Features
From previous issues of The Leisure Review
June 2010: volume four issue four
Wasim Khan: going in to bat for cricket
Having established his credentials in first-class cricket, Wasim Khan created the Chance to Shine programme to bring cricket into schools. Mick Owen went to Birmingham to find out more.
The London Cultural Improvement Programme
With phase two of the London Cultural Improvement Programme underway, The Leisure Review went to talk to the leading lights of the London Cultural Improvement Group about the status of culture in the capital and the thirst for improvement.
The CCPR conference: fact and fantasy
The CCPR welcomed John Amaechi to its national conference and he offered a selection of challenges, home truths and stark realities for the British sporting establishment. Jonathan Ives reports.
Culture under a coalition
With a new government in office for a few short weeks, The Leisure Review looks at the coalition’s culture team and looks at what we have learned.
Finding the best route to high-quality coaching
Tales from a Tub
When it comes to coach development Kay Adkins is convinced we are sacrificing quality in favour of quantity. Here the Tubmaster explains why the mass production process currently in place fails to support sports coaches and therefore sells them, and the performers they work with, short.
The hunt for 260 elephants and a Picasso
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Continuing the theme of a new political outlook,
Gail Brown wonders at the impact of elephants, Cluedo and some rather old fashioned burglary on the political process.
May 2010: volume four issue four
Playing politics with Cultural Capital
Jonathan Ives considers the impact of Cultural Capital, the document that seeks to make the political case for art and culture.
On court with Adrian Christy
The Leisure Review spoke to Adrian Christy, the chief executive of Badminton England about running a national governing body, community networks and why he is sick of competing with dogs for court time.
What BISL did next
Keen to prove that reports of BISL’s death have been much exaggerated, Andy Sutch offers a quick run through of BISL’s activities in the lobbies of sport and leisure.
Fair play: right or wrong?
A new report, a forthcoming conference, some campaigns and a lot of column inches are being directed at the challenge of playing sport fairly. Mick Owen joins in with a review of the latest statistics.
1,000 days of The Leisure Review
The Leisure Review will be celebrating 1,000 days in existence in May. Mick Owen, TLR’s managing editor, considers how the intervening two and a bit years has gone.
The Milne Bay missive: developing tourism in PNG
Andrew Whittaker, The Leisure Review’s southern hemisphere correspondent, reports on his experience of helping to develop local tourism skills.
April 2010: volume four issue three
Pete Ackerley: developing the national game
Pete Ackerley talks to The Leisure Review about his new role as the Football Association’s senior development manager for the national game.
Culture, champions and politics
With a general election imminent, Gail Brown sifts through the promises made from a variety of platforms to review the evidence for political commitment to the arts.
Street life: but not as we know it
StreetGames recently held its third birthday party, prompting The Leisure Review to find out just what the people who brought the world ‘doorstep sport’ are all about.
Standing a round with Brigid Simmons
With the British pub under threat, The Leisure Review met Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, to ponder the future of one of the great British community assets.
World-class development: Manchester’s events strategy
In recent years elite athletes have beaten a path to Manchester where the city council has determined that legacy can be achieved following major games. The Leisure Review followed in their footsteps.
Books for business: utility, functionality and form
Mick Owen compares and contrasts David Haskins Coaching the Whole Child: positive development through sport and John Seddon’s Delivering Public Services That Work
March 2010: volume four issue two
Reflective practice: The Leisure Review round table
The Leisure Review brought together three coaching experts to discuss reflective practice from the differing perspectives of sport and business. This is how the conversation went.
Project management: a vital skill
Nicky McCrudden explains why well-managed projects can go a long way to increase the reputation of both the project manager and the organisation.
Stones in the house
Mick Owen has recently developed an in-depth appreciation of the sedate but satisfying sport of curling. He explains why.
The Hoerengracht: art in action
Jonathan Ives considers the implications of a Dutch street scene in a London institution.
