Overview

The Governance of Sport Bill aims to improve the governance, regulation, and safety within UK sports, encompassing various aspects from governing bodies to athlete welfare and cycling safety. It also seeks to enhance the legacy of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and address issues like match-fixing and ticket touting.

Description

This bill covers a wide range of topics related to sport in the UK. Key areas include:

Governing Bodies of Sport:

The bill seeks to improve governance, accountability, and transparency within governing bodies of sport. This includes mandating improved constitutions, fair representation of stakeholders, and the establishment of athletes' commissions and audit committees. It also addresses the fair distribution of prize money.

Physical Education and Sport:

The bill promotes increased physical education and sport in schools, aiming for a mandated five hours per week, and proposes closer links between schools and local clubs.

Cycling Safety:

The bill mandates measures to improve cyclist safety, including equipping lorries with safety features, improving road junctions, creating new cycle routes, and improving training for cyclists and drivers.

Playing Fields Protection:

The bill aims to protect playing fields from development, strengthening planning regulations to maintain existing facilities and ensuring adequate provision for future generations.

Match-Fixing and Corruption:

The bill strengthens the law against match-fixing, bribery, and corruption in sports betting, increasing penalties for offenders.

Other Key Provisions:

The bill also includes provisions for: regulation of sports agents; addressing ticket touting; clarifying the ability of under-18 athletes to enter contracts; reviewing television broadcasting of sporting events; a merger of UK Sport and Sport England into a single entity ("Sport 2022"); national anti-doping provisions; and compensation for clubs releasing players to national teams.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't specify exact figures for government spending, but it implies increased spending in several areas, including: funding for Sport 2022, improved cycling infrastructure (2% of the Highways Agency budget), and possibly increased funding for national sports teams to meet their compensation obligations.

Groups Affected

The bill will affect a wide range of groups, including:

• Governing bodies of sport: Increased accountability and regulatory requirements.
• Athletes: Improved welfare and representation; stricter anti-doping rules; clarified contract rules for under-18s.
• Schools: Increased emphasis on physical education and sport; reporting requirements.
• Local authorities: New responsibilities regarding sport facilities and planning regulations.
• Cyclists and drivers: New safety regulations and training requirements.
• Sports clubs: Compensation rules related to national team players; limited liability for members' clubs.
• Sports agents: Stricter regulation and licensing requirements.
• Betting providers: Licensing requirements for sports event betting.
• Businesses: Potential opportunities for sponsorship of cycling infrastructure.

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