical education required.• Inter-school sport – local 2 national

International governing bodies

IAAFFIFAIOCPGAIRB ITFFINA WBCWSF FIVB FISIBF

• Golf• Athletics• Swimming• Skiing• Rugby• Badminton• Volleyball• Squash• Tennis• Olympics• Boxing• Football

Task: Match the governing body with the correct sport

Spectatorism• Saturday half day – working class were

given the afternoon off to play games• Regular fixtures helped players play against

each other and attract spectators. • Money from spectators paid wages and fund

better players

Spectatorism• An elite group of professional teams formed

the football league in 1888.• Crickets county championship formed in a

similar way.

Spectatorism• Working in pairs – using the knowledge

gained try to define the term spectatorism.

How has spectatorism transformed sport?

Professional Sport – UK Organisation• UKSI development structure• Sport England• Sport Scotland• Sports Council for Northern Ireland• Sports Council for Wales• These all have centres of excellence and are

placed on a regional and national scale.

Task• Using the text books research the regional

centres of excellence and state the following:– Name of centre– Location– Sports catered for

National Sports Centres• Bisham Abbey• Lilleshall• Play-y-Brenin• Crystal Palace• Holme Pierrepont• Lilleshall

National Training Camps• Swimming – University of Bath• Water Sports – Holmes Pierrepont• Gymnastics – Lilleshall• Cycling – Manchester• Football – Lilleshall• Athletics – Crystal Palace• Tennis – Bisham Abbey

UKSI Network Centres• East• East Midlands• North• North West• South• South Coast• South East• South West• West Midlands• Yorkshire

• University of East Anglia• Holme Pierrepont• Gateshead• Manchester• Bisham Abbey• Southampton University• Crystal Palace• University of Bath• Lilleshall• Sheffield

Professional Sport - Overview• Clubs• Have well established infrastructures that are

named academies• This has changed over the years from a ‘hit and

miss’ plan to a highly organised structure• Schools• The use of school sport to identify potential elite

performers

Other Initiatives• Elite Coach Education programme – run by BOA

and Sportscoach UK.• Provides for the needs of coaches at the very

highest level.• ACE UK (Athletic Career and Education Services)

programme helps develop career and educational opportunities for athletes both during and after their time in sport.

• Former English Sports Council• More people involved in sport• More places to play sport• More medals in elite sport• Advice on many issues:• Lottery funding• Women• Disability• Racial equality• NGB investments

Professional Sport - Overview

• Sport England World Class Programmes• World Class Performance• World Class Potential• World Class Start and Commonwealth Games• All programmes fund athletes and this funding is

through the government and the national lottery.

Professional Sport - Overview• European models of Sports Excellence• INSEP• East German Schooling• Funding from government

INSEP• Young athletes in residence receive a normal

education.• Provision for more than 25 sports on site.• French sports federation provide 90% of funding.• Public companies MUST invest a small part of

their profit to sports development,• Centralised approach.

Model of Sporting Excellence: France

Ministry of Youth and Sport

French OlympicCommittee

Sports GoverningBodies

INSEP

Regional INSEP’sElite

Performers

Finland• Elite sport in Finland does not have a government arm.• Size is far smaller than France.• Sports bodies run their own elite sports.• The majority of Finnish professional athletes live abroad.• Government funding focuses on local/minority groups.• The objective of the FSF (Finnish Sports Federation) is to

promote health of the whole population – not elite sport.• Finns consider exercise to be very important.• Sport does attract allot of high level corporate sponsorship.• Lotteries provide a large proportion of public sports funding.

Model of Sporting Excellence: Finland

Government

Private andSponsorship

Elite Athletes Grass-roots sport Local Groups

Finnish Olympic Committee

Professional Sport - Overview• Commercialisation and Americanisation• TV• Media• Winning more than taking part• Money

Commercialisation• Sport provides the market place for business.• Business provides the finance for sport.• The scholarship system in US colleges was

seen as a form of professionalism.• The popularity of sport on TV meant the

professional sport and TV became inseparable.

Commercialisation and ‘Americanisation’

Central (socialist) and Private (amateur) fundingReplaced or enhanced by

sponsorship

Potentially massive Global/European

audience

Increased incomefor sports

Increased market for sponsors