It was with great pride, enormous excitement and a modicum of trepidation that the Sports Think Tank was formally launched at the end of January by myself and my fellow director, Andy Reed.

The think tank is the first in the UK that is wholly devoted to sport and to sports policy making and it aims to fulfil a unique role - sitting in the middle of academics, practitioners, policy-makers, the media and the wider sports world and helping develop the most effective policies possible.

Research and evidence are central to all successful policy-making and sport should not regard itself as a special case. The think tank will therefore be working to ensure that the best and most up to date evidence from the UK and beyond is central to the policy solutions it recommends.

Much of that evidence will come from sport itself, of course - which is why we are keen to hear from as many people within sport as possible. Dialogue and debate are a key part of our vision for the Sports Think Tank and we anticipate that the website will become a central hub for criticism, comment and a constructive exchange of views.

So far the comments have been entirely positive and we have been delighted with the reception we have received from the world of sport, which has universally welcomed this new venture.

Without this backing our job would be far harder, and we are therefore delighted to have had early pledges of support from high profile figures including Lord Sebastian Coe, Sir Keith Mills and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson as well as financial backing from a number of committed partners.

The challenge now is to turn support and enthusiasm into action and our plans are designed to do just that. Some of our early research topics include 'Local Authorities and Sport Provision' and 'The Future Funding of Sport' and we plan to kick off our event series before long.

A regular programme of research reports, roundtables and other events aims to produce ground-breaking thinking, to provide opportunities for debate and to put sport centre-stage politically. Beyond that, we want you to contribute to our vision and our strategy. Ultimately we know our success will always be dependent on sport's input and sport's voice being heard which is why Andy and I are keen to hear from you.