Introduction: regional and national perspective on the Commonwealth Games

Councillor Richard Leese, Leader, Manchester City Council

1. The scale and importance of the Games. Councillor Leese said that the opening ceremony of the Manchester Commonwealth Games on 25 July 2002 would be a great sporting moment. The event would bring together competitors from 71 countries with a third of the world's population. It would be the largest Commonwealth Games ever, with 14 individual sports, at least three team sports and 5,250 athletes and officials. It would be the biggest multi-sport event ever held in the United Kingdom. Over 1 billion people were expected to watch the Games on television. It would coincide with the Queen's Golden Jubilee and provided an excellent opportunity to showcase Britain. The success of the Games was important to other major events in the United Kingdom: if it was a total success, it would help British bids; if it was not a complete success, it might have an adverse impact.

2. The role of the Government. The success of the Games depended in part upon active Government involvement, which meant more than simply providing money. It was for the Government to determine the cultural and national objectives for an event of the scale of the Commonwealth Games. This was apparent from the commitment of the Catalan Government in Barcelona, of the Malaysian Government in Kuala Lumpur, of the New South Wales and Federal Governments for the 2000 Olympics and of the Victorian Government for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. $CDN 120 million (£50 million) had been committed by public authorities to the Edmonton World Athletics Championships in 2001, with one third from the Federal Government and one third from the State Government.

3. The impact of the Games. Sport and culture were at the heart of the City Council's regeneration strategy. There had to be a conscious effort and a special focus to capture the benefits of the Games. This involved regional programmes in cooperation with other agencies.

The role of the City Council

Mr Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council, and Company Secretary, Manchester 2002 Limited

4. The bid and subsequent roles. The City Council had played a major role in the bid process, although valuable support had also been given by Ministers. Since the award of the Games, the Council had concentrated particularly on three issues: (i) venue definition and delivery; (ii) legacy; and (iii) organisation.

5. Venue definition and delivery. The Council had realised that one of the most important lessons of the Barcelona Olympics was the need to distinguish between venue delivery on the one hand and organisation of a Games on the other. Many of the facilities for the Games were already operational, but the Council was investing £20 million in further facilities which were also attracting Lottery support, including SportCity and the new swimming centre. The new Convention Centre under development and an extension to the Art Gallery would also play important parts in the Games, the former as a media centre and the latter in relation to the cultural programme.

6. Legacy. A sustainable legacy arising from the Commonwealth Games was a major reason for the bid and was a key priority for the Council. The Games formed a crucial part of the Council's strategy for the regeneration of East Manchester. The Games assisted in wider efforts to harness the involvement of the private sector and other public sector bodies and to secure additional funding from sources such as the Single Regeneration Budget.

7. Organisation of the Games. Manchester City Council was represented on the organising body, Manchester Commonwealth Games Limited, and had a sustained interest in view of the fact that it was underwriting the Games. A business plan for the Games was likely to be completed in April or May; the costs would be higher than previously forecast because of the increase in the number of athletes. The plan would reflect the extent to which these additional costs would be matched by additional income.

The role of the organising committee and the sports programme

Mr Robert Hough, Chairman, Manchester Commonwealth Games Ltd and Manchester 2002 Ltd

8. Stakeholders in Manchester Commonwealth Games Ltd. Manchester Commonwealth Games Ltd brought together all those with an interest in the Commonwealth Games, including Manchester City Council, the Commonwealth Games Council for England, the Commonwealth Games Federation and the private sector. Representatives from Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport attended Board meetings as observers.

9. The sports programme. The sports programme for the Games was key to all the organisers' plans; all other elements followed from the sports programme. The task force led by Sir Rodney Walker had reviewed the sports programme and it had been agreed that there would be 14 individual sports and 3 team sports, making the Manchester Games the biggest ever. In view of the limits on accommodation, it was proposed that there would be a capping formula on participants, based upon the largest number of competitors entered by each country at the last three Games. This limit would exclude team sports. The formula, which included a supplement for smaller countries, required formal approval by the Commonwealth Games Federation, but such approval was expected. For the first time in the history of the Games, there would be around 200 disabled athletes participating in the Games.

