Following the announcement of the purchase of the new sports grounds in Heston it was also announced that student sport would no longer continue at Teddington. The process behind this decision has now been fully discussed with representatives of Imperial College Union and we would like to take this opportunity to explain how the decisions were made and what will happen as we move forward.
The decision process
In the May of 2012 as part of a college Management Board meeting it was decided that as part of the move forward with the College’s sports strategy that the sports facilities needed rationalising. This stated that the facilities were to be looked at with the potential outcome of a site being shut down if a better alternative could be found. This decision that the facilities would need considering led to a year and a half of discussions of the options.
In the autumn of 2013 the potential option of the British Airways Concorde club was found. This facility was a site provided as a sports and recreational centre for BA staff. BA wanted to ensure that any future owner would ensure there was still provision for their staff at the site, and to get the best deal for their employees. Due to the sensitivities around this and the need to consult with their employee representatives it meant that the 8 month process of deciding upon and signing the heads of terms had to be done in confidence with no communication to the wider public.
BA were finally on board as of the spring of 2014 however Imperial was not the only offer of interest and so at this point there was absolutely no certainty we would be able to purchase the grounds, though this was the point at which the process was shared with College Cabinet. Nothing could be made public until the heads of terms were signed, at which point both sides were satisfied with the agreement, which did not happen until mid-June. Although it was known that the purchase would likely mean no more student sport at Teddington, the absence of an alternative plan if the process fell through meant it was not felt by the College that warning students about the potential loss of Teddington would be of benefit until they knew for certain that the purchase would go ahead.
As soon as the heads of terms had been signed the process was put underway to start announcing information with a meeting put in place for the day after. The unfortunate timing of the agreement being signed on the side of BA meant that all announcements were made in the last week of term while students were leaving. This led to a level of communication to the affected students that was not ideal but the timing of the decision and the commercial sensitivity meant that this was the only time that the announcement could be made.
The outcomes
There is still an ongoing discussion with College as to the future of ICSM sport and how best we can provide support during the transition between Teddington and the new sports grounds in Heston. While there will be no more student sport at Teddington, we aim to ensure the medical students are well catered for at the new facility. The nearby school that have been using Teddington will continue to do so but will pay for its upkeep themselves. Options for the potential sale of Teddington are being considered by the college.
There will be two final events at Teddington, the UH 7s (12th October) and a celebration of sport (18th Oct). Details will be publicised closer to the time and the events should provide us with the opportunity for a celebration of the great history of the sports ground and a chance to say a last goodbye.
For those concerned about the future of the ground staff that have been known and loved by many there will be a ground staff consultation period happening September and October with all ground staff from Harlington, Teddington and Heston. Once the consultation is completed, staff members will then have an opportunity to reapply into a new joint team structure.
There are lots of opportunities with the new ground in Heston and we want to ensure that access can be opened up to as many groups as possible. Discussion for the transition of ICSM sport to Heston to allow for a reflection of the tradition and history the medical school is still in process, and so far we have a definite agreement for ICSM corner flags at Heston for use when the ICSM teams will play there and discussion is in place to bring memorabilia across from Teddington.
For further information on the new sports ground in Heston, the link to the college news story can be found here: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/sports/newssummary/news_9-7-2014-15-20-47
