GLL explains why its support for London 2012 is part of a longer-term plan to secure a social legacy from the Games.
For the past seven years we've worked hard to support the London 2012 Olympic Games. This includes the earliest days of "back the bid" through to providing operational support and expert consultancy in the runup to and during the Games. Finally, having secured the contract to run two key Olympic venues in the legacy phase, GLL has been involved in London's Olympic journey every step of the way.
London 2012 has had its detractors, but to us it is a fantastic opportunity and will benefit the UK in so many ways. Not only will the Games boost interest in sports and sports participation but also in the longer term, it will result in significant social benefits; offering world-class facilities to the communities of east London and providing much-needed jobs and career opportunities against a tough economic backdrop.
Back in 2005 we took a strategic decision to support the London Olympic bid in any way we could. As a sports venue operator, running numerous facilities across London and the Olympic host boroughs, we were aware of the huge benefits that the Games could bring to the area - which includes some of the most socially and economically challenged neighbourhoods in the UK.
We therefore became very active in "back the bid" and through our centres secured more than 35,000 signatures supporting the Games. Once the bid had been won, everyone's attention turned to delivery and we were able to offer our expertise to both LOCOG and the ODA advising on the operational design elements of the Aquatic Centre.
We went on to support the British Olympic and Paralympic Association's OPEN scheme, which offered employment opportunities to athletes who need to work flexibly in order to maintain their training.
We signed up for the BOA Passport Scheme, which gives elite athletes the chance to train at the 100 sports venues we manage, free of charge. Our centres were also used to host Paralympic talent identification days, resulting in 25 individuals listed for future world-class programme evaluation.
As our links to London 2012 developed we saw first hand the financial and practical struggles that young athletes regularly face, particularly if they do not receive Sport Lottery funding. This lead us to launch the GLL Sport Foundation in 2008, which aims to support the next generation of emerging sporting talent, through financial and training grants. Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell OBE generously agreed to be our patron and today we support 1,100 athletes, the largest independent scheme of its type in the UK.
Our Olympic journey continued and we were invited to provide technical and staff support to a number of test events ranging from a modern pentathlon world cup event in 2011, to various aquatic test events in 2012 including diving, swimming and water polo. We have also seconded expert staff to provide pool plant operational support at the Aquatic Centre and management and training to the 120 volunteer lifeguards who will be manning the pools during the Games.
A number of our sports venues have been chosen as 2012 training camps both by GB teams and those from overseas. Perhaps most significant is Team Brazil who will be based at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, which we manage.
This partnership is hugely exciting and the team's contribution to the 2012 legacy is extensive. Not only has Brazil contributed financially to upgrading the facilities at Crystal Palace, they have also committed to take part in a series of outreach programmes within the local community. In addition, they are even allowing some access for local people to come in and watch them train. This means that local people will have the opportunity to engage with their overseas visitors and experience world-class sport on their doorstep.
As a leading social enterprise, we were always determined to be involved in the legacy aspect of the Games and were delighted to be awarded the contracts to run both the Olympic Aquatic Centre and Multiuse Arena after 2012. We are committed to working closely with the London Legacy Development Corporation to ensure that the Games really will benefit Londoners in the long term.
Our social mandate also means that we are committed to engaging with other Social Enterprises and SMEs within our own supply chain. We hope that our involvement in the legacy phase will have a "trickle down" effect on other businesses within the social enterprise sector.
We will also be working with our sister organisation, London Leisure College and other employment partners to maximise the opportunities for upskilling and employing local people. We estimate that about 80 jobs will be created within the Olympic venues that GLL will be operating post 2012.
So, while for many London 2012 will be the final chapter in their journey, for GLL it's part of a longer mission and just one more step towards securing a long-term sporting and social legacy from the Games.
Peter Bundey, deputy managing director, GLL.
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