Thu 12th Dec 2013 - Breaking News - Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) to fold Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) to fold: The pan-leisure trade body Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) is to fold at the end of this month after deciding that members will be unwilling to fund the subscription increases required to maintain the body in its current form. However, the organisation is looking at how more specialist bodies, to support segments of the sector, might be evolved. Chairman Chris Bell has told members: “As you may be aware Business in Sport and Leisure celebrated its 25th anniversary some 18 months ago and in those years has been recognised by government for its balanced comments on policy around the sport and leisure sector and as a dependable and effective support to BISL members and the sectors in which they do business. However, it has proved to be more and more difficult to maintain that level of support during the recent years of increased austerity and consequent changes affecting membership. In short, BISL is not in a position to sustain the necessary level of support to its members in its current format. The BISL Board has been considering its options going forward and they believe that asking the membership for the required level of increase in subscriptions to ensure long-term viability in its present form is not appropriate and likely to be unacceptable to a number of the members. For this reason, it was decided at the December Board meeting that BISL will not be issuing invoices to members for 2014 subscriptions and that BISL, as we know it, will cease to function on 31 December 2013. However, there are proposals for new, more specialised bodies to support the various sectors covered by BISL from 2014. No doubt many of you will have questions about the future and I suggest you make contact with Peter Hannibal or Andy Sutch. Peter and Andy have been tasked with making arrangements for the outstanding and on-going matters that BISL have been dealing with and with the new proposals. They will, I am sure, be in touch before the end of the year to explore alternative proposals with you where relevant. One special mention should go out to our founder and President John Brackenbury CBE without whose vision BISL would never have existed and had the opportunity to help bring the leisure industry to its position in the economy that was recognised in “The State of the UK Leisure Industry” published last year. May I take this opportunity to thank you, the support and engagement from members has been the key to BISL’s success and also my fellow directors past and present and Amanda Fry our membership executive without whom BISL that success would not have been possible.”