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Nov 16

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Make A Splash this Christmas

Just take a minute to consider how you can actually help a local club to try and achieve its dreams of making the Olympics in Rio next Year. Stockport Metro Swimming Club has just launched a fundraising appeal to help bring in the necessary money to take its talented and aspiring athletes to a dedicated training camp in the New Year.  The campaign is live NOW and will run until 3rd January 2016 only, by which stage the minimum target of £2,400 has to be pledged.

Coach, Richard Blackshaw said:

“This Appeal is to help our swimmers attend a 4 week training camp based in Pretoria, South Africa. This camp is a specific Altitude camp and will allow the swimmers to make a physiological adaptation that can make a huge difference at International levels where 100th of a second divides 1st from 4th. Training at altitude is impossible within our own Country hence the reason to travel to countries abroad.”

Stockport Metro has enjoyed a long history of podium success across all age groups at County, Regional, National and International levels, breaking countless British and Commonwealth records. Since moving to Grand Central Pools fourteen athletes have qualified for the Olympic Games, and the Club has produced four Olympic medallists, making it the most successful in British history.

As with all sports, reward is measured on performance and following the London 2012 Olympics the governing body suffered funding cuts, the cuts have been significant and since 2012 Stockport Metro funding has been cut until in 2015 we are no longer receiving any funding at all – which in the past has enabled our athletes to have the best environment and attend altitude camps.

All the successful athletes in its history attended altitude training camps during their 4 year Olympic cycles. Steve Parry and Graeme Smith both won bronze medals in Athens and Atlanta respectively. Adrian Turner was a semi-finalist in Atlanta. James Goddard, a Commonwealth Triple gold medallist, narrowly missed out on a medal in Athens.

Five Metro swimmers competed in Beijing: Keri-Anne Payne who took the silver in the inaugural 10K Marathon Open Water event, Cassie Patten took the bronze in the same event, Michael Rock, James Goddard and David Carry. A further five Metro swimmers competed in the London 2012 games, Keri-Anne Payne, Michael Rock, David Carry, James Goddard and Sophie Allen.

Stockport Metro’s key objective is to develop the next generation of World Class Athletes and give them the opportunity to be successful on the senior international stage. With the current group of swimmers coming through the pathway times are extremely exciting. If anyone watched the recent European Championships in Baku, seeing Holly Hibbott, aged only 15, becoming Champion in the 800 freestyle beating the best of Europe or Katie Matts winning a Bronze at the World Junior Championships in Singapore will have seen the potential and what an outstanding achievement it was, but the ambition, philosophy or track record is not to produce successful junior athletes but to produce successful senior athletes. Metro seek to achieve this with your help. Holly and Katie are but two of the talents among the British National Champions of 2015. Director of Performance, Sean Kelly, former Head Coach of the Stockport ITC, has been on the GB coaching team for the past two Olympic Games. He is one of the most successful coaches in British history in terms of podium success, and has twice been honoured with the GB Coach of the Year award.

The Fundraising Appeal is being conducted on the website link: https://uk.sponsorise.me/en/project-stockport-metro

Donations are being accepted from as little as £1 so everyone can help the cause.  For donations, each person will receive a range of exciting rewards including: messages from our swimmers on social media, personalised letters from a swimmer, signed swimming caps, signed t-shirt, entry to a select raffle, personalised tuition with a member of the Stockport Metro Performance Squad, advert in the events programmes for a full twelve months or all of the above.

Please contribute whatever you can – or maybe make a donation instead of buying and sending out Christmas Cards this Year or you can even buy one of the superb offerings as a present. 

Let’s put Stockport on the map again in Rio.

Note to Editor:

  1. Photo of Fundraising Appeal website at Sponsorise.Me (web site address: https://uk.sponsorise.me/ enclosed)
  2. More information: Julie Bennett, Swimming Development Manager 07919 004070
  3. Anyone interested in sponsoring Stockport Metro can contact adrian@fcsportsmarketing.com

Nov 3

We did it! #stockportvolleyball

Tonight saw the first ever session of Stockport Volleyball Club.  This was only made possible through the dedication and encouragement of Volleyball England and especially our liaison, Steve Kerr.  We weren’t overwhelmed by numbers but all the players (enough for two teams) left totally satisfied and on a mission to let their friends know just how much volleyball with ‘The S’PORT’ can be.  Special thanks also to The Seashell Trust, Greater Sport, Life Leisure and Sportivate.  Next session at 7.00pm on Tuesday 17th November 2015 at The Seashell Trust.  New members most welcome even if you’ve never played before – you’ll be made most welcome. More information: adrian@stockportvolleyball.com

