Book this date in your diary now, for a not-to-be-missed SJA event on Monday, February 22.
With a General Election to be held later this year, the SJA has managed to secure the agreement of the Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe, and the sports spokesmen for the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, Hugh Robertson and Don Foster, to take part in a special debate on the future of sport in Britain.
In Question Time-style, our panel of MPs will answer questions from our audience on a broad range of sporting topics:
* From the 2012 London Olympics to television rights for the Ashes and other free-to-air events
* From the state of football finance, to future policy on the betting levy and the Tote
* From England’s 2018 World Cup bid, to sports facilities and funding throughout the UK.
The thing is, on this evening, you will be setting the agenda for our politician guests.
The reception will begin at 6pm, with the debate starting at 6.30pm, and is expected to last until 8pm.
The debate will be staged in the Lecture Theatre at the Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3GA (a short walk from Farringdon BR and Tube station: click here for directions).
Access to this event is strictly ticket only. Tickets cost £10 for SJA members or £20 for non-members (both plus VAT at 17.5 per cent), and includes a glass of wine at the pre-event reception.
To apply for tickets, contact Mary Fitzhenry by email at mary@spokepromotions.com, stating how many tickets you require and the names of those attending, together with their SJA membership numbers (where applicable), plus an address for us to send an invoice to.
If you wish to put a question to the panel, you need to send your question to “Sporting Question Time”, with the word “Question” in the subject field, by Friday February 19.
OTHER UPCOMING SJA DATES
Mon Mar 8: 2009 SJA British Sports Journalism Awards, at The Brewery. Click here to book your tickets
March (date to be confirmed): SJA Olympic lunch, with Britain’s gymnastics world medallist as guest (details to be confirmed)
Apr 12:The SJA’s second “Sporting Question Time”, this time with London Mayor Boris Johnson at City Hall. This will be strictly for SJA members only
Thu Apr 15: SJA 2010 Annual Meeting, at offices of UK Sport
Mon Apr 19: SJA/LOCOG guided tour of Olympic Park (2pm – booking details to be announced)
All details are subject to change. First posted January 29
□ UK Sport is the longest standing lead sponsor of the Sports Journalists’ Association, with a partnership that goes back more than a decade. Sky Bet is the SJA’s newest partner, the sponsorship being announced in October 2008.
Both partners support the SJA’s two prestigious annual awards events, including the presentation of a special UK Sport Award for excellence at the SJA’s Annual Sports Awards and the sports betting writer of the year at the SJA’s British Sports Journalism Awards.
The SJA Annual Sports Awards are the longest established of their kind in the United Kingdom, having been first staged in 1949.
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