Annual report and the financial statements of BASES for the year ended 31 March 2007…

The Strategic Management Team has pleasure in presenting its report and the financial statements of BASES for the year ended 31 March 2007.The Strategic Management Team is pleased to report a surplus of income over expenditure of £38,122 for the year. The BASES Corporate Plan 2002-2007 is about to end and some of this year’s significant achievements are outlined below under each of the five Association's objectives. Successes including the 2006 BASES Annual Conference and the 2007 BASES Annual Student Conference are highlighted as well as the excellent work of the Journal of Sports Sciences and The Sport and Exercise Scientist. Progress towards the production of position statements is covered. The Association continues to recognise excellence in research through awards, including annual awards and awards at both the Annual and Student Conferences.

In the past month BASES has agreed plans for a ‘member networking online’ project. As the largest network of sport and exercise scientists in the UK, BASES has set itself a mission to be the essential and vibrant member community for sport and exercise scientists. The social networking will involve blogs, discussion forums and a full social-network based on user profiles – all of which have the potential to promote research, collaboration and examples of evidence-based practice.

There have been four initiatives in the area of accreditation. First, BASES High Performance Sport Accreditation (HPSA) was launched at the end of 2006. Second, BASES has played a key role, along with the British Dietetic Association and the Nutrition Society, in the launch of the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register. Third, by early 2008 BASES aims to be at the end of the process of reviewing, amending and standardising documentation used for the Supervised Experience and Accreditation processes. Fourth, by the end of 2007 a re-accreditation working party will launch a new re-accreditation scheme. The new scheme will mirror developments in other professional bodies and requirements for Health Professionals Council regulation. It will focus on the need to accumulate an appropriate amount of Continuing Professional Development within a two-year period to maintain accredited status. The Association also plays a key role in assuring the appropriateness of the curriculum, resources and opportunities that undergraduate courses offer for training sport and exercise scientists through the BASES Undergraduate Endorsement Scheme - BUES. Fourteen institutions now have endorsed courses.

In 2007 BASES made preliminary approaches to the Government with the aim of becoming a regulated profession under the Health Professionals Council. It is anticipated that in 2008 BASES will start the application process for formal regulation under the Health Professionals Council. If accepted, then this will lead to a formal recognition and regulation of the profession of Sport and Exercise Scientists and would lead to a protected title.

Towards the end of 2006 BASES developed a strategy for membership recruitment and retention. It was decided that Phase 1 of the strategy should initially target students and academic staff because first, this allows BASES to use existing resources and capabilities and second, this market has not reached saturation point.

To develop a marketing and communications strategy, BASES has teamed up with Masters in Business Administration students from Leeds

Metropolitan University Business School. The students have been tasked with the following: critically review and analyse the current internal and external marketing communications between BASES and its stakeholders; evaluate what similar organisations have done to improve the internal and external marketing communications between themselves and their stakeholders so that BASES can capitalise some knowledge to enhance its marketing communications; and suggest appropriate strategies to enhance the internal and external marketing communications between BASES and its stakeholders. The results will be presented to the Strategic Management Team in September 2007.

The BASES Corporate Plan ends in 2007 and as such, the Strategic Management Team and representatives from the Divisions have met to start developing a Strategic Plan for 2008 onwards. Understanding the external environment in which BASES operates, and identifying the extent to which different factors provide either an opportunity or a threat is key to the plan. Strategic analysis has also investigated how BASES can use its resources and capabilities to differentiate itself from other organisations. A draft Strategic Plan will be available for consultation towards the end of 2007.

With a proposed restructuring to be voted on at the 2007 Annual General Meeting, the Strategic Management Team hopes that the changes (if voted through by members) will bring improved communication, professionalism and corporate governance to the Association.

To read the BASES 2006-07 Annual Report, click here