It was fascinating to read about the support available for grassroots sport in France and to compare it with the situation in this country (State craft: how De Gaulle shaped France’s inclusive Olympic sport infrastructure, 24 July). Here, elite level Olympic sport is well funded but, in many sports, club level sport is dying on its feet.
As a nation we have commodified sport and made it something that is too expensive to organise and thus too expensive for many people to participate in. We have to change that before it’s too late. Current initiatives that focus on active lifestyles are right and proper, but support for organised sport needs a radical rethink and a substantial boost. I hope that Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, will address this issue as a matter of urgency.
Brian Cookson
Chair, Active Lancashire
