12 PEOPLE
“We’re looking for investors in our strategy – some will be from the membership – we hope one will be Sport England” Adrian Christy, chief executive Badminton England
A Badminton suffers from the lack of media it usually gets, but the Rio Games brought the sport more attention
KIN CHEUNG / PRESS ASSOCIATION
head of an Olympic and Paralympic Games, national governing bodies (NGB) prepare – and brace – themselves for the window of opportunity when members of the British public, inspired by an athlete or achievement, decide to take up sports which have largely been ignored by the media for much of the previous four years. Following Team GB’s success in Rio, a number of sports will experience initial participation increases, which governing bodies will attempt to sustain to boost their respective talent pools, or to appear more attractive to public and commercial funders. Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy acknowledges the window is “small”, but after Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge’s stunning bronze medal success, the opportunity is not insignificant. Christy tells Sports Management that since the unexpected triumph, the number of court bookings in London alone has increased by 245 per cent, and there are plans to retain the majority of those reeled in by the elite success exposure. Later on this year the NGB will launch a “huge” digital project, which includes creating personalised messages to
appeal to potential badminton players based on their preferences and lifestyle. Badminton England will also be “restructuring” to “get more impact on the front line”. “We want more people on the ground,” says Christy, who has spent 10 years as the organisation’s CEO. “They don’t necessarily have to be employed by us – it could be partnerships with local authorities or County Sports Partnerships (CSP). But critically, we need more people at front line facility level delivery rather than us being the deliverer of it. By being more creative and innovative we’re going to be in a much stronger position to influence participation growth.” Rather than trying to be “all things to all people”, Christy says establishing a “core market” and creating the right conditions for the market to thrive was the most effective way to keep players in the game.
Focus on young players This year Badminton England lost 10 per cent of its Sport England funding as it failed to attract an agreed number of participants over the age of 26. Despite this, Christy reveals that engaging younger demographics – primary-aged children – will continue to be one of the body’s main ambitions, and is unapologetic about its ultra-focused new approach. “The key lesson over the last Sport England cycle is to do more with fewer and invest where we think we can have the greatest impact,” explains Christy. “Over the last two cycles, governing bodies have tried to be everything to everybody, but we now recognise that other organisations can manage and support some objectives better than we can.
sportsmanagement.co.uk Issue 127 • October 2016