Sport @ Parliament

Sport has been one of my main policy interests over my ten years in Parliament. As well as being a mad keen sportsman I have also used my energy and enthusiasm for sport to drive the public agenda on this issue. Unfortunately as a player I am now reduced to simply playing club rugby most weekends of the season, visiting the gym during the week and, as you can see from news stories on this site, participating in occasional sporting charity matches. When I was younger and before I became an MP I also regularly played volleyball and tennis as well as simply running.
However, I remain passionate about supporting sport and do all I can to promote its importance in Parliament. A few details are provided below of my involvement with sport while I’ve been an MP. I have also been involved in successful lobbying on Community Amateur Sports Clubs, having introduced the original ten minute rule bill on CASCs, school sport, Government backing for the Olympic project and most recently in the Treasury on the funding boost for elite athletes.

It is in this context and that of leadership change that I feel it is the right time for sport to deliver a challenge to the Government. The full sporting challenge and my policy suggestions can be downloaded by clicking the link below.

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I'm Backing the Echo's Campaign:
Conference Football for Loughborough

I am backing the campaign led by the Loughborough Echo to bring top flight football to the town. I have always said a place like Loughborough deserves top class sport facilities for the community as well as the University. I have tried to work with clubs in the past to 'live the dream' but it has not happened for a wide variety of reasons. Now we have a great paper like the Echo and some momentum perhaps we can have another go at bringing together all the parties who hold the dream. However, as you can see from my website I believe passionately in community sport for everybody no matter what age or where they live and I will campaign passionately to bring decent football and other sporting facilities to Sileby for example first. Whilst conference football would be great it cannot be at the expense of improving grassroots coaching, clubs and facilities locally.

MP Chairs Echo Football Campaign Meeting (June '07)

I joined others at the Loughborough Echo offices today to see if the campaign to bring top class football to the town could get widespread backing. It was good to get representatives of all the interested parties around the table to thrash out all the issues involved. I wanted people to be frank, honest and open about the support or otherwise of the Echo Campaign. I also highlighted that my support was based on my belief that a town the size of Loughborough should be represented at football in the right league - but more importantly it would promote a pathway for youngsters to love sport. I am also keen that this will encourage the Echo to highlight the plight of junior clubs like Sileby who deserve better facilities for the amount of good work they do. The same is true of other Loughborough teams. We now have a series of points to take forward and to work on over the summer months but there is clearly a general feeling that we need to work on getting a first class team and first class sporting facilities for the town and I back that all the way!

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Sports Fellowship

This week I was awarded a Sports fellowship by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Mr Martin. In a ceremony held by he Speaker I was one of only a handful of MPs to complete the first year of the scheme.

The purpose of the scheme is to allow MPs to work in the real world of sports administration and for sports administrators to wee how parliament works. I have spent the last year working with the RFU and Premier rugby. I couldn't have picked a more exciting time to be involved in rugby than the last 12 months - a war between the RFU and Premier rugby - the sacking of a coach and the build up to a world cup. I have learnt a great deal about top level sport from the inside and that is invaluable. I aim to join other schemes working with industry and the police in future to learn similar skills in other fields.

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Community and 'Grass-roots' Sport

Sport at the community level is vital for tackling obesity, building closer communities and providing fun opportunities for people of all age to participate. There is so much variety and I am sure there is a sport for everyone!

I spend a substantial portion of my time lobbying on behalf of grassroots sport and particularly for the volunteers who make community-level sport a reality. There are about 1.5 million volunteers in sport in this country, in fact volunteers in sport make up 26% of all volunteering in the UK.

25% of all UK
volunteering is
in sport

I continue to play many different sports, my passion being rugby. I play with Birstal RFC. I also play on the parliamentary rugby, football and cricket teams.

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Where I've been involved both nationally and locally

1982–present President and Player Birstall RFC
1999-2001 PPS to Kate Hoey MP as Sports Minister
2000-2003 Chair - East Midlands Regional Sports Board
2004-present Chair - Leicestershire County Sports Partenership
2004-present Chair - Sports Caucus in Parliament
2005-2006 Sports Fellowship - RFU/Premier Rugby
2006-present Chair - National Strategic Partnership for Volunteers in Sport
2006-present Advisor to Sports Minister on Rugby

External Advisory body at Loughborough University
Vice Chair of the All Party Sport Group and member of the All Party Groups on athletics, rugby union, football, cricket, tennis, hockey, and rowing