CSP Network welcomes new Board

Richard Saunders MBE

Chair, CSP Network Board.

Lives in Manchester

Richard established GreaterSport as the country's largest and first independent CSP in 2000. Since then he has been instrumental in shaping the role of CSPs in England, working with policy makers, government departments and senior politicians and helped establish CSP Network. He maintains a credible profile with national sports agencies, clarifying and advocating the role of CSPs.

 Richard has a professional background in education, full time sports coaching and instructing and has been at the forefront of sports development over a many years, initiating a number of revolutionary new roles and programmes in London, Surrey, Plymouth and Greater Manchester, latterly bringing together sport, health and economic development

He has served as a trustee and chair on a number of charitable trusts and was awarded an MBE for services to grassroots sport in the North West in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Richard is an ex round the world cyclist and remains an active fell runner, cyclist and triathlete. 

Janet Inman

Chief Executive, Lincolnshire Sports Partnership

Lives in Lincolnshire

Janet is the CEO at Lincolnshire Sport; she has been an active volunteer in sport since she was 14. Janet was trained as a Specialist PE teacher before going on to re-train and work in the Primary sector for 20 years, ending her career as a qualified head teacher. She left teaching to care for a family member and came to work, on a part- time basis, at Lincolnshire Sport in 2004, where she has been ever since.

Janet is a person who believes in the value of community, she set up a Playgroup, Mothers and Toddlers and a youth group in her village and later went on to raise over £250,000 to build a purpose built Youth Centre to support young people in her community.

Janet was the Development Director at Volleyball England for 14 years and supported them through the first iteration of the NGB whole sport plan and worked as the lead for safeguarding to guide them through the CPSU Safeguarding standards.

Janet was seconded to LOCOG in 2012 and worked as part of the Games Maker team that delivered the London 2012 Beach Volleyball event.

Janet holds a number of non-executive roles, including Chair of the Boston Sports Initiative, Director at Lincoln City Football Club Sport and Education Trust, was chair of a local charity Young and Safe In Gainsborough, a member of her village hall committee and a community champion.

‘I’m really excited to be part of evolution of the CSP Network Board, there are some exciting opportunities for both CSPs and the Network. I believe the new board will help us to continue on our development path to a great organisation and network.’

Ben Jones

Director, Active Norfolk

Lives in Norfolk

Ben has been Director of Active Norfolk for 2 ½ years, having worked in various development roles with the CSP for 10 years. He has 20 years’ experience working in sport and leisure, including local government, a crime reduction charity, further and higher education.

A Sports science graduate, Ben is an experienced coach and coach educator. He has held various voluntary roles in community sport, from coach to safeguarding lead, as well as having key roles in the establishment and development of a number of clubs

Ben has held previous non-executive roles, including as trustee of a leisure trust operating sport and leisure facilities across a district.

‘I’m really excited to be part of the CSPN Board at this time. I think we’re moving into a hugely important period for sport and physical activity development and I’m grateful for the opportunity to try and support a fantastic organisation to shape a positive future for the network’.

Sue Anstiss

Chair, Get Berkshire Active

Founder and Managing Director, Promote Public Relations Ltd

Lives in Berkshire

Sue is a communications specialist with over 25 years’ experience in the field of sports, fitness and active leisure. She is also a successful entrepreneur, having founded an agency, Promote PR, in 1994, which continues to specialise in raising profile for a wide range of clients in sport and fitness. Prior to setting up her own company, Sue worked in sports marketing for Gatorade at Quaker Oats Ltd and in sales and marketing at Cadbury Ltd.



Sue offers huge expertise on driving grassroots sports and physical activity participation through traditional public relations, along with social media and digital communications.



An experienced non-executive director, Sue’s current roles include Chair of Get Berkshire Active, Board member of Women’s Sport Trust charity and a member of the Supplier Council of ukactive.



A keen sportswoman herself, Sue took up triathlon in 2013 and subsequently qualified to represent GB at various World and European Age Group Championships.


“Having witnessed the superb work of various CSPs in recent years, primarily through my involvement with PROACTIVE London and more recently at Get Berkshire Active, I feel incredibly excited about the impact CSPs can have at a grassroots community level in the future. I’m privileged to be joining the CSP-N board at such a key time for sport and physical activity in the country”.

