Closed - Public consultation on the advancement of amateur sport as a charitable aim

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator for charities in England and Wales, has opened a public consultation on the advancement of amateur sport as a charitable aim.

Sport has often been used to advance charitable aims but, following a change in the law introduced by the Charities Act 2006, it is now charitable to advance amateur sports or games, which promote health by involving physical or mental skill or exertion, as an aim in itself. The Commission's consultation focuses on when it is appropriate for organisations to adopt the advancement of amateur sports or games as a charitable aim and what can be done by charities to advance that aim for the public benefit. Following the consultation, which closes on 31 May, the Commission will prepare guidance on advancing amateur sports or games, taking into account the responses and submissions received. A summary of the responses will be published with the new guidance later this year.

One of the key questions asked in the consultation is what may be needed to show that regularly playing games of mental skill or exertion promotes health. This was part of the Commission's consideration in registering Hitchin Bridge Club, the first charity registered with the aim of advancing amateur sport by promoting the game of bridge. Other games mentioned as examples in the consultation include chess and cribbage.

Rosie Chapman, Executive Director Policy and Effectiveness at the Charity Commission, said:

“"For years, sporting activities have been used to further a wide variety of charitable aims, for example to advance the physical education of young people or to relieve disability or the effects of old age. Now that advancing amateur sports or games is in itself a charitable aim we want, with the help of the sector, to explore what that means. We are particularly interested in hearing views on what types of sport or game which involve mental, as opposed to physical, exertion might be capable of being charitable. ”

"We are also publishing reports on our final public benefit assessments, which looked at sport and recreation charities. We know that trustees and their advisors have found our previously published assessment reports helpful when planning how to demonstrate their charity's public benefit. We hope that today's reports will be equally useful to charities working in the sport and recreation sector." ”

The reports cover the assessments of the following four charities:

Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust (registered charity no.1105278)
Tintagel Memorial Playing Fields Association (registered charity no.1088744)
Birmingham City FC Football in the Community (registered charity no.1086631)
The Radlett Lawn Tennis and Squash Club (registered charity no.1117605)

Of these, the Commission found that all but one are being administered for the public benefit. Although the Radlett Lawn Tennis and Squash Club is a charity, it is not currently being administered for the public benefit because it does not provide sufficient opportunity to benefit for those who cannot afford the charity's annual membership fees. The trustees now have three months in which to confirm that they have considered their assessment report and will put a plan in place to ensure the charity will be administered for the public benefit, and then a further nine months to submit a suitable plan to the Commission.

For full details of the consultation please go to http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Charity_requirements_guidance/Charity_essentials/
Public_benefit/pbaas.aspx