A question of perspective
Lured by the promise of a cutting-edge viewing experience and a glass of something fizzy, The Leisure Review took its seat for the unveiling of international rugby on 3D television.
February 2010: volume four issue one
The Leisure Review Futures Summit
The second in a series of summits hosted by The Leisure Review looked to the issue of leadership and from where the next generation of leaders might emerge. This full report of the discussion reveals the depth of feeling and the variety of opinions.
Digesting Telfer: the nation’s response
The Hamish Telfer interview in the December issue of The Leisure Review provoked numerous members of the coaching community to respond. Our coaching editor picks through the post to weigh the opinions proffered.
Ashmolean revisited
When a museum spends over £60 million on a major building project you might expect to be able to see it from the street but, as Jonathan Ives explains, they tend to do things a little differently in Oxford.
John Mills: the world on his wheel
In April 2008 The Leisure Review spoke to John Mills of British Cycling about his goal to “produce a world-leading coach education programme”. News that he is to head the world governing body’s drive to take the British model around the world suggests he has achieved it. Mick Owen spoke to the man himself.
Great expectations and finite resources
With the Australian summer in full swing, Andrew Whittaker reports on why high-performance sport is under funding pressure, why local government is pleased by a new focus on participation and why Melbourne’s new multi-use stadium is solving problems and setting challenges.
Sports coaching qualifications in the UK: an evolving landscape
The new Qualifications and Credit Framework will revolutionise coaching qualifications. Andy Grant explains the hows and whys.
Football: a modest proposal
In a week when Alex Ferguson claimed that the behaviour of his players “has always been perfect” we publish the modest proposal that our national game should be encouraged to take its place at the heart of our cultural and community life.
December 2009: volume three issue eleven
Telfer on coaching: an expert’s view
Dr Hamish Telfer offers Mick Owen a challenging perspective of the sports system, the coaching framework and sport’s attitude to safeguarding.
Gaining ground with Leading Learning
With the Leading Learning programme heading into its third year, The Leisure Review was invited to see this cultural leadership scheme at close quarters.
Nigel Lynn: in the chair
Jonathan Ives talks to Nigel Lynn about CLOA’s role and his ambitions for his term of office as CLOA chair.
Leading or lagging behind?
Following The Leisure Review Summit in June, the IDeA hosted a debate on its own website regarding the nature of leadership in the sector. The response was unprecedented and illuminating.
The NZRA conference: spot the difference
In the midst of a peripatetic sabbatical, Duncan Wood-Allum reports from the New Zealand Recreation Association’s annual conference.
The 5Cs for coaching: coaching the whole child
David Haskins explains why the ‘5Cs for Coaching’ offers a different approach for coaches in this country.
The leisure manager's library: Headlong
The Leisure Review guide to leisure-related literature. This month Michael Frayn's well-informed exploration of greed, ethics and some of Belgium's finest artists.
Mobile communications: a modest proposal
Managing editor Mick Owen sets his sights on mobile manners.
November 2009: volume three issue ten
Paul Cluett: not just luck
The Leisure Review talks to Paul Cluett, Alliance Leisure’s commercial director, about his career, his company and the industry in which he has made his name.
One day for Everyday Swimming
The Amateur Swimming Association hosted a one-day seminar in Manchester to explore the impact of its Everyday Swimming initiative. Mick Owen dropped in to hear the results.
A vision of the future
The National Culture Forum hosted a national conference to explore the future of culture, tourism and sport. Jonathan Ives went to hear the auguries.
New York’s secret garden
In June 2009 New York City lost a wilderness and gained one of the world’s most remarkable public parks. Jonathan Ives reports on the opening of the High Line.
Living off the land
The UK’s waterways offer a valuable recreational resource but, as Mick Owen discovered, the nation’s rivers and canals also provide a home to a large number of boat-dwellers.
Putting the fun in FUNdamental
Phil Collins argues that more attention should be given to fundamental movement skills and explains how the UK’s coaching agency is providing support to coaches to help them do it.
