Source: www.guardian.co.tt
By: Brian Lewis
National Sport Organisations (NSOs) are deeply unsettled about the present and concerned about the future many of them are uncertain about Government’s policy about sport. There are renewed calls for the government to make crystal clear what is its sport policy for the next five years. There are some who don’t want to acknowledge the real reasons for the perceived funding crisis in local sport because that will make them responsible for solutions so the cause of it all is bad policy emanating from Abercromby Street. It is always someone else’s fault, and government makes an easy target. That’s nonsense. The seeds of the debacle took a long time to flower. It certainly did not occur in the last 18 months. Admittedly in some instances, it is a case of a good concept badly executed. Last week’s column made the point that funding is not a God given right—not unexpectedly some took umbrage to the position that access to and allocation of funding is not an entitlement. As long as we continue to pretend and evade honest evaluation nothing will change. There is no point pretending there are no questions for the Ministry of Sport, the Sport Company and the TTOC to answer, but there is no need to panic and despair.
In fact the entire debate swirling around the funding of sport is necessary, even though many have serious doubts, T&T sport is heading in the right direction, stumbling along as it may seem to be. A little equilibrium from stakeholders and soul searching is needed as too much of what is happening relies on individual brilliance and not collective excellence. Sport leaders must work together to develop consensus if we are to galvanise the nation’s sport potential. Things aren’t quite as desperate as many would think. That having been said, the faster NSOs figure out that to achieve sustained excellence and competitiveness they have to construct the infrastructure the better things will be. Debatable as that thought is, before heaping scorn its worth remembering funding wise where local sport a decade and a half ago. Some have short memories, or the benefit of history and experience. What is needed is a collective will to put aside all the emotional aspects and pressure and concentrate on the task at hand. It is a bitter pill to swallow but it doesn’t serve a purpose turning on each other. Put aside the personal attacks and incendiary comments. There is an alarming amount of doom and gloom and long faces as all the progress made is forgotten.
Clearly we have a long way to go but it’s time to grow up and get in the right frame of mind. Let’s not forget sport is generally a voluntary activity - that is individuals freely choose to participate or not. Volunteers by definition do not seek economic benefits through their membership in an organisation. A volunteer might join an organisation for several reasons. These may include learning and growing, helping others, using present skills and learning new skills, gaining work experience, repaying debt to society, contributing either money, skill, knowledge or experience. Considering the volunteer orientation of the majority of local sports effectiveness and efficiency in the use of limited resources is in sharp focus. One of many definitions of management is that management is concerned with cordination of limited human and material resources. Since managing limited resources is a core function of sport management one wonders what all the fuss is about. The bottom line is sport administrators were elected to achieve objectives and goals with limited resources. We have a golden opportunity to really come to grips with the root causes but by focusing on the blame game we are missing the boat and not for the first time.