Nigel Harrison

Chief Executive Officer, Yorkshire Sport Foundation

Lives in Oldham

Nigel has a long and a successful involvement with the CSP Network from both his executive and his non-executive roles. He is CE of a large CSP and a former NGB lead, leading and chairing a national group of CSP managers involved in NGB work.

He is also a non-executive Board member and Chair of Governance with the Yorkshire Netball Association and Chairman of Oldham Community Leisure – an Industrial and Provident Society operating nine leisure facilities on behalf of Oldham Council.

Nigel brings a strong track record in the sector coupled with experience of strategy development and governance within a number of related organisations. He is also an accredited sports tutor and tennis coach.

Nigel is looking forward to joining the CSPN Board. “Through increased insight into changing customer needs and new national strategies we are entering into a new phase of how the sector supports people to take part in sport and CSPs have an important and unique role in this. I want to do what I can to support CSPs in their development by being a member of the CSPN Board.”

Adrian Leather

Chief Executive, Lancashire Sport Partnership

Lives in Cumbria

Adrian has been the CE of Lancashire SP (LSP) for over 10 years following an earlier career in local government where he held positions in community safety and youth offending. At LSP he has grown and established broad networks and partnership working with a wide range of stakeholders beyond the traditional sports and leisure organisations, including public health and third sector organisations (MIND, mental health trusts, Groundwork), housing associations and DCLG, the Home Office and the local Police Crime Commissioner, tourist bodies and other government bodies.

Adrian offers good experience of partnership and joint working at a regional level and a background in strategy development and implementation.

Adrian holds a number of non-executive roles, including Chair of the regional ASA, Chair of the NW CSP Group and Chair of Third Sector Lancashire.

Adrian is looking forward to joining the board,  “I believe that CSPs have the potential to make a  more significant and wider contribution to health outcomes and the economy, I wanted through involvement with the CSPN Board to help shape the direction of travel and support the dialogue with national bodies to enable us to be seen as an invaluable strategic partner nationally and locally in achieving this goal”.

Eamonn O’Rourke

Head of Community & Cultural Services (until 2016), Manchester City Council, and Board member, Greater Sport

Lives in Manchester

Eamonn is a former senior officer in local government sports and leisure. He has a track record of promoting sports and physical activity programmes and strategies to maximise sport an all levels, from developing sports facilities within Manchester to active involvement in bidding and attracting major sporting events to the City, including the Commonwealth Games, World Squash Championships, World Indoor Championships and seven other national championships which are held in Manchester each year.

His interest in sports has extended into a range of non-executive over a period of 15 years with regional sports and leisure organisations. He has chaired the Velodrome Trust and the Forum Futures Board and is currently a Board member with the Trafford Leisure Trust and the Greater Manchester Sports Partnership.

Eamonn has a wealth of experience in working with local authorities and government in the field of leisure, sports and active lifestyles, and has considerable involvement in local and regional sports, as well as playing and supporting the development of strategies to grow the water polo at a national level.

Eamonn motivation for wanting to Join the CSP Network Board is to be able to contribute at a national level to the strategies for sport and active lifestyle and to influence policy making that impacts directly to an increase in opportunity for people to access sport at a local level.  This is a passion of mine and I want to influence a change in line with emerging Sport England strategy's to increase participation within communities.

Craig Gosling

Senior Strategy Manager (Consumer), British Telecom

Lives in London

Craig is an experienced service design expert, with an impressive track record at British Telecom of new customer propositions. He was involved in the launch of BT Mobile in 2015, and of BT Sport in 2013 (which now has over five million customers).

He has built his career over the last ten years in sales, marketing and digital, and brings considerable expertise in customer experience and insight, and how to bring solutions and products to the marketplace.

Prior to his seven years at BT, Craig worked as a business analyst at Marks & Spencer.

His personal involvement in sport spans being both an athlete – representing his country at Korfball for over 10 years – and chairing one of the largest tennis clubs in Surrey and the National Governing Body for Korfball.

Matt Leach

Chief Executive, HACT

Lives in London

Matt is Chief Executive of HACT, a not for profit housing innovation and ideas agency which promotes new and innovative approaches to addressing housing issues.

 He has held a range of senior policy and leadership roles at the interface between the state and not-for-profit sectors, including Associate Director at ResPublica, Chief Executive of Capacitybuilders and Director of Policy and Communications at the Housing Corporation and as a senior civil servant at the Cabinet Office, and has served as a Board member of the Accord Group and of Caldmore Area Housing Association.

