Making the Difference: The Sport and Social Responsibility Summit Report March 19th 2010 Cass Business School www.sportandsocialresponsibility.com
09.30 – 10.00 SportBusiness Group 2010 Parliamentary Citizenship Awards Winner Ben Breeze (Bristol Rugby) The Bright Sparks is one of two main programmes under the Phoenix Partnership umbrella run by Community Development unit at Bristol Rugby Club and in conjunction with a number of responsible delivery agencies such as Avon Fire and Rescue Services. Bright Sparks is targeted at changing the behaviour of secondary schoolchildren, in particular those who are either excluded or are persistent non-attenders. The scheme's effectiveness was centred on the efficiency of the message to a group of children, of whom 88% had “first hand or were party to criminal fire setting.” A crucial factor in communicating the message was designing the 38-week course to span the academic year, rather than a limited period of a few weeks. Breeze stressed the importance of continuous monitoring & evaluation throughout the course. One of secondary outcomes of this initiative was raising the awareness of the consequences of their actions, which was graphically demonstrated by a visit to Ashfield Young Offenders Institution, Europe's second largest such institution which houses 493 offenders. On one of the prison visits a boy confessed to having a 10 month suspended sentence and then when he was shown a cell where he could end up for two years, he alerted the team to a potential car fire that his brother was arranging for that evening. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Bright Sparks programme was the deep level of engagement achieved with the target group, reaching 130 young, disadvantaged people at a total cost of £42,500, representing a rate of £4.31 per child per hour. 10.00 -11.00 Discussion One: The Changing role of CSR Panelists – Piara Powar (Kick It Out), Dominic Reilly (Williams F1), Joe Griffin (Blackbird Corporate Hospitality) & Steven Day (Fulham FC) Moderator – Kevin Roberts (SportBusiness Group) The two central points of discussion were assessing whether there has been real change around the boardroom and secondly, how is success measured. Steven Day, Fulham FC Foundation, argued that there had been a fundamental shift in the last few years where engagement has become the norm rather than just communication. “We focus on hard-hitting work that our brand can deliver.” Piara Powar, Kick It Out, agreed that times have changed. As the English Premier League has developed and expanded, the principles of CSR are now “embedded in the psyche,” and CSR is operating at the core of majority of organisations involved.
Even in the seemingly non-green world of motor sports there is a commitment to CSR. Dominic Reilly, of Williams F1, made the point that “sponsors are keen to be associated with clean, green technologies.” A point supported by Joe Griffin, of Blackbird, who quoted the example of the World Rally Championship and its willingness to adopt sustainability with the technologies eventually cascading down to production cars which will benefit from the R&D of the racing models. In weighing up success, Powar considered the failure to really tackle the issue of diversity. 20 years ago football was mainly the preserve of white males and although that has changed Karen Brady is still the only female executive involved in the upper echelons, and with the sad loss of Keith Alexander who died the previous week it leaves just two black managers of 92 English league clubs. It is not just football that has not embraced diversity “The thing that disappoints me is that diversity is used to pitch CSR,” and as 2012 was primarily sold on a diversity platform it is all “very disappointing.” Day viewed success as wider engagement than merely at club level, “the driver is making a difference to people in wider society” and bringing in extra people to the club is a by-product. Later in the Q&A session Day emphasised the important division of the Foundation from the Football Club and the community will benefit irrespective of the fate of Fulham FC. In judging the correlation between sustainability and performance Reilly pointed out that F1 is “the first sports entity in the world to fully disclose our carbon footprint.” He quoted the classic example of the burning of the Olympic Flame in Beijing for six weeks, which emits more emissions than Williams F1 factory does in a whole year. During Q&A, the dichotomy between global and local stakeholders was raised. Premier League's horizons have expanded dramatically over last few years, as illustrated by recent efforts to penetrate India, where football is still a small game, according to Powar. However, Fulham are predominantly focused on local issues; in contrast, Williams whose base is a small Oxfordshire village, have global CSR objectives focused on three core areas – education, road safety and energy.