The leisure manager's library: Saturday
Build your library with The Leisure Review guide to leisure-related literature. This month Ian McEwan's tale of neurosurgery, anti-war protest and squash.
Heston Blumenthal: a modest proposal
Mick Owen suggests that British coaching needs some alchemy and that superchef Heston Blumenthal is just the man to deliver the medallions.
October 2009: volume three issue nine
Anne Tiivas: safe in her hands
The Leisure Review talks to the director of Child Protection in Sport Unit about the development and application of a new approach to safeguarding and child protection.
Asking for the keys
Ash Charlwood explains the issues of access to inland waters in Wales and wonders what it will take for this important leisure resource to be made available to the public.
A second look at the third sector
One third of all people who volunteer do so in sport. Mick Owen went back to an old stamping ground to investigate the profile of sport within the third sector.
Researching youth sport
The talent and ability in young people in sport came under the academic spotlight at the recent Researching Youth Sport conference. Jonathan Ives joined the campus crowd at Brunel University.
The library lady
Helen Rose reports on life from the other side of the library counter, the side with the stamps on it.
Finals, figures and fighting junk
Amid concerns over rising drowning statistics, Andrew Whittaker explores the end-of-season angst Down Under.
The leisure manager's library: Framed
Build your library with The Leisure Review guide to leisure-related literature. On the shelf in this issue is Framed by Tonino Benacquista.
Saltex: open space, open air, open mind
With an eye on the weather, The Leisure Review visited IOG Saltex to see what an exhibition for the leisure sector looks like in the open air.
September 2009: volume three issue eight
Ever heard of the Special Olympics?
Having played a part in Leicester's latest sporting success, Martyn Allison offers a very personal reflection on what sport equity is really all about.
Watching the clock
When Seb Coe's desk calendar turned over to read 'three years to go' London 2012 invited VIPs, guests and The Leisure Review to board the Javelin and fly to the east. Jonathan Ives packed his passport.
Promote, protect and provide
The Leisure Review talks to Andrew Hanson, the CCPR’s head of policy, about sport, politics and the prospects for progress.
Getting coaching back on track
Philip Kimberley has recently stepped into the chief executive-shaped breach at Sportscoach UK. The Leisure Review took the opportunity to ask a few pertinent questions about the future of the UK's coaching organisation.
Rail, ale and halcyon days
Invited to join a short tour of the north country by train, Mick Owen found that an afternoon’s distraction contained more cultural reference points than he had expected.
Hyperbole Unlimited
In July Sport England published their review of the Sport Unlimited programme which implied it was an unparalleled success. Not sure that this matched up with real people’s experiences on the ground, The Leisure Review took a closer look.
The leisure manager's library: Netherland
The first in an occasional series offering a guide to leisure-related literature. This month we look at Netherland by Joseph O'Neill, a recently acclaimed addition to the ranks of the modern American novel.
Why all employers must actively support the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure
The view from the National Skills Academy
Mark Sesnan, managing director at GLL, is the NSA’s guest columnist this month.
August 2009: volume three issue seven
Trust me, I'm your doctor's boss
CLOA welcomed Andy Burnham to its recent meeting and found that the health secretary's former role as culture secretary seems to have left its mark. The Leisure Review reports from Wigan.
The business end of the coaching revolution
Phil Collier has recently taken up the role of director of business development at Coachwise. Mick Owen went to Leeds to ask him about the task in hand.
Beacons of legacy for 2012
The IDeA’s Olympic and Paralympic Games legacy conference brought the five beacon authorities to Wembley. The Leisure Review was on hand to report
Games without frontiers
The Leisure Review visited the recent Merseyside Youth Games and spoke to Jean Stephens, one of the leading lights in the CSP movement.
The NSA one year on
The view from the National Skills Academy
Florence Orban looks at the achievements of the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure in its first year and the successes of working in partnership to develop the skills of the leisure sector.
Can games be green?
