REVIEW OF SPRINT AND SLALOM COMPETITION STRUCTURES WITHIN BRITISH CANOEING Wharton Consulting 2014
INTRODUCTION In December 2013, GB Canoeing commissioned Wharton Consulting to conduct on its behalf an independent review of the Slalom and Sprint Racing competition structures at domestic level within the UK. (The review was funded by UK Sport). British Canoeing would like to thank all those who contributed to this review, including the 485 members who completed the on line survey during 2014. The Competition Review was an independent research project, which produced a number of recommendations and was completed in 2014. This is the Executive Summary of the report which includes the recommendations. These are the recommendations made by the external consultant and this is not therefore the agreed action plan for British Canoeing. This action plan has still to be developed, although a small number of the recommendations are in the process of being implemented. The next steps are summarised in the final section of this report. 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Objectives of the Review 1.1 To conduct a review of the competition and the extent to which current structures and provision support the wider objectives of the sport including but not limited to; Recruitment to and retention of participants within the sport at all levels, including schools, universities and clubs The identification, development and progression of talent towards the British Canoeing s Performance Programme in the Canoe Slalom and Canoe Sprint disciplines The creation of a marketable events programme at national and international levels 2. Key Findings 2.1 The findings of this review identified issues to address in three principal areas; Governance and Management Competition Experience Paddler Pathway 2.2 These findings suggest that there is a need for change within the Competition programmes and greater clarity in the following areas; Clearer understanding of where competition sits within British Canoeing s overall strategy The importance of the Olympic and Paralympic disciplines and pathways to British Canoeing, as compared to the remainder of the sport The purpose of competition within canoeing (including for the non Olympic disciplines) and clarity about its role within the performance and participation pathways 2.3 From an athlete development perspective, a competition strategy is needed to ensure that competition plays an appropriate part in the athlete development within the competition disciplines; 3
First and foremost, the needs of the athletes as determined by their age and the stage of their development, and defined by the British Canoeing Long Term Athlete Development model, athlete profiles and talent development curriculum. Second, a format of the sport which is appropriate to each age and stage, i.e., which acknowledges the capabilities of the athletes while at the same time testing and challenging them Third, coaching support and advice which develops the athletes as individuals so that they progress to the next level Fourth, and finally, a competition structure which caters for the previous needs and motivates and allows the athletes to develop their skills through recognising and rewarding appropriate attributes and achievements within a context which is both sympathetic and meaningful 3. Barriers (perceived or real) to overcome It is acknowledged that there are a number of barriers to change within the British Canoeing competition structure which might alternatively be expressed as reasons for not doing things differently. These include: The perennial difficulty of any kind of change the assumption of criticism of current practices and practitioners, the challenge of communicating the rationale for change and securing its acceptance, the fear of the new, the effort required to learn new practices, et al The reliance on partners and external organisations (e.g., clubs, venue owners and operators) to support change and to deliver key aspects of it on British Canoeing s behalf and the lack of control over these The interdependence with other arms of canoeing (e.g., the international and domestic calendars) whose actions impact directly and indirectly on the capacity of the competition events programmes The limited availability of facilities of the requisite standard and capability, in the right areas of the country, and at the right cost The complexity of developing new systems (e.g., technology) which fulfil all perceived requirements, and which can be adeptly operated by professionals and volunteers alike 4
4. The Recommendations The following recommendations are presented as a starting point for discussion within the sport. These are the recommendations of Wharton Consulting, not the Board or any committee of the Board of British Canoeing. Next steps for action are presented in the final section of this report. 5. Recommendations: Governance and Management Recommendation 1: for the British Canoeing Board of Directors to determine: The positioning, priority and purpose of domestic competitions and events within its overall strategy for the sport The relative priority of Slalom and Sprint racing, in respect of the other canoe disciplines Recommendation 2: to establish competitions and events as a key functional area within British Canoeing, championed by an identified Board member whose portfolio will ideally include both major events and domestic competitions Recommendation 3: to reconstitute the funding model through which the competition disciplines are supported, with a view especially to: Investing in key outcomes which are strategically important to British Canoeing Enabling the direction of events at regional and local level through an appropriate flow of funding Recommendation 4: to confirm the primary responsibility for strategic leadership and commissioning of events as belonging to British Canoeing and its executive workforce, and to allocate roles, responsibilities and resources accordingly Recommendation 5: to review current staffing roles and responsibilities with a view to establishing a senior leadership position responsible for competitions and events, with access to appropriate and additional operational resource (either employed or contracted) Recommendation 6: to establish a Competitions Strategy Group as a sub committee of the British Canoeing Board of Directors, with responsibility for implementing BC s competitions and events strategy, monitoring its progression through appropriate indicators, and managing the budget set by the Board for supporting competitions and events. Recommendation 7: to reconstitute the Competition Discipline Committees, which brings together volunteers and executive staff members, and revised terms of reference which further clarify their roles and responsibilities around the following: Delivery of the competition strategy set out by the Competition Strategy Group, within their respective disciplines The overall delivery and regulation of domestic competition programmes Supporting and resourcing clubs and competition organisers at regional and local levels Supporting the development of technical officials and other volunteers involved in event delivery Reporting on outcomes to the Competitions Strategy Group Recommendation 8: the Competition Discipline ACMs should provide an annual opportunity for Committees to meet with grassroots representative and, inter alia, to report on progress, present future plans and elect committee members. 5
