Sporting chance for the millions

In response to Ged Roddy's comment on my article "The Common Health Games" (THES, August 25), I have nothing but praise for what goes on at Bath University and other such institutions of higher education well endowed with sports facilities.

Green-site campuses with large capital budgets for sports and the opportunity to offer free classes to several thousand students every year are not common to many of the 100 or so universities in Britain however.

The only way that most of us can provide sporting opportunities to significant numbers is to run our facilities so that they pose only a minimal burden on the university's revenue bill. The only way we can generate captial to piece together Lottery bids etc, is to rationalise what we already have.

It is only under these circumstances, as clearly indicated in my article, that priorities have to be made and why investment in multi-purpose indoor centres makes most sense.

Richard W. Cox

Director of sport

University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology