Get governance right and you have a chance, get it wrong and you WILL fail.
This was a mantra I developed with Sport Scotland during the Modern Sport programme. As facilitators, we (Sport Structures) guided Scottish governing bodies to explore their leadership potential and the true meaning of governance in terms of leading their sport.
I've always been passionate about good governance. I've witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of poor governance in clubs and governing bodies. Boards have often concentrated on operational matters or what tie they should wear at the national finals, rather than focusing on strategic leadership.
My early consultancy work with Sport England on developing Assurance Statements for NGBs laid the foundations for good governance based on the annual governance audit. I had just left the "civil war" in basketball where operational matters had consumed the board, and they couldn't step above to show leadership. These Assurance Statements were the basis of the Governance Code as we know it and clearly had an influence over tier-one standards. However, the challenge with these tiers of governance is that they are the basics of governance and often fall short of assessing organisational culture. While they provide essential guidelines they don't look closely enough into the behaviours and mindset of board members.
So, How Do You Measure Culture?
This really revolves around the behaviours of the board and whether they fully understand the code and what it means. The first 'tester' comes from who put the submission together. If a single individual takes responsibility, it raises questions about the board's collective understanding and commitment. Does the club, Active partnership, or NGB main committee or board fully understand or believe in the submission?
The code emphasises the importance of safeguarding and EDI leads, but my concern is, do these individuals on the board possess the necessary knowledge and skills? Are they culturally invested in the issues, or are they just simply fulfilling a role?
In my role as Chair of West Midlands Swimming, I recognise the need for baseline knowledge in safeguarding, so we involved the CPSU to address the gaps and I am delivering an element of our own tried and tested EDI course 'Making Sports Organisations Equitable' this week.
Throughout our work of delivering the Club Mark, Club Matters, and now Buddle programmes, we've encountered a wide range of governance challenges and celebrated the tireless dedication of volunteers. The commitment of people to sports administration roles still staggers me. However, people jump to their structure or form as the starting point usually after completing a club or organisational assessment like the governance code.
The form should follow function, what should follow What? Supporting governing bodies and clubs to identify why they operate, and their key functions are THE starting point, not the code. Then the form or legal structure should emerge based on functional need. Many want to be charities or Community Interest companies. Why? If you become a charity in any form, it is very difficult to step back and generally unless you are a “charity Giving” organisation there is no fundamental benefit against a not-for-profit, except corporation tax. A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a share-based company and can distribute funds in dividends so technically is not for profit unless its articles are really clear. Which many are not?
So, What Is A High-Performing Board?
Whether it's a club, regional organisation or NGB, for me this is measured in the way they behave. A high-performing board is characterised by clear roles, open communication, and a culture of challenge. A key question I ask is, what happens when someone challenges? Power should be distributed, not concentrated and a healthy board culture encourages open dialogue and constructive criticism.
In conclusion, our Sport Structures team have seen many governance challenges both from the practical experience of being “in it” but also from working on a day-to-day basis on seeking solutions that are sound but also recognising the massive commitment that volunteers make by stepping up to take the lead. We are developing resources to support boards in their governance and also training professional staff to understand what to look for, more than a tick box of compliance and to embrace cultural excellence.
