ABSTRACT
As the end of the war approached in the fall of 1918, and the Gymnastic Staff worked through the process of transferring responsibility for bayonet training to the Musketry Department, moves were afoot that would finally complete the process of modernization for Army Sport. All of these were accomplished in the context of the Army Council's planning for demobilization and the need for retaining control of newly acquired imperial possessions in the Middle East and Africa. The story of how the Sport Control Board came into being is remarkably uncomplicated, given the resistance and ultimate failure encountered by its advocates the first two times similar proposals were made—by the Gymnastic Staff in 1913, and by the Physical and Bayonet Training Staff in France during 1916. The reasons for the ease with which the final proposal was implemented stem from three primary factors. First, pre-war concerns about funding for a sports oversight body were not a consideration in the Army's money-rich environment of 1918. Second, the Army Council was deeply concerned about recruiting sufficient soldiers after the war to maintain the strength levels required for expanded imperial responsibilities, and many felt that the positive image of Army sport would be a powerful tool in that effort. 2 Finally, leadership at all levels in the Army were upset at the festering problem of professionalism in Army sport, and were determined to maintain the Army's amateur athletic traditions intact.
