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

55 BAF IS BORN The 17 th March 1991 finally dawned and the many and varied representatives of athletics made their ways to the Vaughan Jeffries lecture theatre, University of Birmingham for the historic occasion. The carefully choreographed programme saw a series of interlocking EGMs. At the EGM of the AAA, the organisational and financial arrangements were explained to the assembled clubs’ delegates and the formal resolutions were passed without trouble. Likewise, the BAAB and the Women’s AAA voted through their respective demises and the celebrations could begin. The athletics writers were generally positive. John Rodda’s article in the Guardian the day before had noted that “ the AAA is holding on to much of its power and authority, albeit under the new name of the AAA of England” His article had been headed “ AAA holds on to a 15-year guarantee ” and he remarked that the BAF “ was not the sleek body envisaged ”. As we have already noted, an earlier article of his had been headlined “ BAF to start with a limp ”. Prophetic words indeed. Everything was now in place for the BAF to start business proper on 1 st October 1991 and there was a six months period during which the planning could be finalised. During this period a small interim board of directors was appointed. The “interim steering directors” were McAllister (President designate), Evans (Chairman designate), Lister (Treasurer designate), Marea Hartman (chairman of the BAAB) and Margaret Oakley (chairman of the Women’s AAA). Mike Farrell would act as secretary to the board. Subsequently, Geoff Clarke, David Cropper and Jim McInnes were added as interim directors. Most of the deliberations of the interim board were of a mundane nature but it did, at least, finally decide that a new organisation needed a new management style and that this meant a Chief Executive, a position that had been long mooted but always postponed. Unfortunately, but true to form, the interim board itself failed to adopt “a new management style”