UK sport funding

   I'm happy for UK Sport to be given as much money as they can beg, but not from me, not from the taxpayer, not from the Exchequer. Let the Lottery suckers pay if they want - suits me. At least they contribute voluntarily. 

In contrast, as a mere pleb, I will continue to meet the annual costs of my chosen sports, inflated as they are by various taxes imposed on clubs by central government, without any handouts, while I work full time into my 64th year, having seen no benefit in all that time ever accrue to an ordinary club member from any of these sporting jamborees, which seem only to provide a raison d'etre for the few who have to be supported by the many while they enjoy themselves.

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Xpletive Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 28 Jan 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xpletive Report Post Quote Reply Topic: UK sport funding Posted: 20 Dec 12 at 9:37pm
	I'm happy for UK Sport to be given as much money as they can beg, but not from me, not from the taxpayer, not from the Exchequer. Let the Lottery suckers pay if they want - suits me. At least they contribute voluntarily. In contrast, as a mere pleb, I will continue to meet the annual costs of my chosen sports, inflated as they are by various taxes imposed on clubs by central government, without any handouts, while I work full time into my 64th year, having seen no benefit in all that time ever accrue to an ordinary club member from any of these sporting jamborees, which seem only to provide a raison d'etre for the few who have to be supported by the many while they enjoy themselves.

SoggyBadger Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 26 Oct 10 Location: The Wild Wood Online Status: Offline Posts: 552	Post Options Post Reply Quote SoggyBadger Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 20 Dec 12 at 10:15pm
	Well said Xpletive
	Best wishes from deep in the woods SB

Chris 249 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 10 May 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2041	Post Options Post Reply Quote Chris 249 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 22 Dec 12 at 12:20am
	To get another view on funding, squads and youth drop-out rates, one could look at the biggest Skiff club in the world. The figures and facilities are interesting - $20 million p.a. (13 million pounds) in takings from the bar and poker machine use by 28,000 members translates into benefits like free boat storage; effectively free membership; subsidies for championships; arranging sponsorship; free beer and BBQ after every race; free races; and $500,000 p.a. other funding for sailing, including paying each 16 Foot Skiff $200 just for finishing a weekly club race, $475 for a personal handicap win in a weekly club race, and an EXTRA $10,000 prizemoney for the annual club championship and personal handicap points series. Kids are NOT pushed into squads (as that would keep them from 16 Foot Skiffs, which is what the club is all about) but Olympians are heavily supported (one got a club-owned waterfront house rent-free, I believe). And all that largesse is centred on maintaining the fleet of 21 16 Foot Skiffs. The feeder classes (and feeding the 16s is what they are expressly for) comprise 25 29ers and Cherubs, a dozen Lasers, and 60 junior boats. So even with enormous amounts of funding support, an ideal sailing environment (warm, open water and good winds) and high performance boats that you can (literally) get for free, you end up with about 60 "senior" sailors out of a production line of about 140 juniors at any one time. Given that many of the 60 senior sailors have been in the class for many years while the juniors are churning through, it seems that the youth/young adult dropout rate is very high even when cash, slower boats and squads aren't an issue. Dropout is a general problem for sports, isn't it? As Sport England says "47% of secondary aged young people are a member of a ‘sports club’ but that this drops to 17% amongst 16 to 19 year olds and then continues to decrease as people get older." Is the drop out any worse in sailing, especially when one allows for the fact that so many of us switch to yachts in young adult years?