WSA appear before Senedd committee
Andrew Howard (Chief Executive Officer, WSA), Fergus Feeney (Chief Executive Officer, Swim Wales) and Vicki Sutton (Chief Executive Officer, Wales Netball) recently appeared before the Senedd, presenting evidence to the Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee regarding the impact of the funding reductions to sport here in Wales.
They started off by outlining the major impact these reductions in funding have had on the sports sector as a whole. These reductions have been a constant since 2010, with only one real terms increase to the Sport Wales budget in the period 2010-2025. There is now growing concern over the future financial landscape, with ongoing reductions facing the real prospect of harming front line services.
They told the committee how people within the sport sector are working extremely hard to make sport an inclusive space. However, these budget pressures will eventually mean having to cut initiatives which look to bridge the gaps around inequality. There is a scenario where only those who can afford it will be able to wear the Welsh jersey.
As the sport sector, we’re being asked to do more with less, with no additional money coming in the remit letter for Sport Wales, and funded partners has steadily grown.
The witnesses also noted the power sport has for Wales as a country to be seen on the world stage is being threatened, with sports like Netball already having to manage their international calendar to be as affordable as possible.
Comparing internationally, Wales arguably underfund sport and physical activity. Comparator nations often spend at least double the £5-6 per head of population we see here in Wales.
They demonstrated to the committee how sport is naturally preventative, arguing for greater investment from Health and Education in building healthy habits.
As things stand national governing bodies and other organisations in the sector are fighting on a number of different fronts with less money, fewer resources and fewer people. With such an ongoing decline in funding, it was noted that wages in the sector were struggling to keep up and as a consequence there is a real risk of “brain drain” and skill loss that will be difficult to replace.
In summary, colleagues asked the committee to think of sport as a preventative measure, to recognise it’s core role in wellbeing, and reflect that sport is very much part of the DNA of Wales as a country. To cut sport and physical activity so routinely is short-sighted at best, and will not save money in the long term.
English