Any good team is based on knowing the right people for the right job. At a time when governance and financial management is in the spotlight, it is interesting to see that across the water UK Athletics is the latest sporting body to appoint Jockey Club Services to manage much of its financial function.
The company is an offshoot of the Jockey Club which owns and operates racecourse from Cheltenham to Aintree. It was founded in 2014 to provide services across a range of areas to sporting bodies. It currently lists Badminton England, Squash England, British Fencing and Table Tennis England among its clients for financial management and procurement, and provides loyalty services through the rewards4Cricket programme.
The appointment will see Jockey Club Services manage transactional processing, treasury, debtor management, expenses and financial reporting for the next three years, providing the sport with an up to date system at an outsourced cost that would be difficult to match internally.
“We have studied the experiences of a number of NGBs who have effectively outsourced various business services to Jockey Club Services and the feedback has been exceptionally positive,” said Jonathon Orr, Chief Financial and Operations Officer of UK Athletics.
“Like all governing bodies, we are continually challenging ourselves to have a resilient but cost effective back-office operation in order to drive core investment to the sport of athletics.
“In Jockey Club Services we have found an organisation that has extensive experience in the NGB sector who will work closely with us to provide the depth of financial management and expertise that we need as we head to Tokyo and beyond.”
“It’s a real honour for Jockey Club Services to be chosen by a governing body with the size, scale and pedigree of UK Athletics to manage their financial operational requirements for the next three years,” added Rob Quick, Director of Jockey Club Services.
“The appointment from our perspective confirms the quality of the what we have to offer and the depth of support that we are able to provide.”
In a world where cloud-based services offer the opportunity for companies, and sports, to focus on what their strengths are while relying on experts to provide back up in key areas it has the potential to find favour in Irish sport as well.
