Athletics in the UK: The Rise and Fall of the BAF

23 The baton is passed to the BAAB International Athletes Club (IAC) between them, an organisation representing arguably the most important element of the sport (the international athletes) and which promoted a popular and lucrative Grand Prix spectacular each year at Crystal Palace stadium. The sport’s activists were becoming frustrated with, as they saw them, the anachronistic ways of the AAA and sought an opportunity to gain some greater influence on the inside. In an attempt to open up its management, Derek Johnson, on behalf of the IAC, had proposed at the 1985 AGM of the AAA the direct election of club representatives to the General Committee. This received a majority of votes but not enough to satisfy the 75% threshold needed for it to be enacted. A different approach was needed. Midlander David Cropper had become the Honorary Treasurer of the AAA at the 1985 AGM following the retirement of John Martell and was struggling to find enough time. Additionally, British athletics had struck TV gold through a huge increase in rights fees offered by ITV in its successful bid to oust the BBC from its previously unchallenged position as the broadcaster of athletics in Britain. TV and marketing revenue had shot up as a result and this needed managing. I had been involved in the one governing body campaign from the outset and, with my professional qualifications, the Southern Counties felt that I would be a good choice for the treasurer’s position and, to my surprise but with my agreement, proposed me in place of Cropper who had decided he could not give enough time. The proposal apparently did not go down very well with some within the AAA hierarchy and General Committee chairman Arthur McAllister attempted to persuade Roger Simons to stand for the position instead. Simons honourably refused as a matter of principle as he had supported my nomination within the Southern Counties and thus, as the sole candidate, I was elected Honorary Treasurer of the AAA at the AGM on 6 th December 1986. I had been totally surprised to be approached, out of the blue, by the Southern Counties and saw the possibility of occupying one of the most senior positions in the sport as a great honour. I also realised that, as one of the protagonists for the one governing body, I would be in a position on the inside to push. Furthermore, as an officer of the AAA, I would automatically be a member of the Council of the BAAB and could take a personal interest in the machinations of the Evans committee.