11.30 – 12.15 Case Study One NBA Cares Max Hamilton (NBA) As a very urban game that appeals to a wide range of people, basketball holds a unique position in driving the CSR agenda. It is perhaps the most philanthropic of American sports and the engagement levels of the players are very high. Hamilton revealed during questioning “that each player signs up to a minimum of 2/3 days of CSR activity.” NBA Cares is a global programme which brings together rights holders, corporate sponsors, such as Adidas and HP and NGOs / charities with the likes of UNICEF and Greenhouse, a London-based
charity. NBA always deals through local partners so for example NBA Cares is currently operating in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lewisham, Southwark and Wandsworth. Hamilton explained that NBA is very different to Premier League as any activity outside a 75 mile radius of the clubs' base is regarded as NBA territory not that of the 30 clubs. NBA's global appeal is being utilised by “Basketball without Borders” campaign with former star, Congolese-born Dikembea Mutombo as an ambassador who mentors current players. NBA Cares is establishing itself in Africa, as illustrated by having just opened an office in Johannesburg, and appointing explayer, Amador Fell as VP of Development for Africa. 12.15 – 12.45 Telling the world – Successfully communicating your CSR programme James Thellusson (Glasshouse Partnership) Credibility is fundamental to effective communication. After all, Thellusson argued the Olympics is not just about medals. The definition of sport goes beyond the affairs of the pitch and CSR transforms just as it does in the corporate sector. “Sport is social” and with that comes usefulness and responsibility, so the social legacy of 2012 will last longer than Team GB's medals. As a social marketing tool sport can make a difference through athletes acting as ambassadors and stadia being used for the benefit of the community. There are big battles ahead in terms of funding, revenues etc. for stakeholders and the question is which sports are tuned in and can take advantage of CSR as an asset. Success will be determined by a range of attributes, including a clear and recognised vision as AFC Telford demonstrate in being a community club; the health issue especially around alcohol and the uneasy juxtaposition between social responsibility and sponsorship; the need to have CSR as integral and authentic which enables as many people, internally and externally, to communicate. FC Barcelona's foundation work with UNICEF “is fantastic, it's multi-layered, global and authentic.” The need to innovate is of paramount importance because a certain tiredness has crept into CSR. Amongst the key actions required to succeed were the need to capture data to provide evidence and endorsement; embrace technology, especially social media as “we are all broadcasters”; learn to love the BBC. There are also dangers ahead – ‘Hubris Kills’ quoting David Owen of the FT “few things in sport make me queasier than when administrators start banging on about how sport can change the world, it can't.” Beware of a post Olympics crash because if the legacy fails it will be very damaging to sport's efforts to position itself in the CSR space.
12.45 – 13.00 1Goal: Global Campaign For Education Rupert Daniels (1Goal Campaign) 1Goal's key objective is to provide education for all and help eradicate poverty. 72 million children do not have the opportunity to go to school and tying in with the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education, 1Goal aims to enlist the support of 30 million people to join their campaign. As an ambassador, Fabio Capello is involved with the publication of Eleven, a book about the transformation of the lives of 11 individuals through football. The 2010 World Cup is being used to launch the campaign, which is based on a similar model to Live Aid by enlisting the support of high profile figures from all walks of life. To raise the profile 1Goal has become a content producer across several platforms creating programmes with unique content; building an online presence; utilising social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, as well as using mobile telecommunications. 1Day for 1Goal provides a specific focus whereby companies hand over their website for one day to the cause. As a partnership between NGOs, governments and individuals Daniels commented “CSR is not a competition, it's all about collaboration.” 14.00 – 14.30 Case Study Two - 2010 FIFA World Cup Ticket Fund David Fowler (FIFA) FIFA President, Sepp Blatter sets out the objective of the Ticket Fund. “Our aim is to ensure that the event not only leaves a lasting legacy in the host country but also to give back something to a continent that has given so much to world football.” The Fund is a collaboration between FIFA and their six Partners to distribute 120,000 complimentary tickets. Each Partner runs their own separate programmes, which are either plugging into existing programmes, e.g. Sony supporting the fight against HIV/Aids. Secondly, adapting existing programmes such as KIA's health initiative, or finally, creating tailor-made packages such as Hyundai's educational activity. The success of the scheme is founded on close liaison with the Partners, with a high degree of flexibility and crucially, all six schemes are designed to go beyond 2010. The key target for these Partners is the youth of South Africa whilst FIFA are responsible for their 'seventh stream' where 54,000 tickets will be distributed to all stadium construction workers who will now be able to attend matches at the stadia they were involved in building. It was commented on by Dr. John Williams that there is a certain irony over this scheme as FIFA's ticket distribution is so often an area that attracts controversy and brickbats rather than approval and bouquets.
14.30 – 15.30 Discussion Two - Relationships and building the perfect triangle Panelists – Jon Long (the ICC), Annabel Pritchard (Deloitte), Wayne Morris (Premier Rugby), Kai Muller (SPORTFIVE) and Mike Blackburn (BT) Moderator – Stefan Szymanski (Cass Business School) Professor Szymanski suggested at the start of this panel discussion that there are inherent problems with triangular relationships. Mike Blackburn took up the challenge by asking if “we could drop CSR?” In other words, if CSR is truly embedded in the organisation then there is no need for CSR people, so at BT ten years ago there were 100-150 CSR programmes running “we did everything but, in a sense, we did nothing.” Blackburn pointed out that it is important to “differentiate between marketing and social”. Annabel Pritchard, who is in charge of Deloitte's London 2012, their largest ever sponsorship programme, identified four main areas of activity. People taking pride in our organisation; driving client relationships, in the community Deloitte is being seen as one of the leaders in society, and finally for the firm, recognition from around the world. Wayne Morris of Premier Rugby highlighted the need for all partners to be honest about their objectives and motivation and reach agreement on clear goals from the outset. Whilst Jon Long of ICC explained how the balance between partners is more complex as ICC is more disparate as it is global in nature. There are also huge political ramifications involved, for example when a 20/20 international cricket match was arranged in the wake of the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, there was a very negative response from both Pakistan and India as it was viewed to be “too political.” Kai Muller of SportFive, a European sports marketing agency, explained that Hamburg SV faced problems of matching resources for different partners four or five years ago. Hamburg had a strong local brand with a complex group of stakeholders such as vested political interests, celebrity fans and corporate sponsors. The solution was to bring all the diverse groups together under the brand umbrella of “Hamburg's Way”. Linking in with eleven local partners, Deutsche Telekom used their local presence to good effect, and they are now using the Hamburg model for other German clubs and cities. During the Q&A session, the key change that has emerged recently has been the switch away from cash and now there is more focus on the contribution of sponsors by bringing together areas of expertise and drawing on the benefits of long term partnerships. Muller highlighted that at Hamburg they benefited from “great access to players”. Grant Cornwell recounted an amusing story of how a boy from Harringey who, when he was told he was going to be visited by a Tottenham player complained “It's not Peter Crouch again is it? I've already seen him five times.”
