Why are British Army sport making major changes?
Sport within the British Army is making a change as outlined in their recent 2023-25 plan.
The Army Sport Control Board, which was formed in 1918, is no more, with a rebrand welcoming in the new 'Army Sport' name.
As well as the rebrand, the plan reveals a number of changes designed to maximise participation as explained by their chief executive, Major General Darrell Amison, who spoke to BFBS Sport's Jon Knighton in the video above.
Why get rid of the Army Sport Control Board?
The Army Sport Control Board has been the governing body in the service's sports for 105 years.
While the new 'Army Sport' will still fill that role, the word 'control' has resulted in a rebrand.
"Control felt perhaps slightly counterintuitive," explained Maj Gen Armison in the video above.
"I think it will really help our media and communications. I think we will be able to communicate with a much bigger purpose and greater clarity."
Bringing Army Sport in line with British Army's current priorities
One of the main aims of the new plan is to use sport to help the British Army's objectives on a wider scale.
In his interview with Jon Knighton above, Maj Gen Armison discussed how sport helps prepare soldiers for training and operations.
He believes sport provides the platform to build the characteristics needed for Army soldiers on operations.
Are the 'Big 5' already expected for a lot of sports associations?
In their plan, Army Sport have revealed five key outcomes to go forward with: physical fitness, mental resilience, recruiting and retaining, teamwork and leadership.
Many sportsmen and women in the Army will believe that those outcomes already exist and, while Maj Gen Armison said there weren't many surprises in the plan, he thinks it's worthwhile to have the clarification.
"There's a very useful handrail there to talk about the benefits of sport," he said.
"At the end of the day, that enjoyment level of sport can really help our recruitment and retention."
You can read more about the Army's sporting plan going forward here or you can watch Maj Gen Armison discuss further with Jon Knighton in the video above.
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