The world of sport is evolving at an increasingly rapid pace. New sports – from parkour to eSports – are raising their profiles and growing their participation numbers, while many traditional sports are reinventing themselves in order to gain new audiences.
Technology now plays a major role in the way traditional sports are played and consumed at all levels, wearable tech allows sophisticated data capture at grassroots sports level, while 360-degree, virtual reality broadcasts are being tested out in a number of sports – including football and rugby.
There’s also a geographical power shift in progress. China is flexing its economic muscle as it looks set to become the next sporting superpower. Meanwhile, the recent success of Iceland’s football team shows what smaller nations can achieve by focused investment – in Iceland’s case, indoor centres and synthetic playing surfaces.
Time for evolution
Mirroring the shifting landscapes of sport, SAPCA is evolving too. This year marks SAPCA’s 20th anniversary, so there is no better time to refresh, reinvent and improve our offer to the sports construction sector.
In February, we unveiled SAPCA’s distinctive new corporate identity. It is just one element of our new marketing and communications plan, which is being implemented throughout 2017.
One of the most important projects within the plan is the creation of a new SAPCA website, currently under development. The new site will play a crucial role in delivering enhanced guidance and advice to those looking to develop sports facilities in the UK.
Another development is our decision to move towards a more skills-based SAPCA board. Last year, UK Sport and Sport England published the new Code for Sports Governance – a mandatory code that sets out the levels of transparency, accountability and financial integrity required from UK sports organisations. Among the code’s recommendations was that 25 per cent of each organisation’s board should be occupied by independent, non-executive directors.
High standards
While SAPCA doesn’t receive public funding, and therefore isn’t directly under the ‘jurisdiction’ of the new code, it is only right that we meet the highest standards set for the industry we serve. For the next year, we will reduce the number of elected positions by three, to be replaced by three new positions for individuals to lead in the areas of technical, training and marketing.
Our 20th anniversary provides an opportunity to reposition and reinvent our image. To this end, we are strengthening our Quality System, ensuring that only specialist companies that consistently deliver high standards are able to join SAPCA. We are doing this by introducing new protocols, updating codes of practices and investing in much-needed research.
Entering our 21st year in a rapidly changing sporting landscape, our focus is to make clear the benefits of choosing SAPCA members for sports projects. Our aim is to reassure sports clubs, schools, universities, local authorities and all other clients that by working with SAPCA members, their hard-earned funds have been invested wisely.