10. Television rights. In the case of the 2002 Games and those which preceded it, television rights for all countries were sold by the hosts; in other words, there was not the central system used by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). From 2006, the Commonwealth Games Federation would sell the television rights centrally in the same way as the IOC. IMG was advising on television rights.

11. Sponsorship. There were already signs of interest from potential sponsors; it was expected that £2 million of sponsorship would be sought from one company in each of 8 to 10 categories; Manchester Airport had already agreed a £2 million deal and another announcement would be made shortly. Local businesses were also likely to provide goods and services at preferential rates.

12. Ticketing and merchandising. It was expected that there would be around half a million tickets for the Commonwealth Games. In the past, most tickets for the Games had been sold on the domestic market, but the organisers were working with other countries to maximise overseas sales. Some merchandise was already available from Tourist Information Centres. Further merchandising agreements, including those with sales outlets, would be reached in due course.

13. Organisation. The organisation was divided into six main sections, relating respectively to: commercial and revenue issues; sport; operations; information technology; finance and administration; and special projects. There would be a Director for each of these areas; four of these were already in place; the operations and IT Directors would be appointed in the course of 1999. There were 16 staff at present; this number would rise to 270 by 2002. The staff would be assisted by 15,000 volunteers.

The cultural programme for the Games

Sue Harrison, Chief Executive, North West Arts Board

14. The importance of the cultural programme. The Commonwealth Games represented an unprecedented chance to celebrate the culture of the United Kingdom and that of Manchester and the North West in particular. The cultural programme played an important role in ensuring that the Games projected a positive image and in ensuring a sense of community ownership. The programme ought to produce a legacy of greater involvement in arts and culture.

15. The components of the cultural programme. The main elements in the cultural programme were the opening and closing ceremonies, the festival to take place during the Games and a long-term programme beginning in the year 2000 and continuing until 2004. Each needed its own management, but they had to inter-relate. The theme of the Games was the spirit of friendship which would unite the different cultural components.

16. The aims of the cultural programme. The aims of the cultural programme were: (i) to promote Britain, the North West and Manchester as cultural destinations; (ii) to promote Commonwealth culture and its representation in the United Kingdom; (iii) to promote links with the Commonwealth; (iv) to develop links to the sports programme; (v) to promote cultural tourism linked to the Games; and (vi) to promote the creative industries. The programme during the Games would be designed so as to complement the sporting programme and avoid undesirable clashes. It would be inclusive and would reflect the particular sporting and cultural strengths of the region and the nation. Many of the events would be participatory. Many cultural events would have clear Commonwealth links. The programme would not be confined to the North West. The cultural dimension would be linked to sport in part through the commissioning of artists to design promotional material and signage.

17. Delivery. It was hoped that a national advisory committee would be established for the cultural programme involving the Arts Council of England, the British Council and the private sector. There would also be a regional advisory committee and a group concerned with the legacy element of the programme. The organisations to be involved included Marketing Manchester and the North West Museums Service. The North West Arts Board expected to be a catalyst and a facilitator; it wanted artists to be in the lead. The main issues to be resolved relating to the programme were: financial and human resources; national leadership; and sponsorship strategy.

Discussion

Councillor Richard Leese, Mr Howard Bernstein, Mr Robert Hough, Sue Harrison and Mr David Leather, Finance Director, Manchester 2002 Ltd

18. The sports programme. The number of participants from each country would be based upon the highest number of participants for any of the last three Games from the country in question. It would then be for the country concerned to determine how to ensure it did not exceed that limit. The Games did not have formal qualification standards so as not to exclude participants from the smaller countries. For team sports, there were likely to be pre-qualifying events. The capping formula would be exclusive of team sports.

19. Cricket. The inclusion of cricket as an additional team sport had not been ruled out. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board had proposed that the form of cricket should be Super Max 8, which was largely untested in England. The involvement of cricket was not to be ruled out if it did not compromise the limit on numbers and offered added value to the Games.

20. Organisational lessons. The Sydney organisers had said that it was important to ensure that the internal structure of the organising body remained broadly the same as additional staff joined; it was felt that the current structure would work this way. A number of lessons had emerged from discussions with the organisers of previous Commonwealth Games, but the Commonwealth Games Federation did not have the same expertise and experience at the centre as the IOC. The organisers were not aware of any systematic dissemination of the lessons of Euro '96.

