FOUNDATION FOR LEADERSHIP THROUGH SPORT
FLS SUPPORTS THE IMPROVEMENT OF LEADERSHIP THROUGH SPORT
Leadership is a fundamental driver of performance for individuals, teams, coaches, administrators and whole organisations. We work with these groups to develop leadership qualities that will aid success whether within or outside the sporting environment.
Our aim is to encourage and facilitate athletes and sporting organisations to invest in leadership development. This includes National Governing Bodies of Sport, universities and clubs.
Directors and Associates have extensive top-level experience in leading and coaching within sport, business, public service and the military. The know-how and knowledge of world-class practices is drawn from all these sectors.
FLS seeks to assist in improving the effectiveness of sports organisations, enhancing sporting performance and enabling athletes to transfer their leadership skills to careers and fields beyond sport.
Funding FLS
For more than a decade, Nigel Wray was the only contributor to the FLS finances. Being a charity, it was, and remains, our aim to provide a programme free of charge, where possible, to members who themselves have benefited from free membership and to other guests. We have been enabled to do this by means of some wonderful support from contributors and presenters, many of whom are world leaders in their field, most of whom have not charged for their services.
It does, however, cost money to stage any event, and we do need at least £25k per annum to meet our expenses.
In order to engage with more people, we are embarking on a new funding initiative, whereby we hope to attract a number of patrons, who for a relatively modest outlay, can support the charity, and at the same time derive some benefit, either personally, or for their organisation.
We seek patrons at three levels, gold silver and bronze, with just one at the gold level, 6 silver and up to 10 bronze. The benefits to FLS are obvious, with particularly at silver and gold levels, significant return on the investment for patrons.
Mike Littlewood
Joe Samuels
Martin Taylor
I recently approached three former Bristol students who I had coached in the University rugby team, and immediately, all three offered to come in at the silver level of patronage. What a wonderful start! Thanks to Mike Littlewood, Joe Samuels and Martin Taylor for giving this initiative such a quick start. All three of them are experienced leaders and mentors in their own fields.
Richard Hytner
Richard Hytner, FLS Director, and among many other things, author of the wonderful book on leadership ‘Consiglieri’, has also offered to come in as a Silver patron. Thanks to the four of you for your wonderful support.
More details can be read on the website in the new ‘Patrons’ section.
Anyone, member or otherwise, who is interested in supporting FLS in this way, please contact Bob Reeves at bob.reeves@flsport.net.
27th June 2024
FLS Workshop at the Frontline Club, London
‘CHANGING STYLES OF LEADERSHIP AND THE WINNING MINDSET’
This event followed a ‘phone call Bob Reeves received from David Marquet only a month or so earlier, saying that he would be in London at the end of June with a free day following his overnight flight, and he would love to do something together again. Our two previous events with him had been very successful.
We quickly put together a workshop on the theme of ‘Changing styles of leadership and the‘winning mindset’. We were fortunate to enlist Jeremy Snape, founder of ‘Sporting Edge’. We thus had two of the most sought-after presenters in the field of performance and leadership.
Though it was put together at short notice, those fortunate enough to attend were able to take part in a wonderful afternoon’s activity at the Frontline Club.
Some attendees provided us with responses to what they had heard and participated in.
May 30th 2024
FLS Workshop at Encirc, The Park, Avonmouth
‘HOW LEADERSHIP IS CHANGING - FUTURE LEADERS’
In February Kevin Roberts, who has provided several wonderful sessions for us, offered to do something on May 30. I was unsure as it was only a week after Liz’s funeral. However, ‘the show must go on’ philosophy was adopted and we had a scaled down event focusing on ‘Leaders of the Future’ for invited guests at Encirc (formerly Accolade Wines) near Bristol.
I was so glad we went ahead as Kevin was at his best, and we also had the chance to discuss the future of leadership at an afternoon session led by our fellow Director, Frank Dick.
Kevin Bowring
Our FLS Associate, Kevin Bowring, sadly passed away in October. Kevin had a distinguished career and he was involved in many of our FLS activities. Initially a schoolteacher, he went on to excel in elite sport, becoming the Wales Senior national coach before going on to work for the Rugby Football Union for 14 years, where he was in charge of Elite Coach Development. His funeral, in a packed Malmesbury Abbey, demonstrated how much he was respected by so many people, a large number of whom he taught and mentored. Kevin was a loving and kind family man, and our sympathies go out to his Wendy and family.
Liz Reeves
I have some very sad news to report to members and others interested in FLS. My wife Liz passed away in April after a brave three year fight against cancer. Liz was a wonderful person as well as a marvellous partner in life. She was also, almost from the outset, my main support in FLS, doing the admin so well for the charity for many years.
Bob Reeves
Nigel Wray
FLS would never have come into being without Nigel. He told me over a decade ago that he would support FLS with annual funding of £25k for ten years, and that is what he did. It all started when I was in a meeting with Sue (now Baroness) Sue Campbell, who was then the Chair of UK Sport. We were bemoaning the failure of British sport to explicitly set out to develop leaders. There had always been a ‘leaders are born not made’ mentality. I suggested to her that we ought to do something about it. A week later, I was with Nigel Wray, and I told him of the conversation with Sue. Nigel immediately said ‘Get something going, and I will support you’. So it was that within a couple of months, the Foundation for Leadership through Sport charity was born. We never had ambitions to be anything more than a smallish charity, doing useful things and developing tentacles going out into sport at all levels. This I believe we have done, very much thanks to Nigel’s help from the very beginning.
Having supported us for just over a decade, Nigel has now stepped away and we are on the look out for another Nigel!!.
Those of us involved in FLS thank Nigel for his backing from the start and his active involvement in our activities.
Bob Reeves
WHO WE ARE
FLS is led by, and draws knowledge from, our Directors, each of whom is an established leader in sport, high-level business or both. Associates are experts in leadership within and through sport, who are actively engaged in promoting or delivering the mission of FLS, or or are engaged in related research.
Applications for membership of FLS is open to anyone who has a particular interest in leadership and sport.
WHAT WE DO
FLS delivers and supports courses and workshops, working with universities, sporting organisations and elite sportsmen and women. We advise on corporate leadership and leadership development, facilitating the improvement of performance of organisations, teams and individuals. We adopt an ‘action learning’ philosophy, seeking to encourage leadership capability in the workplace and the sporting environment.
FORUM
Viewpoint- This part of the website FLS website provides articles about events and people who have been involved. We offer views and comment on different aspects of leadership and invite anyone to contribute, members or otherwise.
Videos- Many of our events are recorded. Highlights are shown here, with full recordings available only to members in the secure section of the site.
Galleries- Here can be found pictures of events going back to the early years of FLS.