With the CIWEM sport and the environment network scheduled for launch later this year, Water and Environment Magazine asked Jonathan Ives to offer a few thoughts on the links between sport and the green agenda.
July 2009: volume three issue six
The Leisure Review Summit
The Leisure Review invited senior figures from across the leisure industry to take part in a facilitated debate on the future of the leisure sector. With lunch and unguarded opinion the TLR summit was born.
Incoming and outgoings
When UK Sport cut 2012 budgets at the start of the year, volleyball had its spending curtailed. Mick Owen spent an afternoon in Sheffield finding out how GB VB is coping with the cuts.
Hartlepool: placing culture and sport at the heart of the LAA
In the latest in its Learning By Stories series, the IDeA explores how Hartlepool has put the national indicators for sport and culture at the heart of its drive for service improvement.
Employee motivation – central to positive performance
The view from the National Skills Academy
Following her exploration of leadership in the last issue, Florence Orban looks at motivation and why it is central to success.
Schools, community and plain speaking
The Leisure Review talks to Jacqueline Lynn, head of SportScotland’s new school and community section.
Competition, compromises and
self-sufficiency
Andrew Whittaker reports from Melbourne where the major sports are learning to share facilities and leisure facility designers are learning to save every drop of water.
June 2009: volume three issue five
Debating the future: the Scottish Sports Development Conference 2009
Serving once again as the 'official media partner' of the SSDC, The Leisure Review was in Aviemore to report on proceedings.
Meeting Margo
The Leisure Review talks to Margo MacDonald MSP, chair of the cross-party group on sport in the Holyrood parliament.
Behind closed doors
The annual UK Coaching Framework summit moved to Glasgow to engage the coaching community beyond England but Mick Owen wonders what went on.
Managing a team – the key to success
The view from the National Skills Academy
Managing a team well requires many skills, not least that of leadership. Florence Orban explores what is often thought to be one of the most challenging aspects of management.
Creating a culture of world-class places
The DCMS and DCLG have published a strategy for improving the quality of the public realm. The Leisure Review went along to see what it might mean for sport, leisure and culture.
Rising in the east
One year after construction began, London’s Olympic stadium is taking shape and being discussed in polite company. The Leisure Review reports on progress to date.
May 2009: volume three issue four
Applying the heritage test
For one edition only The Leisure Review has sent Mick Owen on the heritage trail. Buoyed by a week in Cornwall, he has a brand new perspective on sport, boats and Daphne du Maurier.
Dressed to kill
Henry VIII is centre stage in the new exhibition at the Tower of London. The Leisure Review went behind the scenes to learn about the demands of exhibition planning, the intricacies of curatorial care and how it compares with working in theatres.
Picasso: a challenging perspective
Nick Reeves visited the new Picasso exhibition at the National Gallery and wonders whether it was worth the bother.
Why professionalism pays
The view from the National Skills Academy
NSA chief executive Florence Orban wonders why training is so often under fire when it delivers so much for everyone concerned.
April 2009: volume three issue three
Coaching's pause for thought
The Leisure Review looks at why a coaching initiative's successful pilot in the North West has not been followed up.
A decade for leisure: the TLR round table
The Leisure Review put three highly experienced leisure professionals working in three different management environments around one table. The result was a discussion full of insight, opinion and challenges for the sector.
Out of the darkness
The view from the National Skills Academy
NSA chief executive Florence Orban looks at why the health and fitness has some reason for quiet confidence in troubled economic times.
Melbourne: the main event
With the bushfires now out and Melbourne moving into autumn, Andrew Whittaker brings us up to date with events in Australia.
Take your partners for the Panathlon
Merseyside Sport’s Katie Crozier looks at the national disability charity Panathlon and talks to people influenced by its work.
March 2009: volume three issue two
No bombing please
The Leisure Review talks to Tara Dillon about her organisation, the IQL, and what it is doing for the future of lifeguarding in the UK.
Job-ready on completion
The view from the National Skills Academy
Apprenticeships are providing employers with a valuable opportunity. Florence Orban explains how and why..
