UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
SPORT AND WELLNESS DUAL ASSURANCE MEETING
15.00 Tuesday 8 October 2013
Ted Wragg Meeting Room, Northcote House
Present;
Professor Neil Armstrong (chair)
Nicholas Bull
Phil Attwell
Geoff Pringle
In attendance:
Abi Wooding (notes)
Apologies:
Alexandra Powell
Agenda
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Notes of the Dual Engagement meeting of 3 April 2013 (Appendix 1)
1.1
The group approved the minutes.
1.2
In response to paragraph 1.3, a hockey event was held in London to which alumni were invited
at Richmond’s hockey club ground in Chiswick – friendly match between Exeter and Durham
students. This will be expanded upon next year where rugby will also be included. The alumni
turnout was good but the venue may be revised in future.
1.3
Nicholas Bull suggested it would be useful to establish unified badging across Penryn sports
teams. A unified theme for Camborne School of Mines and Exeter could boost Cornwall
alumni by establishing shared links to Exeter.
1.4
ACTION; Phil Attwell to discuss this with Alex Powell to raise with counterparts in Cornwall.
1.5
ACTION; Phil Attwell and Alex Powell will discuss with Niamh Lamond about photos and
branding and will report back to the next meeting.
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Director of Sport report (Appendix 2)
2.1
The Director of Sport provided an overview of Sport at the University of Exeter and the
following points were noted;
2.2
Facilities:
2.2.1
The final stages of the capital programme have gone very well. Following the formal opening
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on 5 September, the facilities were fully accessible for open day on 7 September, and
subsequently were offered for a week for prospective users (particularly staff) to come and
have a try. By 16 September the new facilities were fully up and running, and have been very
busy ever since. Minor snags have been managed as they have arisen, and for the next few
months the contractors will be checking in each week to ensure that we are happy with the
project.
2.2.2
Concerns about the safety of the climbing wall have led to a suspension in use of this facility.
Given the development of a good facility in town, and the likely cost of bringing the climbing
wall up to a good standard, this facility is likely to be shut down permanently.
2.2.3
All other facilities are in excellent condition and are being fully utilised.
2.2.4
Plans are progressing on five significant projects for delivery over the coming months.
2.2.5
Following a grant from the R&A and a contribution from the alumni golf event, the golf shortgame practice area has now gone out to tender and, subject to approval through the capital
planning process, should be completed prior to Christmas. The total cost of this project is in
the region of £80,000.
2.2.6
Plans for a pool-side changing block are being worked up for construction in time for the
reopening of the outdoor pool in May 2014. This will incorporate lido-style changing space,
showers, and pool-side toilets, replacing the poor quality changing accommodation in the
basement of Cornwall House. A budget is not yet developed for this project, but likely to be
£70,000.
2.2.7
Improvements to the Sports Hall Roof have been included in the Long Term Maintenance
budget for 2013/14 and are scheduled for June 2014. This will correct problems caused by
direct sunlight into the space, put an end to leaks in the winter, and open up possibilities for
further PVC installations.
2.2.8
The spring/summer of 2014 will see the creation of the Athlete Development Centre, in the
location of the former health and fitness studio. This space will incorporate the heavy weights
equipment needed for the High Performance Programme, as well as providing dedicated
meeting/video analysis/team briefing space. A budget of £60,000 is set aside for this project,
which is largely partition walls and redecoration in the first phase.
2.2.9
2014 is likely to see the 3g pitch renovation project. This will involve the removal of the old
carpet, installing an engineered base and then relaying a new carpet. This will be paid for
from the 2014/15 budget, but is likely to cost in the region of £270,000.
2.2.10 There are plans to carry out some pitch work at the UoE Topsham ground in anticipation of
securing the status of Team Base for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Discussions are also ongoing regarding our swimming pool provision, and potential partnerships around the creation
of an additional 3g pitch into which we might be able to buy access.
2.2.11 Facility provision in Cornwall is a growing concern for the University, and it appears
increasingly likely that this issue will need to be tackled with little support from partners. Plans
are being discussed to determine whether a phased development can be pieced together.
2.3
Programmes:
2.3.1
Early indications are that AU club membership numbers will be high.
2.3.2
Exercise referrals for students have seen a significant increase, and a Wellness Summit will
shortly be convened, under the leadership of Professor Janice Kay, where all the providers are
the various wellness services will come together and discuss ways of working more closely
together.
2.3.3
The High Performance Programme has made an excellent start, and the various new
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members of staff have settled in well. The target in BUCS this year is 6 . Most of the BUCS
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league programme commences on 16 October, with surfing kicking off the national
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championships programme on 18 October.
