The UK Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR): Protecting the Sporting Landscape

Introduction CCPR (1) is the alliance of some 280 national governing and representative bodies of sport and recreation across the UK, spanning the whole spectrum of the sector, from football to folkdance, from rounders to rugby and includes organisations as diverse as the FA, the LTA, the British Wheel of Yoga and the British Darts Organisation. Its aim is to promote, protect and provide for sport and recreation, acting as an independent voice for around 150,000 clubs and 10 million regular participants across the UK. Our role is to ensure that the views of governing bodies, clubs and participants are represented in Westminster, Whitehall and beyond and that the interests of the sector are upheld and promoted wherever possible. This means taking every opportunity to showcase the good work of sports organisations-national and local alike-up and down the country, and identifying and tackling the bureaucracy and red-tape that often frustrates their efforts. What we do in Europe European sports policy offers as many opportunities as threats to sport in the UK and as the shape of future policy is still evolving it is vital that the UK's voice is heard and that future policy is not dictated by non-national sporting bodies or the European institutions. The needs for sport are specific, but vitally they are specific for each country and for each sport-for example a one-size-fits-all approach based on European football will not be effective for all sports. In fact it would be patently nonsensical. To ensure that the voice of sport in the UK is heard, CCPR is proactive in European affairs. We are an associate of the EU Sports Office based in Brussels as well as part of our European equivalent, the European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation (ENGSO)-the only sporting body with consultative status at the European Commission. CCPR is also part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sports' (DCMS) working group formed to develop an International strategy for the UK with respect to European policy; a strategy which will defend sport's self-determination and autonomy in the UK. Following the 2007 White Paper on Sport, the emphasis on sport in the European Union increased dramatically. The paper included the Action Plan 'Pierre de Coubertin', which was the Commission's blueprint for future policy. Despite the non-ratification of the Treaty, the Commission has not been prevented from effecting its action plan. as of November 2008, the Commission claims to have implemented or to be in the process of implementing nearly 70% of the Action Plan's 53 associated actions. Physical activity guidelines have now been developed by a Commission working group, and another group has been set up to examine anti-doping. a study has been completed to analyse home-grown players, and further studies in 2009 will analyse the roles of players' agents and the financing of grassroots sport. a conference on the fight against racism and violence in sport has already been held, while another to examine controversial proposals for licensing systems for European club sport will be held in 2009. On top of the Commission's plans, the French presidency of the EU prioritised sport highly during its term of office. It is due to President Sarkozy and Minister for Sport and ex-rugby union coach Bernard Laporte that a desire for tighter financial controls of sports clubs and quotas on foreign sportspeople originated, and the sports ministers' meeting in November in Biarritz aimed to create a common position on these and other proposals. The Lisbon Treaty, if it is ratified by Ireland, will give the European Union the competence to work directly in the field of sport for the first time. This is not to say that the effect of the European Union has never been felt in sport; the infamous Bosman ruling in 1995 changed the face of professional football forever. You can go as far back as the 1970s to see the influential effect that the European Court of Justice has had on sport. …