National governing bodies of sport.

AS and A Level Physical Education (Sport & Coaching)

Adam Clarke

National Governing Bodies of Sport

Most national governing bodies for sports were created in the late 19th century. When they were set up they had several roles, on of the first rationalisation of rules. At the time, most sports had localised rules and so the game varied in different parts of the country, making it hard to arrange fixtures. The national governing bodies were established to create standardised rules that all teams and schools would use, this centralised the games and allowed for any team to play anywhere. The organisations were given more roles as they gained power and today these include promotion and development of the sport, encouraging participation at all levels, changing and enforcing rules, organising competitions and leagues, selection for national teams, developing facilities and communicating with other bodies for the sport, including international.

Most of the national bodies were originally established from the Oxbridge ‘melting pot’, were many important sports men and women worked and studied. At first the associations looked upon the games as middle-class, gentlemanly recreations that were played in spare time. However, this changed as sports became more professional and so the governing bodies adapted.

Many of the national bodies are part of the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR), which advises all the governing bodies on issues relating to each sport, and sporting issues that cover all sports and need to be looked at on a larger scale.

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As sports have become more international, Britain’s governing bodies have lost some power and influence to international bodies. As rules and the likes became globally standardised, so too did the organisations governing them. However, the national bodies still have many responsibilities, particularly development of young players and providing funding for training, facilities and stadiums, for example. British sports have now become international and the trend could continue with large European and international bodies taking even more control of the sport. For example the English Premier League could become a secondary competition with the formation of a European league, which would then have control of many English teams.

In general the sports have expanded, starting as local games, then growing to regional and further still to national sports, the tend continues as they become more and more international and global sports.

The Cricket Council

The Cricket Council was established in 1969, and became the main governing body for the sport, taking over from the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) that had previously controlled cricket and created standardised rules. The Council has several parts, the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), The National Cricket Association (NCA) and the MCC, each dealing with different aspects of the game. The TCCB, for example is responsible for the organisation of all county and test matches.

Football Association (FA)

When formed in1863, one of its main jobs was to standardise the rules of football and by 1877, only Scottish Association rules varied from the FA’s. It also helped to separate football from rugby, which was excluded from the association. The FA is responsible for the organisation and control of all football matches taking place in England. It organises the leagues and fixtures and controls transfers and disciplining players. In 1871, the 15 FA clubs purchased a trophy to be played for by all the clubs, this was the first national competition.

Rugby Football Union (RFU)

The RFU was set up in 1871 as the English governing body in response to being left out of the FA, and England played Scotland for the first time. There are also the Welsh Rugby Union, Scottish Rugby Union and Irish Rugby Union. Similarly to football, it controls all fixtures and competitions, and often, along with the International Rugby Board, makes changes to the rules.

British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)

The LTA was established in 1888, when it took over from the All-England Club as the official governing body of tennis. Despite this the All-England Club is still very influential, and was responsible for many of the rules used today, such as net height. It also organised the first Wimbledon championship in1877, which brought about a standardised court size. Similar associations exist in the US, Australia and several other countries.

Amateur Athletic Association (AAA)

The Amateur Athletics Club (AAC) was the first national governing body and was responsible for the first English championships in 1866. However, by 1880, the AAA took over power. It organises events and often decides what events take place, and also focuses on the development of young athletes. Along with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it deals with problems in the sports such as drug use.

Amateur Boxing Association (ABA)

Formed in 1880, the ABA held its first major championship the following year. However, like many other governing bodies, it has lost influence as the sports become more international. While it is still involved in British boxing and the development of young fighters, International bodies such as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA) have control over the rules and the arrangement of major fights such as world title competitions.