Records of The Sports Council

Records of The Sports Council primarily comprising administrative papers including minutes and meeting papers; reports and supporting documentation; financial records; and correspondence and copy correspondence. The collection also includes a small number of publications and miscellaneous printed material. There are substantial records covering 1966 to 1979 and 1988 to 2001. There are no records dated 1980 to 1987.

Papers dated 1988 to 1992 highlight a critical period both in the development of a national sports strategy and in the history of The Sports Council itself, when the Government was evolving plans for the Council's restructuring. These papers include draft policy documents and management and financial reviews. Amongst the topics discussed throughout the late 20th century include doping controls and the creation of a national lottery and its possible impact on sport.

These records are of interest to those studying amateur sports and culture in the United Kingdom during the late 20th century.

The Sports Council was first appointed by the government in 1965 'to advise on matters relating to the development of amateur sport and physical recreation services and to foster co-operation among the statutory authorities and voluntary organisations'. One of the early recommendations of the Council was that in order to assist local authorities in co-ordinating the planning and provision of facilities, some guidance was required on appropriate scales of provision. The standard of six acres of playing space per thousand of population was for many years recommended by the National Playing Fields Association; but standards were required for a wider range of facilities.

The Wolfenden Committee hoped that the Council 'would be at the centre of a web of information and consequent action, with a chance of taking a view at once synoptic and objective which no existing body is able to take'. Sport in Britain was fragmented with each governing body working in isolation. Each had its own definition of 'amateur' and its own system of coaching awards. These various organisations, it was alleged, co-operated minimally through three composite bodies: the Centre Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR); the National Playing Fields Association; and the British Olympic Association (BOA). It was argued that these three bodies in turn regarded each other as rivals rather than partners. Furthermore, it was suggested that local authorities and local education authorities rarely coordinated their provision for sport.

Particular subjects which it was intended that the Council should advise on included standards of provision of sports facilities for the community; collation of information about the position in other countries; surveys of resources and regional planning; co-ordination of the use of community resources; research; development of training and coaching; likely capital expenditure; participation in sporting events overseas by British amateur teams; and priorities in sports development. The Government expected all bodies who have responsibility for sport and physical recreation and receive grant aid from official sources will collaborate with the Council.

The Council first met on Thursday 18 February 1965 and in 1997 changed its name to the 'English Sports Council'.

Sources: Records of The Sports Council; Extracts from Hansard accessed 5 May 2015 via http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1965/feb/03/sports-council; Cadbury Research Library, 'Research Libraries Bulletin', Number 4, Spring 1996, page 12

These papers have been arranged into the following two series:

Administrative papers;
Collected publications.

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Papers arranged and described by Mark Eccleston, May 2015, in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; and in-house cataloguing guidelines.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

This collection was previously in the custody of the National Centre for Athletics Literature (NCAL).

Other archive collections, formerly held as part of the National Centre for Athletics Literature (NCAL), are catalogued as collections distinct from this collection. They comprise both institutional archives and collections of personal papers of athletes, athletics administrators, journalists and others associated with the athletics world.

Catalogues of the institutional archives available on the online archive catalogue are as follows:
Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1880-1992. Finding No: ATH/AAA;
English Cross-Country Union: papers, 1911-1989. Finding No: ATH/ECCU;
Midland Counties Amateur Athletics Association: papers, 1900-1991. Finding No: ATH/MCAAA;
Midland Counties Cross Country Association: papers, 1898-1985. Finding No: ATH/MCCCA;
Midland Counties Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1949-[1980s]. Finding No: ATH/MCWAAA;
Northern Counties Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1933-1989. Finding No: ATH/NCWAAA;
Northern Cross-Country Association: papers, 1906-1983. Finding No: ATH/NCCA;
Northern Women's Track and Field League: papers, 1982-1983. Finding No: ATH/NWTFL;
Southern Counties Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1958-1983. Finding No: ATH/SCAAA;
Southern Counties Cross-Country Association: papers, 1911-1990. Find No: ATH/SCCCA;
The Sports Council: papers, [1940s]-2001. Finding No: ATH/SC;
Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1932-1989. Finding No: ATH/WAAA.