6. Recommendations: The Competition Experience 6.1 The online survey which supported this review provided the following feedback wheel from participants in regard of British Canoeing s competition programmes: More attractive Cheaper Clearer pathway Better experience Clearer progressions More evenly spread Better run More accessible Recommendation 9: to maintain under review the entry fees paid by competitors at events, using especially comparative fees charged by other, similar sports and other canoeing activities Recommendation 10: to consider the introduction of a tariff of entry fees which is linked to the provision of facilities and services, i.e., the better the standard of provision by competition organisers in certain predetermined areas, the higher the fees they may charge Recommendation 11: to create a common look and feel for British Canoeing approved and authorised events which includes BC branding, colour ways, letterheads, signage, public announcements, social media outputs, etc. Recommendation 12: to include within the developing Event Managers training programme advice and guidance on delivering this look and feel and, more generally, enhancing the participant experience through, e.g., effective promotions and marketing, signposting and information, catering, presentations and prize giving Recommendation 13: to establish a volunteer development programme within the sphere of competitions and events which seeks to: Support clubs and volunteer competition organisers with the skills and knowledge required to deliver the competition programmes envisaged by this review; and Recognise and reward the efforts of clubs and volunteer competition organisers in a regular and formal manner Recommendation 14: to develop a comprehensive CRM system which allows for online competition entry and fee payment, the collation and processing of competition results and performances, the management of ranking lists and competitor administration, and the wider tracking of athlete performances across different disciplines. Recommendation 15: to consolidate all online information regarding the Competition Discipline 6
programmes within the British Canoeing website. 7. Recommendations: The Paddler Pathway Recommendation 16: to monitor the success of initiatives trialled at the entry levels with a view to identifying whether these demonstrate success Recommendation 17: to conduct further or more detailed research into the latent demand for competitions, with a view to identifying the volume and location, preferences and motivations of potential participants, and building an offer around these Recommendation 18: to create and communicate a resource which summarises the competition pathway for the benefit of athletes, parents, coaches and race organisers, and which sets out the ideal type and number of events which athletes should pursue at each stage of the pathway Recommendation 19: to establish a domestic Grand Prix series of high quality, open events including the British Championships which can serve as both a platform for the top domestic athletes to compete and contest international selection, and a marketing focus for the discipline Recommendation 20 to seek to stage ICF world ranking events as part of this domestic Grand Prix series Recommendation 21: to ensure a tier of superior domestic events beneath this series in order to allow (a) athletes to compete consistently and intensely, and (b) aspiring athletes to race up as appropriate Recommendation 22: identify which level of events observe international race formats and protocols Recommendation 23: to pursue a commissioning approach to the staging of Grand Prix and superior domestic events and age related national championships, that is: to predetermine the dates in the calendar in which events should be staged to prescribe the approximate geographical spread across which events should be staged to invite clubs and venues to apply to host events by fulfilling the requirements of a tender process Recommendation 24: to realign the rankings and promotion system in such a way as to ensure that athletes spend an appropriate time at each level developing appropriate skills before progressing to a higher level Recommendation 25: to review the introductory / open / recreational level of the sport in its competitive format and, in the first instance, to emphasise participation and enjoyment while removing the pressure to progress along the pathway Recommendation 26: to collate examples of good practice for innovative, introductory competition formats for novice racers, and to disseminate these among club competition organisers Recommendation 27: to align the age group national championships with international age class 7
only, i.e., Junior and U23/U21, and international formats Recommendation 28: to establish a qualification system for age group national championships which requires consistent performances over a period of time, and the periodisation of preparation towards performance Recommendation 29: to conduct the younger age group championships over bespoke, shorter courses, in order to suit maturation levels, allow more runs, and develop technical skills Recommendation 30: to feature multi class awards within age group championships (i.e., a cumulative Grand Prix based on competing in different boats, especially at U14 level), in addition to single class, in order to encourage a wide range of boat skills Recommendation 31: to create a domestic Grand Prix series of three to four events incorporating selection trials for major international events, staged at a range of venues, and marketed as highquality spectator events this to comprise: Two to three open entry, elite level events, staged in international format A closed selection event for GBR teams to contest milestone international events Recommendation 32: to reconstitute the Junior, U23, Universities, Masters, Paracanoe and Inter Services National Championships into a single festival of Competition s each year in response to the demands of the international calendar: Herein the focus to be on racing, and not time trials A system of qualification for these championships to be devised The event to be of high quality, with a country fair identity Recommendation 33: to establish a super or inter regional tier of racing, based in diverse venues, which involves athletes of a higher domestic standard, and which serves as qualification for the National Championships Recommendation 34: to establish a tier of intra regional racing, based around a mapped network of major clubs, which involves athletes of domestic standard, and which provides a learning environment in which key racing skills can be learned Recommendation 35: to manage the schedule of events in such a way as to work in harmony with other competition disciplines, and to minimise clashes Recommendation 36: to explore the long term feasibility of developing a high level, high profile series of made for TV city centre events featuring world class athletes as a national showcase for the sport of canoeing Recommendation 37: to integrate disabled canoeists within the proposed competition structure: Talented and performance level athletes within higher level competitions (Paracanoe) Athletes whose focus is on participation within lower level competitions (Paddleability) 8
8 Next Steps The following next steps are proposed; The Board considers this report and agrees its priority actions for 2016/2017 The Discipline Committees for Slalom and Sprint consider this report and consider priority actions for 2016/2017 The English Council and Home Country NGBs consider this report and consider priority actions for 2016/2017 The position of competition is further explored and a coordinated action plan is presented within the new Strategic Plan for British Canoeing 2017 2021 Any immediate next steps and priorities for action in 2016 are agreed by the Competition and Events Strategy Group for delivery End April 2016 9