Talk with Manuel Bandeira de Mello, FEI Director Driving

ger -> LINK Welcome Manuel Bandeira de Mello...since September 2016 he is responsible for the Driving and Para-Driving at the FEI. We are extremely pleased to be able to provide the readers of hippoevent.at with information about the international Driving sport at first hand...

Status of the Driving sport – In September 2016 you took the position of the FEI Director Driving. How do you see the current situation of international Driving sport?

It has been a great honour for me to take on the role of FEI Director of Driving. I was thrilled to discover the actual growth of the discipline in terms of the number of events per year, the age categories, the increased numbers of Drivers and horse registrations and the overall progression of this sport. Driving is a very exciting equestrian discipline and I have plans to further develop the awareness of the sport and see this as my continued mission. The sport has flourished on an annual basis over the last five years and I’m really motivated to take on this new challenge for continued evolution of the sport.

PPT Präsentation "FEI Driving statistics 2011-2016" ,

made by Manuel Bandeira de Mello, presented at the International Equestrian Congress "Horse in Sport 2017

What are the tasks of the FEI Director for Driving?

As you know, the FEI is the governing body for all international events across eight disciplines, including Driving and Para-Driving. The FEI establishes the regulations and approves the equestrian programmes at Championships, Continental and Regional Games as well as the Olympic Games. My role as FEI Driving Director is to ensure our responsibilities as the governing body within this discipline are well managed. There are certain facets of my function as director which entail the implementation of strategies that will assist in the development and popularisation of the sport, acting as a driving force to provide clear leadership, direction and education to the Driving community, including Officials and Organisers. As the FEI representative of the discipline, I am central to the liaison between stakeholders, committee members, FEI internal departments, as well as being key to overseeing the advancement of all sport’s specific projects and activities.

Where are the big challenges for you in your new position – what things are on your "To Do List" at the top?

Like any new role, there is a familiarisation process which entails a comprehensive analysis of what works, what doesn’t work, what can be improved and how this can be executed from the ground up. Communication is key to this process to obtain the necessary insight to identify the fundamental areas that need to be addressed and improved in the sport. Throughout the indoor season, I have invested a lot of time in discussion with the Organisers, Officials, Drivers, Sponsors and owners to lay the foundations for further growth and improvement of the sport. Although there is an Officials Education System already in place, we are currently working on a new and are now close to a final version, which I anticipate should be in place for the 2018 season. We are also looking at some new series formats for the outdoor season creating new challenges for the Drivers as well. I’m sure other points will be added to my “to Do list” but the first one is without doubt the communication with the Driving stakeholders and then I’m sure my list will be a busy one.

What things are beautiful for you in Driving sport?

When I think back to when I was offered this role, I was so excited, because I have been involved in the sport since I was a young boy. Back in Portugal, I used to drive a pair of ponies at home. What excites me the most in Driving is the coordination and communication between the driver and the horses only by the feeling of the reins and the constant talk. It is a truly amazing partnership. When we see that the horses’ eyes and ears are fully focused on the Driver, who in the case of a four-in-hand for example, are four or metres behind the leaders, for me, this is something very special. It gives me and, I think, the audience an unforgettable sensation. From what I have observed from the public attending Driving events, I believe this is what moves people. To give you an example; when you have a Driving competition starting at 23:30 in the evening, such as in Bordeaux in February, the spectator stands were full! Even at that time of the night, after a Jumping competition, the crowd were glued to the action.

Success is no Perpetuum mobile.

Drivingsport = Horses + Athletes + Drivingsport fans + FEI Sport officials + Sponsors + Media + X? Without energy input the sport will not develop – where do you see potential for improvement?

There is enormous potential for Driving, not only from the perspective of drawing in the public audience, but also attracting media, and making the competitions even more exciting. As I mentioned previously, the public really enjoy Driving, it moves people. The connection between humans and horses has an emotional magnetism. Historically, horses have always been our greatest partner, in terms of transportation, and Driving has played a major role here, if not the most important one. The massive public attendance for the marathon and cones at big outdoor events and also at the indoor events is incredible, not to mention the outstanding atmosphere during competition. The potential definitely exists, and one of the biggest challenges we face is how to keep the audience attention for all aspects of the sport. We are focusing our efforts on the formats, making the sport more attractive, modernising the formats and making them easily understandable, not only to the public, but to the media, reaching out to media partners and broadcasters to increase the coverage of the sport.