Oct 30

Cobblers in financial mess

Kindly reproduced with gratitude to Development Finance Today – an article that highlights the pitfalls that can unfold in sports developmental projects when capital-build is the name of the game.  Over the years, we’ve witnessed several horror stories or simply buildings not fit for purpose for the sports for which they were intended. Also, we ‘County’ fans no the impact of loans rather than equity and how they can lead to demise of a club:

“Buckingham Group has stopped work on the redevelopment of Northampton Town’s East Stand because the contractor has claimed it is owed £3m from its client County Developments Northampton Ltd (CDNL). CDNL, which is jointly owned by Northampton Town Football Club Chairman David Cardoza and his father Anthony Cardoza, has not paid the Buckingham Group.

Northampton Town has recently been issued with a warning from Northampton Borough Council over the repayment of a £10m loan as well as being issued with a petition by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).  Buckingham Group has so far been paid a total of £442,000, net of VAT, by its initial client 1st Land Limited which received a significant proportion of the public loan through its client, Northampton Town FC.

This contract stalled after a dispute between 1st Land and the football club where Buckingham was owed £1.85m. But at the end of March, the contractor had reached an agreement with David Cardoza to return to work and complete work on the new stand.  “This agreement was based on assurances that there were adequate, additional, public loan monies that remained available to fund the completion of the East Stand works,” said Buckingham Group.

A new contract was signed by CDNL and Buckingham returned to work, but a repayment due under the contract was not paid on time in May, leading to another suspension.  Buckingham has claimed that to date, no money has been paid by CDNL and it currently owes £3m, inclusive of an element of VAT, to Buckingham for works completed and for the debt that CDNL took over from 1st Land.  This has resulted in the contractor engaging in legal action against CDNL.  “This regrettable situation has arisen through what we can only conclude is the gross mismanagement and/or the misappropriation of a very significant public loan by those in receipt of that loan,” said Buckingham Group.

“The loan sum advanced to 1st Land Ltd via Northampton Town Football Club was approximately double the value of the original construction contract for the East Stand work.”  On the 22nd October, Northampton Borough Council confirmed CNDL had been wound up, resulting in the Council to look at a wider range of ways to get its £10m loan paid back.  “Our priority is to protect the public purse and ensure that the loan is repaid in full, while also offering support to safeguard the future of the football club,” said the Council. “With that in mind, we have made proposals to David Cardoza and offered to work with the club to avoid being liquidated by the HMRC petition, and we await a decision from David Cardoza on that.”

Last week, David Cardoza said he was working night and day to secure a resolution to all the issues that the club is currently facing.  “There are plenty of headlines surrounding the club at the moment, that’s understandable, but all efforts are being dedicated to resolve this situation as soon as possible,” said David.

“I understand and accept the urgency, I understand the importance, and I am doing everything possible to remove the uncertainty surrounding the club as soon as possible.””

Oct 24

What a Week!

Next week sees the last date of my role at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).  I have enjoyed my activities and am proud of achievements.  The next challenge will come from my joining the University College of Football Business (UCFB).

This is a logical progression with thirty years in sports management and marketing – and an opportunity to build on the Associate and Guest Lecturing that I have undertaken at MMU, UCFB and University of Northampton.  I will initially lead the modules on Sports Management for Burnley and Wembley Stadium, and Lecture on enterprise in the first semester.

I believe that UCFB is the pinnacle of sports education and this Week’s developments have done nothing to dispel that belief.

On Monday, the University announced its partnership with Real Madrid. It announced: “UCFB to create first ever UK higher education partnership with Real Madrid Graduate School. From September 2016, UCFB’s postgraduate students will be given the opportunity to add to their unique experience of studying inside the famous Wembley Stadium by spending a period of time in Madrid.  The Real Madrid Graduate School’s facilities include the new Sports City and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid.”

On Thursday, UCFB “marked a significant step in its growth with the launch of its third campus at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. UCFB Etihad Campus will allow students to live, learn and work at the heart of one of Europe’s leading sporting facilities. UCFB’s newest location will see lectures and seminars delivered within the Etihad Stadium itself, building on the unique learning environment harnessed since the pioneering higher education institution was founded. Amongst further Etihad Campus facilities, the agreement will also see the impressive City Football Academy facilities utilised during students’ degree programmes.”

This is why I joined the University and will work whilst continuing to lead ACROBAT Consulting & Marketing LTD and FC Sports Marketing LTD.  The organisation is more commercial than other providers and proudly shows that ninety percent of final year students have secured jobs prior to final examinations.  UCFB setting the standards for others to follow.

Interested to find out more: a.stores@ucfb.com

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