 Matt offers a long-standing interest in and commitment to grassroots sports participation having created and run a small martial arts club and established a youth football based charity in Camden.  Over the last four years he has been founding chair of a social enterprise, Shared Assets Ltd, which provides support to communities and landowners to find financially sustainable community-based uses for green space and other environmental assets.

 Matt brings considerable experience of working in and with government and its agencies, leading organisational transformation and change, and developing sustainable commercial operating models within the not for profit sector.  He is looking forward to bringing all of this to the CSPN - "I've been looking for a way to contribute to the development of sport and physical activity at a strategic level, but with a big focus on achieving real practical impact at local level.  The CSPN brings together so much fantastic work by organisations across the country - I can't wait to join in and help make a difference".

Marg Mayne

Chief Executive, Mytime Active, Health and Leisure Trust

Lives in Canterbury

Marg is the Chief Executive of a social enterprise and leisure trust offering leisure and health services, including the largest ‘pay and play’ golfing operation in the UK with 16 sites across the Midlands and the South, and an award winning child weight management programme that extends nationally.

 Marg joined Mytime Active from the international development charity, VSO, where she was Chief Executive, and combining this experience with an interim role at Volunteering England, she is committed to the importance and power of volunteering to build a stronger and healthier society.

 Having qualified as an accountant early in her career, Marg brings financial and commercial skills from worked in a range of finance roles in the third sector, including as Finance Director of a large Housing Association and of the British Council. She also  

Alongside her paid work, Marg has held a number of national and local non-executive positions with not-for-profit organisations, including Sporta (where she is currently the Treasurer), Akram Khan Dance Company and the Nationwide Foundation.

 Marg motivation for joining the CSP Network Board is “I really believe that we can get our communities healthier and happier by getting them more active – and that the CSPs have big potential to make this a reality. It has to be local to make sense, and it has to be joined up nationally to make a difference. I am a personal admirer of the work that the CSP has done for my nephew who has autism and complex needs. And I am excited by the Sport England strategy that emphasises the importance of broadening our reach. So I am really pleased to have the opportunity to join the CSP Network board.”

Sue Storey

Director of Sport & International Development, Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA)

Lives in Nottingham

Sue has a background in emergency planning, health and safety and business continuity – initially in local government and latterly as a member of the senior team in SGSA. Her role incorporates working with the ECB to develop safety across cricket, developing SGSA links internationally and working with football clubs in the East Midlands, South Yorkshire and Humberside. Also developing stakeholder relationships with national and international sporting bodies, federations and organising committees.

Sue has chaired internal committees, local government groups (such as the Nottinghamshire Safety Advisory Group) and the governing body of her local primary school.

She is a keen cyclist and cycled from London to Paris in 2015 for Leukaemia, she previously played hockey at Midlands League level and was a past Taekwondo British Veterans Champion.

Sue brings a background in leadership and senior management, and has worked with many local and national sporting organisations.

Sue’s view on why she joins the CSP Network board, “Sport changes lives, I see that through my role with major sporting events, and as a mother of sporty children. I now want to do my bit to encourage more people to embrace sport and to reap those benefits as well as enjoying sport.”.

Adam Walker

Founder and Managing Partner, Oaks Consultancy

Lives in Sussex, works in Solihull

Adam is the founder of a successful management consultancy company working within sport, education, and the 3^rd and corporate sectors. Since the company’s inception in 2008, it has built a respected reputation for delivering innovative advice and solutions along with an excellent return on investment. Its clients currently include, premier league and championship football teams, national charities, FTSE 100 companies, universities, multi academy trusts, housing associations and national governing bodies of sport.

Prior to its establishment, Adam held senior positions within Team Origin the British America’s Cup team, UK Athletics and the Lawn Tennis Association. In addition to his professional career, Adam has also been an active volunteer, acting as a non-executive trustee within a range of sport and none sporting charities. Adam offers considerable experience of working with CSPs and insight into their challenges and opportunities against a changing environment, in particular in the area of income diversification.

Adams motivation for joining the board “I am passionate about helping people to improve their lives and firmly believe the current and future work of the CSP Network has and will continue to play a vital part in making this happen. The CSP Network has reached a very exiting phase of its development and I am really excited about being given the opportunity to help them shape their future and reach their potential”.