Catalogues of personal papers available on the online archive catalogue are as follows:
Abrahams, Harold Maurice (1899-1978), athlete, administrator, commentator and journalist: papers, 1902-1989. Finding No: ATH/HA;
Adam, George Mair (1898-1989), athlete, coach and athletics administrator: papers, 1909-1989. Finding No: ATH/GA;
Binks, Joseph (Joe) (1874-1966), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, [1920s-1950s]. Finding No: ATH/JB;
Brown, Audrey Kathleen (nee Court) (1913-2005), athlete: papers, [1930s]-2005. Finding No: USS22;
Cardew, Martin H. (b 1927), athlete: papers, 1964-1988. Finding No: ATH/MHC;
Cullum, Dennis Noel Johnson (1913-1985), athlete and coach: papers, [1930s]-1985. Finding No: ATH/DC;
Humphrey, David (b 1933), athlete: papers, 1944-1958. Finding No: ATH/DH;
Ives, Bert (1890-1975), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, [1920s-1970s]. Finding No: ATH/BI;
Jarvis, Walter (c 1888-c 1935), athlete: papers, 1910-1996. Finding No: MS4;
Jewell, John Christopher (1912-2001), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, 1897-2002. Finding No: ATH/JJ;
Lloyd-Edgley, Ralph: scrapbook, [c 1924]-[c 1931]. Finding No: ATH/RLE;
MacLean, Duncan (1884-1980), athlete and coach: papers, 1948-1977. Finding No: ATH/DM;
Monk, Walter Harry (Wal) (1896-after 1965), athlete: papers, 1918-1961. Finding No: ATH/WHM;
Morgan, Wilf (b 1935), athlete and athletics historian: papers, 1937-2012. Finding No: ATH/WM;
Newton, Arthur Francis Hamilton (1883-1959), athlete: papers, [c 1904]-[1990s]. Finding No: ATH/AN;
Payne, Howard (1931-1992), athlete: papers, 1899-[c 1975]. Finding No: ATH/HP;
Percy, Joe W. (1912-2001), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1910-1997. Finding No: ATH/JWP;
Perry, George (b 1903), athlete: papers, [1920s]-1956. Finding No: ATH/GP;
Powell, Edgar Robert Leslie (Peter), (fl 1920s-70s), athlete: papers, 1813-1988. Finding No: ATH/ERLP;
Richards, Wilf (b 1906), athlete and journalist: papers, 1924-[mid 20th century]. Finding No: ATH/WR;
Roberts, Dave (fl 1930s-1990s), athlete and statistician: papers, [1930s]-1991. Finding No: ATH/DR;
Simpson, Colin J. (1929-2011), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1945-1990. Finding No: ATH/CS;
Tatham, Wilfrid George (Gus) (1898-1978), athlete: papers, 1908-1960. Finding No: ATH/WGT;
Thomas, Dr Philip, athletics administrator and coach: papers, [c 1900]-[late 20th century]. Finding No: ATH/PT;
Vargas, Charles Climaco (1905-1975), athlete: papers, 1921-31. Finding No: ATH/CCV;
Ward, Leonard H., athletics coach: papers, [mid-20th century]. Finding No: ATH/LW;
Watman, Melvyn Francis (Mel) (b 1938), athletics journalist and statistician: papers, 1980-1993. Finding No: ATH/MW;
Wight, Robert M., athletics administrator: papers, [mid-20th century]. Finding No: ATH/RW;
Winter, Arthur E. H. (d 1990), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, [early 20th century]-1983. Finding No: ATH/AW;
Yarrow, Squire Stevens (1905-1984), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1938-1984. Finding No: ATH/SY.