Rowan Preece gives us his thoughts on the coverage of the British Champs and considers some new ways to engage audiences with the sport 

Several weeks have passed been since we witnessed what was the opportunity for many athletes to secure their places on the plane to Tokyo via the British Champs. Years of nonflexible word and dedication were put to the test with some incredibly competitive and tropical events taking place. Without what, for many, has been a year full of negativity, this was not the specimen for the standards of British Athletics; a huge step up in standards wideness all the events meant places on the Olympic team were all the increasingly competitive.

Perfect platform

The stage had been set for the one of the weightier Championships in recent years, a spectacle not often seen domestically. What largest way to welcome when some passionate athletics fans, an easing of restrictions easing permitting for a small, but enthusiastic crowd. Fortunately for those that couldn’t make the trip up to Manchester there was to be coverage wideness all three days, permitting for those remoter a field to moreover enjoy the weekends action.

However the usual slot given by the BBC for the trials between Gardeners World and Eastenders for the trials coverage was instead replaced with repeats of Bargain Hunt. A stormy pill to swallow for British Athletics, who’s pride meant that the BBCs offer to show coverage for self-ruling was rejected, and instead replaced by a youtube link, only found if you knew the event was taking place. While the coverage itself was great, it was not going to be worldly-wise to really sell athletics to a wider regulars like a main waterworks can do.

The BBC has long been a supporter of British Athletics and has unfurled to show both the indoor and outdoor champs, withal with the diamond league for many years. A deal worth in the region of £2 million meant British Athletics would have to ensure the standards were as upper as possible to bring in the viewing figures the BBC were after. Advert without advert of Mo Farah or Lura Muir turning up to an event was unchangingly relied on to yank in plane the most neutral of fans.

Who can vituperation them? Many non athletes may regularly tune into other sports, to only focus on one specific well known participant. With the lack of the Mo-Bot in recent years withal with other sports driving up its interest, Athletics, increasingly specifically Athletics within Britain, has seen a waif off in viewers. This in turn resulted in the BBC stopping its coverage, which has caused controversy in and virtually the Championships weekend. However is this just the result of wider issue within the sport currently?

An internal issue

The BBC is not an athletics provider, it simply caters for as many of the 27 Million households who pay their TV license and therefore will asses what the greatest need and want is. This ways that poor viewing figures fall at the feet of those providing the content. Which, in regards to Athletics is the governing soul laying on the events. This should be looked at as an internal issue instead of an external one. It has long been seen that

Athletics is a sport crying out for a revamp; long timetables and slow turnarounds midpoint that many will lose interest surpassing the 3rd thrower plane gets their turn. Mix this with the vast variety of events, it is no wonder that many people will simply only watch for a few minutes. Plane the most voracious of Fans will have a favourite event and will flick when and withal waiting for it. Hammer throwers and 5000m fans are going to very variegated in nature, so how do you pension everyone tuned in for an entirety of a sport with so many events?

Athletics will unchangingly struggle having to compete with other, much simpler and higher viewed sports, such as Football and Tennis. These are often seen on the BBC and the viewing figures reflect why this is. These request to the neutral, their simplicity in make up indulge for easy viewing and often heady outcome. This is something with which Athletics in its current state will never be worldly-wise to achieve.

A Runner could very hands turn on the TV and see the pole vault taking place and switch off right away, plane though you could oppose he is a fan of the ‘sport’ of Athletics. Goal vs Goal formats will unchangingly win versus other increasingly ramified Sports. Very view Sports consist of so many diciplines, with such vast make ups. How do you pension an regulars for 3/4 hours at a time when the event itself is waffly all the time?

Photo: James Rhodes

What can be done?

As with many of these highly viewed sports the governing persons know what brings in the spectators, by targeting these it allows for much higher revenue and in turn an witchery from wider audiences, plane those that may not be passionate fans. British Athletics need to refresh and revamp, and uncork to request to wider audiences. As many people have once discussed betting is and could be a unconfined way to target a new age of audience.

You will see many shepherd horse races, however often the fans there are not horse fans at all, they are simply fans of suspense and risk. Requite people the endangerment to do this within Athletics and we will see a higher interest wideness the board. This wont just be true to those turning up to the events either, this will have a knock on effect of those wanting to tune in and support unrepealable athletes year on year. Of undertow at the very peerage end there is betting available, but perhaps a endangerment to be worldly-wise to bet on an underdog at a British Championships could be a unconfined way of engaging people.