Community spirit in a vase
The FA Vase may not be the pinnacle of the round-ball game but it had a strange effect on the streets of Glossop. Helen Rose provides an outsider’s perspective of sporting endeavour and community spirit.
Challenging the past, trusting the future
The National Gallery’s first exhibition dedicated to Picasso promises a new understanding of the greatest artist of the twentieth century. The Leisure Review reports
February 2009: volume three issue one
Thinking again
The view from the National Skills Academy
Florence Orban explains why a long-term view of business and staff development is likely to pay dividends.
Economic downturn: opportunity or threat?
With the credit crunch in full swing, Martyn Allison considers the implications of the new economic realities for the sport, leisure and culture sector.
A happy new year for culture and sport?
Duncan Wood-Allum looks ahead to a new year and suggests that there might be something to give grounds for hope.
Commissioning and procurement
A regional event recently considered issues of commissioning and procurement of cultural services David Albutt reports on behalf of CLOA.
The opposite view
Andrew Whittaker offers an update on Melbourne’s cultural calendar.
Watch this space
The Leisure Review talks to LIW director, Jonny Sullens, and asks what success will look like for LIW in 2009.
Top coaches, top conference
Anne Pankhurst gives us her personal perspective of the International Coaching Conference held at Twickenham.
December 2008: volume two issue eleven
The NSA: ready to go
News from the National Skills Academy
With the National Skills Academy officially launched, Florence Orban explains how the academy will work on behalf of the sport and active leisure sector.
The CLOA agenda
John Bell offers an insight to the workings of CLOA, the professional association for leaders in culture and leisure.
The magic numbers
The Leisure Review talks to David Minton of the Leisure Database Company about how information has changed our approach leisure management.
Open water: battled at source
Mick Owen explores the canoeing controversy that has blown up around access to the rivers of Wales and the implications for the pursuit of other sports.
The more the merrier
Parasport is an organisation created to direct people with disabilities towards sport
who may not have thought that sport was for them. The Leisure Review found out how they work.
Writing the book on volunteering
In Nicky McCrudden, Mick Owen would like to think he has found a kindred spirit. Here he explains why the work of a one-woman whirlwind has left him and many others breathless.
Vaness Bone: an appreciation
Jonathan Ives remembers a leading light of the cultural sector.
November 2008: volume two issue ten
In full flow
With the river and the British Open in full flow, Mick Owen went to see what impact the stars of UK’s top canoeing competition would have on their hosts.
Part of the team
Ian Jackson reports from the 2008 Youth Sport Trust School and Sport Partnership Conference in Telford.
Paralympic lessons for London
Kim Wright travelled from Hackney to Beijing to see what London 2012 can learn from the Paralympic experience.
Walking out one morning: Barcelona revisited
Is the power of the Olympics to regenerate cities and transform communities a realistic proposition? The Leisure Review went to Barcelona to find out.
The coaching road to success
After his visit to the British Open in October 2007
Mick Owen returned to Manchester to see what had changed for the sport of squash.
Saddling up for the big show
Cycle 2008 came to London to showcase everything the cycling market has to offer. The Leisure Review sent its travel correspondent to Earls Court to see what he could find.
October 2008: volume two issue nine
Ready to go: the National Skills Academy
As the National Skills Academy prepares for its official launch, Jonathan Ives speaks to Florence Orban about how the academy will work and the impact it will have on the sport and active leisure sector.
Elevation and innovation in the name of fitness
The Leisure Review talks to the president of Life Fitness and the head of Life Fitness UK to discuss the impact of innovation and how the right thing can be good for business.
All under one roof
Mick Owen headed for Birmingham and Leisure Industry Week to see what he would find.
New break for Bournemouth
There are four artificial surf reefs in the world and one of them is in Bournemouth. Jonathan Ives considers how one makes a wave and what it might mean for tourism.
