Spirit of Sport

Epiphany Delivers Sporting Revelation

Standing a third taller than the Angel of the North, the Spirit of Sport celebrates the often overlooked relationship between UK grass root sports and the emergence of British sporting heroes. Recognised as the tallest piece of public art in the UK (developed by public consultation), the project ran into financial difficulties in the summer of 2005.

Located on the approach to the Reebok Stadium on the outskirts of Bolton, the Spirit of Sport was designed by leading artists Eaton Waygoode Associates and joint funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA.

Despite ERDF and NWDA support, the project still encountered a sizeable funding shortfall, which leds to concerns over where the project could actually be delivered. This situation drew the attention away from it being a worthwhile project and began to generate less supportive media coverage.

Epiphany was brought in to address the shortfall through private sector sponsorship. We developed a comprehensive project plan to make up the shortfall, resolve the negative media situation, and generate positive public and media support.

Picture right: Sir Geoff Hurst (1966 England World Cup Team) in front of the 100 foot tall Spirit of Sport.

Within 3 months Epiphany delivered high profile sponsors: Hitachi, Reebok, Bolton Wanderers, and Emmerson, along put together a communications program that delivered more than £750,000 in positive Television, Radio, and Newspaper coverage (of the installation process alone).

The trophy like sculpture carries 900 stainless steel tiles, each etched with the image of sports men and women from a mix of Grass Root and National Sports. Among the most recognisable are Olympic boxer Amir Khan, Bolton Wanderers Manager Sam Allardyce, and 1966 World Cup Hero Sir Alan Ball. Sitting alongside them are the faces of coaches, linesmen, grounds men, umpires, referees and other such officials and participants all nominated by the public as contributors to British grass root sports.

The Spirit of Sport has it's official Launch celebration in April 2007. The Launch ceremony will commence the program designed to generate funding for grass root sports and promote inclusive sporting participation across all communities.