16.00 – 16.15 Presentation - The public and private partnership within sport Stefan Szymanski (Cass Business School) The principle of CSR is that it should be based on fairness and respect. As Groucho Marx responded when asked about the secret of success in business “honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake those you have got it made.” Szymanski cited the fact that the development of most modern sports were based on 19th century philanthropy, so most football clubs were formed to help society. Surveys show that “sport is undeniably good for you” with those involved in some form of sporting activity “expressing a significantly higher degree of life satisfaction”. Involvement in sport also leads to prosperity and higher levels of educational achievement. The problem is determining whether this is cause or effect, and there is hardly any evidence of causal. The Government's involvement in sport has grown considerably over last few decades. 30 years ago the government's influence was negligible; the first Sports Minister was appointed in 1960s. The National Lottery changed the landscape radically in early 1990s as funding flowed into sport. The UK is unlike most of Southern Europe (and closer to the US model ) as the central government delegates more responsibility to the governing bodies, whereas countries such as France, Italy and Spain governments' direct involvement is much more prevalent. The future challenges for governments are budget constraints especially post 2012, co-operation with sporting organisations, the need to reach non-participants and effective incentive mechanisms. For sports organisations they will need to reach out whilst meeting needs, developing commercial revenues which are under pressure, minimising administrative burden and finding volunteers. Lastly for corporate, they must gain recognition, internalise the sport/ wellbeing agenda, deal with reputational risk and sustain long term commitments. The further integration of corporates and governments into governing bodies' relationships will be the ultimate challenge as the closer the relationship between public and private bodies, the more difficult relationship building becomes. UEFA is a good example of change in attitude, as 5 or 6 years ago they were very closed and dogmatic, but now they are much more open, even to the extent of having a department devoted to academic collaboration.
16.15 – 16.45 Case Study Building partnership at the grassroots Kerry McDonald (Street Games) and Richard Moore (Street Games / Capitalize) Street Games was founded because “something was missing in sport...as no one was representing working class sport.” McDonald charted the history of sports development which began in 1970s, really got going in the eighties and has continued through the last few decades. However, what has been missing is any concerted effort to close the Wealth Gap between the
prosperous (40-50% of whom participate in sport) and the poor, (only 20% get involved). McDonald illustrated his point with the fact that 45% of GB medallists in last 3 Olympics were privately educated. During the Q&A, Grant Cornwell felt that the large contribution to the community by football clubs deserved recognition. The under privileged want to play sport but are met by barriers and this is particularly true of the inner cities so alongside partners such as the Co Op, McDonald explained their mission was to reach the areas where sport does not go. Street Games reaches 30,000 of most needy kids each week, which is “not just sport for sport's sake, but sport for social change.”
16.45 – 1715 Closing Keynote Making Sports teach the right lessons John Amaechi (Former NBA basketball player, New York Times best-selling author, consultant and psychologist). As a social scientist, Amaechi questioned whether there was any real evidence that sport can truly deliver all the benefits that had been widely discussed and assumed. His view was that such evidence was only equivocal. He challenged the belief that “bouncing balls have magical powers,” in fact the magic comes from human relationships, not from bouncing balls. In reality most people's memories of sports at school are of a negative experience, being compelled to do something they were unwilling to do. Amaechi also urged people not to confuse marketing with CSR. Good initiatives rely on a really good character to make them work, they do not just happen. Coaching is the key and Amaechi explained that his centre's coaches all adhere to the selfdetermination theory which is based on three primary factors – competence, autonomy and relatedness. In comparison with lots of sports whose modern approach is 90% focused on skills and 10% on nebulous areas of care or empathy. With appropriate and high quality coaching, sport can make a difference. The opportunity for sport to deliver tangible benefits to society is huge. But top sportspeople, who have had the best coaching for twenty odd years, and so should be excellent role models too often fall short. “A lot of them just don't care.” Sport can be empowering as it gives children the chance to experience autonomy where they are active participants in all decisions, and also in being competitive you can instill in children that they can achieve a great deal. In conclusion, Amaechi stressed that “the problem with winning by accident is you can't repeat it. It cannot be replicated. It's a one off.” Report author – Richard Foster