September 2008: volume two issue eight
Row Z at the Olympics
The glory of the Olympic Games has raised Sideliner to unprecedented heights of ire. On the agenda: the British sporting establishment, Joe Strummer, Shanaze Reade's stolen bike and the sofa approach to world-class performance.
From Bedford to Beijing: inside the Bird's Nest
Lloyd Conaway was among an intrepid group of visitors to Beijing looking for lessons for London. Here he offers his view from the Bird's Nest.
From Beijing to London: it's the politics, stupid
Having enjoyed the Olympic show, Nick Reeves offers some inconvenient truths for the Olympic movement and some advice for the organisers of London 2012.
From Beijing to London: the home front
With the medals counted and the flag handed over, The Leisure Review took a straw poll of the impact of the Olympic Games on the home front. Here we offer a selection of views from various perspectives on the leisure continuum.
Moving up: sport, culture and the improvement agenda
With details of local area agreements now published, The Leisure Review talks to Martyn Allison about the leisure sector’s progress in pursuit of continuous improvement.
Competition managers: unravelling the myths
While the existence of the competition manager confuses some and irritates others, Ian Jackson reckons the role is pure sports development.
Making the cut, part two
As part of his investigation into the people and politics of the UK waterways system Mick Owen spent a day at the Inland Waterways Association’s national get-together at Autherley Junction.
Travelling with George
The George Torkildsen Memorial Trust was established in memory of leisure’s great mentor. Don Earley explains how the Trust’s travel bursary is continuing George’s work of spreading the word.
Cutting the Fringe
With a full complement of tickets and hope, Helen Owen headed for the Edinburgh Fringe to see just how far performers can go before the audience walks out.
Reaching for the heights: the NCF Leading Learning Programme
Sue Isherwood explains how the National Culture Forum Leading Learning Programme plans to transform the nature of cultural leadership across the UK.
August 2008: volume two issue seven
Discovering Greenwich
The Greenwich Foundation has embarked upon a £6m development project to enhance the visitor experience at the Old Royal Naval College. Jonathan Ives finds out where one puts a brewery in a world heritage site.
An incredible journey by coach
There are people in the know who think that Coaching North West is going to revolutionise the coaching landscape in the UK. Mick Owen went to meet Rob Burchell to find out why.
Mentoring in sport – no more quick fixes
Jenny Buckham and Mark Scarth make the case for a more robust system for the development of mentors in sport and explain how the launch of the new qualification could mark the beginning of a new era for sports coaching.
Making the cut
In the first of three articles, Mick Owen investigates the issues surrounding life on ‘the cut’, its politics and its people.
Should we be marketing disability sport?
After the recent Sports Marketing Network event Svend Elkjaer realises that there should be little difference in marketing sport participation, regardless of people’s mental or physical ability.
The road to improvement
When the Towards an Excellent Service (TAES) improvement tool was launched,Halton Borough Council's culture and leisure department adopted it to help evaluate, develop and improve its cultural services. Here some of the people involved tell The Leisure Review about the process and the impact it had on services.
July 2008: volume two issue six
Tessa Jowell, minister for London 2012
With plans for the legacy of London’s Olympic Games now published, The Leisure Review asked the minister with responsibility for London 2012 about some of the key aspects of the Games, the legacy and what it means for UK leisure.
A new vision for sport?
The new Sport England strategy promises a new approach to the pursuit of a world-leading community sport structure. Jonathan Ives found out what it means for the government’s sports agency and for those involved in the sport sector.
Child safety versus volunteering
The Manifesto for Change from the Commission on the Future of Volunteering suggested that volunteers were being put off by CRB checks. Mick Owen looks at two new reports.
Why it’s still OK to love the Tour
With only days to go until the grand départ, Jonathan Ives offers a personal perspective of the Tour de France, the world’s greatest sporting event.
A click and point approach to shaping up
Mick Owen found himself dragged into a competition to get a county he does not live in more active more often. Happy to oblige and with a point to prove, he ran down off to talk to the head of the county sports partnership behind it.