21. Television rights. Utilising the expertise of IMG, the organisers were confident that they could maximise the profits from the sale of broadcasting rights. The deal agreed with IMG ensured that their commission reflected the profitability of the television deals.

22. The web-site. The web-site for the Games was now on-line (www.manchester2002.co.uk). It was possible that it would be used in part for ticket sales, although tickets could only be sold in this way within the United Kingdom. The web-site might also be used for the sale of merchandise.

23. Merchandising. There would be a head licensee for merchandising who would be appointed before the end of 1999, as well as sub-licensees. It was likely that there would be retail outlets at the airport and in the city centre. Merchandising was not only a means of finance, but also provided a means of engagement with the Games.

24. The role of schoolchildren. It was important to ensure that schoolchildren were involved in the cultural programme to maximise the cultural and educational benefits. Their involvement would reflect the fact that there were schoolchildren in and around Greater Manchester whose families came originally from almost all countries in the Commonwealth.

25. The content of the cultural programme. The programme would draw on local strengths in the arts, such as theatre, music and the visual arts. Discussions were under-way with composers about new commissions. The programme would also be devised to reflect the strength of the region in popular music; the popular music from the Manchester area which was included in the closing ceremony of the Kuala Lumpur Games had been well-received.

The venue strategy and tour of facilities

Mr Peter Knowles, Sports Policy Officer, Manchester City Council, Mr Howard Bernstein, Mr David Davies, Director of European Operations, Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena, Mr Jarl Walsh, Centre Manager, Manchester Velodrome Ltd, and Mr Shaun Moriarty, Head of Residential and Commercial Services, Manchester University

26. The location of venues. One of the strengths of the original bid from Manchester had been the compactness of the venues, particularly as long journeys were very unpopular with those involved in sporting events. Apart from the shooting at Bisley, all of the events would be held within a short distance of the centre of Manchester. Thirteen of the other sixteen sports would take place in Manchester City itself. SportCity would be the venue for athletics, squash, table tennis, track cycling, judo and wrestling; rugby sevens might take place there. The G-MEX centre would be used for gymnastics. The MEN Arena would be used for netball and the later stages of the boxing. A swimming pool was under construction near to the city centre. Weightlifting would take place at the Royal Northern College of Music and Lawn Bowls at Heaton Park. All of these venues were within 15 minutes of the Games village. Other venues in Greater Manchester were Bolton for Badminton and probably Carrington for Hockey.

27. The MEN Arena. The Manchester Evening News Arena was the largest seated auditorium of its kind in western Europe. It had recently had a capacity crowd of 20,000 for a pop concert. It was very well utilised, with up to 180 event days per year. Sixty of those were ice hockey games, which attracted average crowds of around 9,000. Basketball matches had an average attendance of 4,000. Other events for which the arena was used included stage shows, pop concerts and trade-centred events.

28. SportCity. The Stadium would form part of a far wider development which included the existing velodrome and would be a regional centre of the United Kingdom sports institute. SportCity itself was the core of a major regeneration programme relating to the wider area.

29. The velodrome. The velodrome was the National Cycling Centre, but it was for local public use as well as for more competitive cycling. Local teams had already produced two performers of national standard since the velodrome was built. It had a seating capacity of 3,500. The central area of the stadium was used for netball and other sports; it had been used for national squash championships. During the Games, it would be the venue for judo and wrestling after the completion of the cycling.

30. The Games Village. The Games Village would be on the Fallowfield Campus of the local universities. There was currently accommodation for 3,000 people. This would be extended to 4,800 during the Games through the provision of bunk beds. The residential zone would only be accessible to athletes and team officials. There would be an international zone, possibly including Manchester Grammar School, for the media, families of competitors, VIPs and Heads of State. The site as a whole would be enclosed by a fence and would be secure during the Games period. The village would be open 25 days in total; participants would be entitled to free accommodation for a minimum of 18 nights.

31. Manchester Swimming Complex. The swimming centre was being built as a partnership between Manchester City Council and the three local universities—the University of Manchester, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and Manchester Metropolitan University. Additional funding had come from the English Sports Council. The complex was due for completion in September 2000. It would be available for use by the local community as well as students of the universities. It would have a main 50 metre pool, plus a 4-lane 50 metre training pool and diving and leisure pools.