Niche sport Drivingsport in the Equestrian World?

Firstly, I would just like to mention, Driving is the oldest competitive equestrian sport and holds a very special place in the equestrian community. The discipline has been under the governance of the FEI since 1970. Nowadays, more than ever, Driving is attracting far more attention in the sporting world. The FEI World Cup™ series has been an incredible promotional tool for the sport. Team work is essential in Driving and not only in the competitive arena, but in terms of the preparation, training, transportation and attending events. The number of horses per driver, the carriages, the harness, and the number of people involved requires enormous coordination and dedication. This is one of the unique qualities of the discipline. The rapid growth of the sport has proved that Driving definitely has its place in the equestrian world.

In Driving sport the tradition is taken very seriously. International Driving sport is extremely time consuming and expensive. Are you of the opinion that it will be necessary being open to ideas of changes, to be able to ensure a successful future?

In order to achieve ongoing growth and development of the sport, we must be open to new ideas and change, keeping the sport modern but without losing sight of the traditions that make it so popular. Like all sports today, we need to both maintain our current fan-base as well as attract new fans. All sports require constant exposure to survive in today’s competitive sporting world. The future of Driving, as for all FEI disciplines, relies on open-mindedness and creativity about changing formats and keeping the sport relevant in today’s media savvy society, as well as ensuring it is easy to understand. That is the key to success for all sports, and Driving is no exception. We aim to keep the sport healthy and thriving and create the ultimate Driving competition.

You are also, as FEI Director, responsible for Endurance. Endurance is the fastest growing FEI equestrian discipline. Let us take the last FEI World Championship in Endurance – held in September at the great Šamorín Equestrian Centre in Slovakia - by the way an outstanding event - as example. A total of 136 competitors from 46 Nations lined up at the start. A total of 53 countries are currently involved in international Endurance competitions… Figures which could not achieved at the current time in the international Drivingsport. Do you think that, in the context of the future planning, the Driving sport should be open to look at other sports and to see positive aspects as suggestion?

There is always something to be learnt from other sports and, as I mentioned earlier, Driving and the Driving community must be open to new ideas. Looking at the successes of other sports and incorporating these into the growth strategy for Driving, which is already developing at a rapid rate, is absolutely the way to enhance the development and further potential for continued growth of the sport. If we look at the statistics between 2011 and 2016, the number of events per year increased from 45 – 65, whilst the number of senior athletes registered went from 822 to 956, and the number of junior athletes registered doubled from 55 to 104. This is an amazing result. One vital element we have already put into practice is working hand in hand with our National Federations to increase global awareness of the sport.

With your personal experience in Endurance – is there something what would bring probably benefit for the Drivingsport?

Endurance is a very different sport, but as I have said, we can always learn from other disciplines. Key learnings from each discipline can cross over and assist in the management of another discipline. Endurance has experienced some major issues, but we are working closely with the National Federations, the Endurance Committee and the stakeholders to put the right measures in place and work through the solutions. We can learn from this process and the methods put in place to resolve these issues. As you’ve said, Endurance is the fastest growing sport in the FEI, and some of the problems that the discipline has expericed have been the result of a fast growing discipline that has not had a sustainable growth plan. This has been a major learning curve, and I can learn from this experience to ensure that Driving will grow in a sustainable environment.

HIPPOEVENT-WORD-RAP… very briefly…

Horses?

Amazing animal, my best friend

Equestrianism… What does it mean to you?

A day of pure joy!

…and Drivingsport?

Top sport!

Horses and young people?

Sharing a different experience, friendship

Drivingsport 2020?

Success

Manuel personally…

Interests apart of job and Equestrianism?

Socialising and being with people

Do you have a life motto?

Make time for family and friendship

Manuel... many thanks for this interesting conversation, we wish you every success in your activities for the Drivingsport, and all the best for the future!