June 2008: volume two issue five
The business of swimming
A new edition of PAS 81: 2005, the publicly accessible standard for the operation and management of swimming schools, will be published later this month. Steve Franks discusses the implications for the swim school sector
Taking it in stages
All round the country r egional theatre venues are bringing audiences face to face with a great diversity of performance. Mick Owen reports from the Buxton Opera House on Shakespeare, The Stranglers and everything in between.
A people business: the first Runningsports conference
Runningsports, the skills and support network for sports volunteers, held its first full-scale gathering in May. The Leisure Review was near the front.
On the starting line
Paddy Corcoran explains how Tees Valley Leisure, a leisure trust, came to organise the Redcar half marathon, why it seemed like a good idea at the time and what lessons were learned for next year
May 2008: volume two issue four
The National Skills Academy launches
Jonathan Ives talks to SkillsActive chief executive Stephen Studd about how the new academy will affect the sport and active leisure sector
Building a system for UK coaching
Mick Owen visits the third UK Coaching Summit to report on the views from the platform and the views from the floor
Passion for Excellence: inspiring and challenging
CLOA chair Ann Gosse offers her view of the implications of the new improvement strategy for culture and sport
Challenging yourself to challenge others
Dr Mark Nesti confronts the post-modern perspective and explains why sports development is about individuals, passion and the Socratic spirit
Are we really listening to people’s lives?
Svend Elkjaer argues that now is the time for sports development professionals and leisure managers to become more responsive to people’s needs
April 2008: volume two issue three
Rising in the east
Kim Wright, Hackney's corporate director for community services, talks to Jonathan Ives about what the future of culture holds for the Olympic borough.
Gold at the end of the rainbow
The Leisure Review went to Manchester to talk to John Mills, British Cycling's director of coaching, education and development, about the coaching, clubs and development behind the medals
Do we care about volunteers?
A major report on volunteering has provoked very little comment from within the leisure, culture and sport sector, despite this sector’s reliance on and investment in the good will of unpaid supporters. Mick Owen wonders why.
A passion for excellence
A Passion for Excellence provides the culture and sport sector with its first agreed improvement strategy. The Leisure Review offers a summary of a document that charts a future for better cultural services
Phantom: the artist in residence
Alison Watt has marked the end of her time as the National Gallery’s associate artist with an exhibition of the work the National Gallery collection has inspired. Jonathan Ives reports
March 2008: volume two issue two
New York's best investment
Adrian Benepe, New York City's commissioner
for parks and recreation, talks exclusively to The Leisure Review about 150 years of parks and their role in changing the way a city thinks of its future
Delivering Sport: the TLR round table
Three seasoned professionals involved in the delivery of sport discuss the state of the sporting nation and the challenges, successes and hopes that are shaping the future of sport in the UK
Fit for work in Trafford and beyond
Models of effective good practice in sports development are not so common that one falls over them. Mick Owen unearths a gem of project in south Manchester
Where next for leisure and cultural services?
Members of Sporta and their fellow management professionals gathered in West Yorkshire this week . TLR’s Man in the North dropped in to gauge the impact of current plans for the sector and news of another brave new world
February 2008:: volume two issue one
Pat Duffy: the UK's head coach
The Leisure Review talks to Dr Pat Duffy, group chief executive of Sports Coach UK, about the future of coaching and the impact of coach development on the delivery of community and elite sport.
The A to Z of management efficiency
With new instructions for service delivery, Ken McAnespie wonders if new letters will mean a better understanding of quality.
75 years with lives on the line
The Leisure Review went to Walsall to discover what has changed for water safety during the three quarters of a century in which the Swimming Teachers' Association has been at work. Jonathan Ives reports.
Art and the environment
Why would a professional body working with scientists and engineers make art one of the central themes of its work? The Leisure Review went to see the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) to find out.
Doing the Strand
Mick Owen heads for the West End and wonders whether modern musical theatre is selling audiences short.
