Annex 20
Letter, 18 January 2001, from Sport England
to the Chairman of WNSL
ENGLISH NATIONAL STADIUM, WEMBLEY
Following my letter to Bob Stubbs of 8 December,
within which I raised a number of immediate issues related to
the financing process and athletics, I understand that a revised
package will be agreed by 31 January 2001. It is important to
agree a way forward in order for us to consider extensions to
the section three milestone under the Lottery Funding Agreement
which currently finishes on 31 January. Our prime concern at this
stage is to ensure that the grant is adequately protected, and
therefore we would appreciate receiving confirmation of the revised
package at the earliest opportunity. I am hopeful that a meeting
can be set up with Bob Stubbs and the FA next week to discuss
the latest position prior to the Board meeting scheduled for 31
January.
As part of this package it is important that
there is a clear way forward on athletics. My colleague Ian Fytche
attended the Lee Valley Forum on Tuesday of this week, 16 January.
At the start of the meeting, the Secretary of State reported on
his discussions with you earlier in the day. He reported that,
in your assessment, it was extremely unlikely that a Wembley option
would be proposed for athletics, and that you had undertaken to
confirm this view by the end of this week.
We have only had the opportunity for a brief,
snatched conversation on these issues since your appointment,
following the lunch which we both attended last week. Given that
you appear to be nearing the end of your assessment on athletics
options for Wembley, please do not hesitate to contact me to arrange
to meet if you would find that helpful. We stand ready to meet
at short notice given the timetable outlined by the Secretary
of State for a conclusion to your assessment this week.
Should you conclude that, in your view, Wembley
should not put forward proposals for the 2005 World Athletics
Championships, then I assume that we will be in a position to
conclude our discussions on the changes required to the Lottery
Funding Agreement, and the payment of £20 million to Sport
England, as approved by the Council on 4 December 2000. The Council
decision followed receipt of an application from WNSL and the
FA on 29 September 2000, which followed the announcement by the
Secretary of State in December 1999.
If, however, you do propose an athletics option
for Wembley, then it would be helpful to receive details of your
proposals at the earliest opportunity. In this scenario, our principal
concern would be to ensure compliance with the technical requirements
of the Lottery Funding Agreement, and therefore an early opportunity
to review your proposals would be appreciated. Perhaps the key
consideration is the position of UK Athletics, as our assessment
of athletics proposals has always been based upon the needs of
the sport. We understand their current position is to support
the Picketts Lock project.
I look forward to hearing from you in the very
near future. Please do not hesitate to give me a call at any time
to discuss any of the issues raised above.
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