I have enjoyed watching Manchester City play football. At their best, they have been inventive, disciplined and almost impossible to contain. Whatever happens in the Premier League’s financial case, the players still had to win matches. Money can assemble a squad; it cannot make eleven people play like a team. Manchester United offer a useful… Continue reading Manchester City, the Price of Success and the Price of Fairness
Blog.
Build the Sport Before You Build the Stadium
In 2021, Papua hosted Indonesia’s National Games—PON XX. For a few weeks, Papua possessed what appeared to be a magnificent new sporting landscape: an international-standard stadium, an aquatic centre, indoor arenas, shooting facilities, hockey pitches, cricket grounds and other specialist venues. Billions of rupiah had been invested. The facilities looked impressive, the opening ceremony was… Continue reading Build the Sport Before You Build the Stadium
Can You Recognise a Champion the Moment They Walk into the Gym?
As a coach, I often told people that I could assess whether an athlete was likely to succeed from the first time they walked into the gym. At the time, I thought this was instinct—some mysterious coaching ability developed through years of experience. Looking back, I believe the explanation was much simpler. I was not… Continue reading Can You Recognise a Champion the Moment They Walk into the Gym?
Higher Education in the Age of AI: From Knowing to Being Able
I recently retired from higher education. Although it represented a relatively short period of my overall career, I enjoyed the opportunity to work with young people and help prepare them to go forward into the world with their eyes open—or partially open, at least. I must also say, with all respect to academia, that I… Continue reading Higher Education in the Age of AI: From Knowing to Being Able
Winning Everything, Losing What Matters
Tiger Woods conquered golf, accumulated wealth and became one of the most recognisable people on Earth. His decline raises an uncomfortable question: what happens when exceptional success begins to feel like exemption from ordinary rules? Tiger Woods has achieved almost everything that sport can offer. He has won 15 major championships and shares the record… Continue reading Winning Everything, Losing What Matters
A Thought Experiment for Developed Sporting Nations
Countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom invest enormous sums in elite institutes, high-performance centres, specialist personnel and increasingly sophisticated athlete-development systems. But consider a simple question. If an additional $10 million became available for sport, which investment would ultimately produce the greatest benefit—even at elite level? Would it be better spent within the… Continue reading A Thought Experiment for Developed Sporting Nations
Too Old for an Interview? The Experience We Choose to Waste
Organisations routinely praise experience, diversity and lifelong contribution. Yet many older applicants with directly relevant backgrounds are rejected without even a conversation. What does that reveal about the way we assess human value? I have recently applied for several positions for which I believed I possessed substantial and directly relevant experience. I was not offered… Continue reading Too Old for an Interview? The Experience We Choose to Waste
Does Sport Still Do What It Was Intended to Do?
Sport was once defended as a means of developing character, health and social responsibility. Today it is also entertainment, commerce, politics and global spectacle. Has sport lost its way—or are we expecting it to produce benefits it was never designed to guarantee? The question sounds simple, but it begins with a complication: sport has never… Continue reading Does Sport Still Do What It Was Intended to Do?
Football has a problem. -Protecting Young People from Negative Influence
We live in a world where influence has become increasingly powerful and difficult to recognise. Advertising, political messaging, social media and artificial intelligence can all shape what people believe, fear and value. History has shown that whole populations can gradually accept ideas and behaviours that clearly offend basic morality. This does not usually happen because… Continue reading Football has a problem. -Protecting Young People from Negative Influence
The Party Ends, but the Bills Remain
Why the Commonwealth Games Need a New Hosting Model The Commonwealth Games remain one of the world’s most valuable multisport events. They bring together athletes from 74 nations and territories, provide an important international platform for smaller countries, and have become a world leader in the integration of Para sport. At their best, the Games… Continue reading The Party Ends, but the Bills Remain