December 2007: volume one issue four
Challenging the culture
The Scottish Sports Development Conference came to Crieff and gathered the sports development sector in a highly polished package. Our man in the front row, Mick Owen, found plenty of straight talking, much food for thought and a regular supply of surprises.
Two halves with a single purpose
Football’s billionaire owners and millionaire players would do well to remember that the sport grew out of a need to improve the health of the disadvantaged, foster community cohesion and to alleviate poverty. Nick Reeves offers a guide to the social roots of the modern professional game.
A sporting chance for education
Building Schools for the Future is a multi-billion pound project that is aimed at transforming the education environment. The Leisure Review spoke to Liz Delany about why the world of sport should be sitting up, taking notice and getting ready to get involved
Improving culture, changing times
Like all the best stories, Towards an Excellent Service (TAES), the performance management tool for the sport and leisure sector, began with a round table and a small group of determined individuals committed to a better future. Jonathan Ives spoke to Martyn Allison about how it started, the impact it has had and his hopes for the future of leisure
Under one roof
Is it us or did this year’s LIW seem to have a bit more of a buzz about it? The Leisure Review spoke to Michael Westcott about how leisure’s leading exhibition has changed over the years and what they have planned for the future.
The Turner Prize: a retrospective
The nation’s, if not the world’s, most celebrated prize for contemporary art has taken the opportunity of a hole in its annual exhibition schedule to host a retrospective. The Leisure Review paid its respects
November 2007: volume one issue three
High court judgements
After a visit to one of the calendar’s most prestigious squash competitions, Mick Owen finds poetry on the court and wonders how minority sports will make headway in the face of the all-powerful Olympic roster
A Scottish perspective of leisure Down Under
Two staff from Edinburgh Leisure visited Australia and New Zealand in August this year to discover what is happening in sport and leisure in the southern hemisphere. They spoke to The Leisure Review about what they found
A landscape for imagination
Art and culture can imbue a sense of place and inspire ambition but such achievements have to be delivered and defended. Jude Kelly, artistic director at the Southbank Centre, argues that local authorities should have confidence in their ability to offer leadership as well as management.
October 2007: volume one issue two
Five hours for one in a million
Bold new government plans for five hours of sport for school pupils sent Mick Owen into the field to find out about the proverbial state of play. After extensive research, he wonders whether too much school sport could be more than enough
Making the case for culture
After many years working in a leisure environment, Derrick Anderson explains why he is keeping the faith with culture and why in recent years so many others have joined the cause.
Mad about museums
Is the Natural History Museum losing its way? As this famous landmark of scientific endeavour works to fill the funding gap, Nick Reeves argues it has become a lavish amusement park and a backdrop for celebrity entertainment
Underage and proud of it
An report from inside the fence of the summer’s most innovative musical experience, the Underage festival in London
August/September 2007: volume one issue one
Referees and coaches
Referees and coaches are in the same game but have fundamentally different approaches to what happens on the pitch. Mick Owen suggests that deciding which you would rather be could say a lot about your management style
The National Sports Development Seminar
The National Sports Development Seminar brought its unique mixture of intense workshops and boundless enthusiasm to the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham again this summer. Jonathan Ives took a seat in the front row and paid attention
Is there anyone here from swimming?
The National Sports Development Seminar saw another bravura performance from one of the larger characters in the world of sports administration. Jonathan Ives wonders if size is still an issue
An Australian perspective of leisure
A little while ago a group of Australian leisure professionals arrived in the UK as part of an international study tour. The Leisure Review spent some time with them during their hectic schedule to see what they had learned and what lessons they would be taking home with them
The Leisure Review: thinking features
The Leisure Review aims to offer a range of articles to cover the full breadth and diversity of the leisure, culture and recreation indsustry. Our remit extends to all aspects of the management, development and promotion of leisure.
If you would like to contribute to TLR, either by submitting an article or just suggesting a likely line of enquiry, we would be delighted to hear from you.