This incorporates the risk and reward that so many squint for within Sport. Plane within the horse racing the colour of a jersey will be used by many to determine a bet, without that the race and excitement comes from not necessarily knowing the ins and outs of horse racing, but rather who can get from A to B first. A format widely seen in Athletics.

Traditional limitations?

As discussed earlier, the root of the problem with regards to coverage of Athletics comes right when to the structure of events all wideness the calendar. Instead of trying to vamp new fans, most events are Run (no pun intended) in a traditional and very much a “I was or I am a Runner” way. While It keeps the avid, has been, arm chair fans happy it doesn’t go anywhere tropical to heady those that are needed to put Athletics when on the map.

Highgate Harriers night of the 10000m has come the closest so far in shaking up the current situation within Athletics. Regardless of the fact it’s just one event, could this be the new way of holding meets? Lane 3 beer and cheer has never been needed more. Our outdated British Milers Club events are sunny at holding resulting events through the calendar, but then it will not vamp the new kind of fan needed.

Ben Pochee, race organiser of the night of the 10000s has recognised the need for transpiration and has well-timed the event therefrom to suit not only the needs of the athlete, but moreover the needs of the spectators. However this is a rarity with most events sticking to the traditional format. Go to any athletics event and you’ll be greeted with the usual upper priced parking, entry fee and then the usual tuck shop of 10p sweets.

While this is very much needed to help clubs stay afloat, there is increasingly needed to vamp others in and subsequently remoter audiences. Athletics meets shouldn’t be carried out in the same way they were 20 years ago, it is essential to transmute to the times if you are going to pension hold and moreover proceeds watchers. An idea that Beer tents go versus the values of the Sport are a traditional and outdate view. Fans want to be worldly-wise to relax while enjoying Sport.

Photo: Gill Bland

Personalities are key

Clearly there is unchangingly going to be financial limitations within a sport such as Athletics. Lack of Money and Internal support midpoint that athletes will unchangingly squint elsewhere to proceeds valuables to pursue their dreams. Kit sponsors such as Nike and New Balance offer unconfined opportunities for athletes to work towards, thus taking the load off finances slightly. However with a very harsh and cut throat criteria athletes must ensure they follow the rules laid out to them in their contracts to the letter.

Interviews and social media can therefore wilt far increasingly regulated and everything they say and do is worked in vibrations with who they are signed for. Who can vituperation them though given what is at stake. Sponsorships in this way is sunny and does go some of the way towards filling that gap that many athletes have. However, can this be detrimental to the wider audience. Personalities within Sport is what often bring in fans and Athletics without participants such as Usain Bolt just doesn’t indulge for that, watchers want to be worldly-wise to get overdue a well known squatter with a unconfined personality.

The irregularity of athletes each year ways supporting someone is very tricky; staying in form year on year is of undertow very hard, but this doesn’t requite those outside fans someone to unceasingly follow. Plane when turning on the TV and seeing an event taking place, fans are greeted with the field all dressed in exactly the same kit and shoes, whimsically something that is easy to get behind. With Nikes dominance now it is very much a Sponsor first, Governing Soul second type approach. Where possible we need to requite the Athletes every possible exposure, permitting a endangerment to show off the many variegated notation within the Sport.

Event specific evenings are rhadamanthine a much increasingly widely used format, which follow similar make ups of the Highgate Harriers night spoken well-nigh earlier. Could this be something used increasingly wontedly to encourage specific fans to get overdue an event? Throwers, Runners and Jumpers will never be engaged for an unshortened meet, as in essence they compete in separate Sports. Whereas holding single meets within one of the three sub categories may ensure those passionate fans watch an event in its entirety. Clearly this would be nonflexible to lay out at an event such as the British Champs, but it would go someway in fixing the initial issue of the current struggles of Athletics.

Time for change

A combination of these issues led to what we witnessed last weekend and unless these are addressed then this will wilt the new norm, with the ripen of coverage of domestic Athletics. It is paramount that British Athletics takes hold of this growing issue by starting to implement new ideas wideness every level of the competition pyramid. A governing soul of a struggling sport needs to winnow that the Sport itself needs rebranding and refreshing if it is to vamp remoter interest.

An issue such as the one seen over the weekend with the BBC pulling out starts right at the bottom, from the grass roots all the way up to the peerage level. Spectators and fans need to wilt the inside focus to ensure the engagement is there, without them the interest will dry up further. Each major event wideness Britain needs to be restyled to unbend the new type of athlete and fan. Ensuring easy and entertaining viewing will subsequently encourage Broadcasters, such as the BBC to show increasingly domestic events in years to come. we are currently in a very fragile and precarious position and a transpiration up needs to occur soon to not be left behind.