Olympic legacy ‘will be felt at grass-roots level’

July 26th, 2012

Mich Stevenson OBE, is Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Honorary Freeman of the City of Nottingham and an Honorary Graduate of The University of Nottingham. When Sport England was looking for two new board members with an entrepreneurial background Mich was chosen from a field of 200 and immediately elected as Chairman of the Project Committee on the Main Board.

It is the board’s responsibility to oversee the investments made by Sport England and ensure sporting excellence and value for money for the tax payer and lottery funding — whether this is in grass-roots sport or an iconic multimillion-pound sports complex.

Mich said: “I’ve played some sort of sport all my life. Sport is a challenge and I like challenge. We can be agreeing a grant to a few thousand pounds or one for millions of pounds. It is our job is to test and question the viability of those projects. We are constantly challenging the use of public and lottery money.”

Together with the other 11 main board members Mich has been a staunch supporter Sport England’s £45m investment in three major Olympic venues; the Aquatics Centre, the Velodrome and the White Water rafting. He said: “The money which has been invested in our sportsmen and women is about to be realised and the spin-offs from the Olympics should be marvellous. Once the Games are over it is our aim to ensure a lasting sporting legacy of community use.

“Without a doubt there’s definitely going to be some sort of legacy. A great deal of effort and a great deal of time has gone into designing these venues with legacy in mind. Sport has a vital part to play in our lives; it gives young people a new dimension and an involvement and it is good for our health and wellbeing. There should be no boundaries to sport. Our aim at Sport England is to encompass everyone, people of all ages and from all walks of life.”

To ensure a lasting legacy beyond London 2012, Sport England is also investing £135m of National Lottery funding through its legacy programme, Places People Play, to bring the inspiration and magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games the heart of local communities across England.

During his five years with Sport England, Mich’s work has involved setting up centres of excellence to support the UK’s top sportsmen and women. He’s been involved in the development of Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre near Marlow and the Lilleshall National Sports Centre near Newport. This award-winning National Centre of Excellence also provides a base for numerous local sports clubs. Closer to home he has taken a keen interest in the future of the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont.

“One of the most exciting projects I have been involved in is the handing over the Holme Pierrepont to Nottinghamshire County Council. It’s got the land, it’s got the water, it has got everything. Despite strong opposition I believe that this was the best decision and a brilliant opportunity to redevelop the centre into one of the major sporting venues in the UK. I am very optimistic for its future.

“People can be very disparaging sometimes about how the Government puts money into projects and doesn’t follow it up. But I can say from my experience of Sport England and my colleagues working for Sport England is that we are far more business-like now than we perhaps have been in the past. By having entrepreneurial people on the board who understand business models we are working harder than ever to ensure that the money we invest reaches the people it is aimed at, right down to grass-roots level.”

“I have hopefully made a mark in Nottinghamshire but you have to broaden your horizons and Sport England has allowed me to make a difference outside my home county.”

Mich’s extended appointment with Sport England will end next year.

“It has been a magical part of my life and I shall be very sad to walk away. I’d like to think at the end of my period of office it has been a job well done.”

And yes, Mich does have tickets for the Olympics, but he had to apply for them just like everyone else.

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