EVEN at this early stage of the year we can begin to see signs of a change in the season, the mornings are a little brighter and the days a little longer. In some parts of the country we can also see some new buds breaking through the ground, snowdrops and crocuses getting ready to cheer us up after a long dark winter; it a wonderful feeling. These changes give a sense of hope and optimism to most people, spring is round the corner and we have an extra bounce in our step.

This is not the case for everyone though and I am sure it is definitely not the case for Kirsty Gilmour and the rest of the GB elite badminton squad who are going into 2017 dealing with the devastating news around the loss of their funding from UK Sport. This is like a bolt from the blue as Badminton had won a gold medal at the games in Rio, and felt they were on course for future games.

I met Kirsty recently and for a young woman she was very confident and knowledgeable, not just about her own sport but also the benefit that recreational sport in general brings to people’s lives. The irony of this meeting is that we were discussing the lack of investment into women’s sport but Kirsty was keen to point out that she personally, didn’t have a problem, due to the great support provided to badminton by UK Sport. Little did she know at that time how quickly things would change and that is the problem, the speed of the change. This decision comes into effect straight away, there is no cushion, no parachute payment, no opportunity for preparation, it just stops.

Now I’m first to say sport must run itself as a business and make decisions that best reflect its future, however we also must remember that there are people involved and the effect this decision will have on their lives, could be catastrophic. They have mortgages, cars, family to support, many, many different commitments that now will be under threat. In some ways it is like redundancy without the golden handshake.

A strong campaign from Badminton has started to challenge this decision and given the wealth of knowledge held by Anne Smillie the CEO of Badminton Scotland, and the passion and commitment she has shown over the years to the benefit of badminton Scotland, I would put my money on Anne making her point and hopefully convincing those within UK sport to review the situation.

On the other hand a sport which, particularly at the top, has no financial worries, is football, and Fifa the world governing body, in particular. Their recent decision to expand the numbers participating in the final of the men’s World Cup from 2026 going from the present 32 up to 48 will see an increase of 16 countries qualifying, although the time taken to complete the tournament will not increase. What was the reason behind this decision I wonder?

I would always support decisions that assist the development of sport, however in this case, we are talking about the top tournament in the world of elite football, will this help development? Extension of the numbers in the final could dilute its attraction, however knowing the appetite for football and its global domination of sport, I’m not sure that this will be the case and the weary punter will pay again.

Is this a vote catcher, expanding the number of countries who can participate in the final, is it money motivated? Sources say that expansion of the tournament will see revenue increase by an estimated £5.29bn. I am sure, no matter what the reasons were on taking this decision, we will never be party to this information. However it would be interesting to hear what they intend to do with the proposed increase in profit, hopefully this will be invested back into the game for the benefit of all.

Time will tell and for those who are planning a 2026 World Cup adventure, I would start saving now. So many games in such a little space of time, it will be costly.