2.4
Personnel:
2.4.1
There has been a successful recruitment process to positions in strength and conditioning,
rowing and lacrosse, and we are in the process of recruiting with the tennis and cricket teams.
The most significant change is on the operational front, where there have been a significant
number of new posts at front-of-house and in the Russell Seal Fitness Centre.
2.4.2
From 1 October 2013, Phil took up his new assignment of “Deputy Director of Campus
Service and Director of Sport.” Responsibility for Grounds and Property Services has been
added to his portfolio, in addition to other management responsibilities within Campus
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Services. Phil has resigned a number of externally facing roles and has delegated elements to
the three Assistant Directors of Sport.
2.4.3
The group congratulated Phil on his new assignment.
2.5
Other Issues:
2.5.1
The football varsity attracted record numbers of supporters to St James Park on 25
September. There were three complaints from local residents about rowdy students, and we
have now met with the police and agreed a plan about how we can further reduce the
inconvenience for local residents, while continuing to provide a high profile celebration of sport
for the many students who enjoy it.
2.5.2
We have been engaging fully in the discussions about the redevelopment of the St Luke’s
campus, where the strategic decisions around swimming pool provision have some impact.
Suggestions for a 50m pool have been discussed to be situated at the Bus Station site in the
centre of Exeter. This would include an eight lane pool and children’s pool. Student focus
groups responded well to this suggestion despite it note being located at either St Luke’s or
Streatham campuses.
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Athletic Union President Objectives for 2013/14 (Appendix 3)
3.1.1
The group received a report on the Athletic Union President’s objectives for 2013/2014. The
following points were noted;
3.1.2
Despite the aim to consistently finish as a top 10 sporting institution in BUCS, and more
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ambitiously to add to our BUCS success and move further up the table (from 5 last year), an
AU President can only facilitate this. Exeter’s overall success in BUCS is a collaborative effort
by the Athletic Union, the High Performance Unit and the coaches, although ultimately it is
down to the athletes and the teams.
3.1.3
One of the main objectives is to increase participation across the board, and this is the primary
role of the Athletic Union and the AU President. One of their key goals this year is to ensure
everyone gets the best sporting experience possible during their time at Exeter, whether that
would be through AU clubs, Intramural, the Sports Volunteering Scheme or one off events.
3.2
Committee Training & the first AU Council Review:
3.2.1
This was a morning in June which all the club committees received important information for
the following year, and met both the members of staff who they will be working with and their
AU Executive representatives. Positive feedback was received and Alex will continue to try
and improve the training day. The event was also a way to reinforce the AU code of conduct
and to make them aware of their responsibilities. The first AU Council informs all the club
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captains of the major first term events and this will take place on the 30 of September.
3.3
International Sport Month & Weekends:
3.3.1
International Sport Month was very successful, with 1969 participants involved, 552
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international, 1160 domestic and 257 INTO. This year’s ISM is to take place in 17 Februaryth
17 March 2014.
3.4
Club Photos:
3.4.1
In previous years team photos have only been available to the AU clubs. However, this year
Alex Powell will be working towards having some slots available for the Intra mural teams.
3.5
Rugby Varsity:
3.5.1
On February 19 2014, Exeter vs. Bath will take place at Sandy Park.
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3.6
Disabled Sport Taster sessions:
3.6.1
An event to raise awareness and promote disabled sport will take place in order to work with
local clubs to point disabled students in the right direction if they want to be involved. There is
currently interest from Blind Football, Wheelchair basketball and Wheelchair tennis.
3.7
Intramural:
3.7.1
Intramural Sport (IMS) provides recreational sports leagues designed to encourage participation. IMS is open to all University of Exeter students and staff, with teams usually
entered representing halls, academic subjects, sports clubs or societies.
Throughout the year we will investigate to see if it is possible to increase the number of sports
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on the programme. The leagues commenced on October 7 .
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Comparator Survey based on 2011/12 data (Appendix 4)
4.0.1
The group received a paper detailing information from the Comparator Survey and the
following points were noted;
4.0.2
In June 2013, 11 institutions were invited to contribute their data to a comparative study of
institutional investment in sport. Responses were collated from the 8 respondents, with
Warwick, Lancaster and York not submitting a return.
4.0.3
All institutions are high achieving academic institutions, and all feature in the top 20 institutions
within the BUCS league table. So while the size and shape of the institutions are very
different, their missions are broadly similar.
4.0.4
Comparisons of this type are difficult to make, given different accounting practices and
different histories. For instance, some sports departments pay for their sports grounds while
others do not; some pay their own utilities while others do not; and the relationship between
the Sports Department and the Athletic Union (where it exists) varies widely. This study has
tried to look at investment in sport at an institutional level. An attempt has been made to treat
utilities and grounds costs fairly, but this may need to be nuanced by individual institutions if
necessary.
4.1
Earned Income:
4.1.1
Almost all universities are required to run themselves in a business-like manner. The
emphasis on running commercially will be different across institutions, so this section in the
paper will not do anything other than state the position for 2011/12.
4.2
University Subsidy:
4.2.1
The absolute comparison of this figure is difficult, given that treatment of utilities, maintenance,
grounds, duplication of services across sites, and capital investment (amongst others) will be
different across the piece. An average figure is attached at the bottom of each section so that
it enables a general view to be taken – we are much higher/lower than average, we are about
average. A subsidy per student has been included. This section is broken down into Sports
Department, Athletic Union and a combined figure. The combined net total excludes the cost
of grounds where Sports Departments’ pay it, in order to make the comparison more useful.
The figure will not therefore capture an institution’s entire subsidy for sport, as it excludes
some costs, but the figures below make comparisons between institutions useful. Student
numbers are based on the 2011/12 HESA return. Each institution will place costs in different
places, such as coaching costs, so the Athletic Union costs may not include all things that
should be attributable to it. The combined figure is therefore likely to be the most useful one.
4.4
BUCS Points:
4.4.1
Institutions have different approaches to BUCS competition. However, given that all in the
sample group are in the BUCS top 20, it would not be unreasonable to assume that
investment in BUCS success is a significant part of the strategy for sport. This section in the
paper compares the BUCS points per student, and the relationship between BUCS sport and
institutional subsidy. This data set can be manipulated in many ways – whether total AU cost
should be the primary link to BUCS success for instance – but here, the total subsidy for sport
has been considered. It will also certainly be the case that in larger institutions, far more
students will not have the opportunity to earn any BUCS points.
4.5
The group agreed they were happy with the paper.
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Sports Scholars for 2013/14 (Appendix 5a, 5b and 5c)
5.1
The group received a paper outlining the Sports Scholars for 2013/2014 and it was noted that
although hockey and golf had not recruited too well this year, the overall group looks
promising. Graduating Scholars also produced some impressive degree results with half a
dozen graduating with firsts.
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Financial Performance, 2012/13 (Appendix 6a)
Membership targets, 2013/14 (Appendix 6b)
6.1
The group received papers outlining the Financial Performance for 2012/13 and also
Membership Targets for 2013/2014 and it was noted that year end for 2012/13 came in ahead
of budget by £123,000 of which £70,000 arose from in-year savings. In terms of total income,
2012/2013 total income was £2.2 million, with a target of £2.5 million for the coming year.
Phil Attwell has set sales targets for sports memberships. External, as well as internal,
membership is being encouraged as well.
6.2
7.0
AOB
7.1.0
Nicholas Bull raised the issue of developing more University-themed merchandise for both
current students and alumni to establish a sense of connectivity between students, alumni and
the University. Phil Attwell noted that individual clubs organise their own merchandise but that
he would discuss the matter with Simon Tyson.
7.1.1
ACTION; Phil Attwell to discuss University-themed merchandise with Simon Tyson.
7.2
Nicholas Bull suggested that sports club web pages could be improved and enhanced to be
consistent in quality across the board and also allow users to access information specific to
each club and to more easily access the DARO Giving pages which relate to specific clubs.
Phil Attwell noted that we pages are currently being rebuilt and a first draft has been signed off
by Simon Tyson and DARO in relation to online alumni giving. The group suggested raising
this at the next full dual assurance meeting in order to monitor progress.
7.3
The group discussed the upcoming 12 December Council meeting at which a 45 minute
presentation will be given by Neil Armstrong, Nicholas Bull, Phil Attwell and Alex Powell on
Sport and Wellness – to cover both Streatham and Penryn sporting agendas. It was agreed
that topics to discuss would include facilities, future developments and engagement with
overseas students. A preparatory meeting would be useful for those involved in the
presentation to finalise details.
7.4
ACTION: Abi Wooding to organise a preparatory meeting ahead of the Sport and
Wellness presentation to Council in December.
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Date of next Full Dual Assurance meeting:
8.1
27 February 2014 - 19.00 The Olive Tree restaurant, The Queen’s Court Hotel.
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