Modern sports governance

This article appears in the June 2009 edition of Sportshorts.

The face of sports governance is changing

More and more sporting organisations, large and small, are ditching the old committee structure, constitution and methods of planning – to make way for a new flexible, business-oriented governance model. The Highlands District Cricket Association (HDCA) Inc is one of these. In a fight for survival, the HDCA Inc undertook major governance reform several years ago – and they are now reaping the benefits.

Governance is the system by which your club is controlled. Underlying governance in incorporated clubs is the Associations Incorporations Act 1984 (shortly due to change), along with your constitution and management structure.

It’s a multi-levelled activity that’s not always well understood, yet important to every single sporting organisation and committee person.

Good governance extends beyond just the ‘rules’ and involves clubs actively improving performance through planning, monitoring and leadership. Strong governance leads to better management, communication, growth, sponsorship, membership and reputation for your sport.

While being proactive with improving governance is ideal, more often than not, a club’s governance comes under question because it’s floundering. This was the case with HDCA Inc.

HDCA Inc – a need to change

“Three years ago the HDCA Inc was operating under an outdated Constitution and, what was then, the standard committee structure with a President, Secretary etc,” says Jeff Mitchell, Chairman HDCA Inc.

“The majority of the tasks needed to manage our Association fell to one or two volunteers.

“At the time, the Association was having considerable difficulty in filling its committee positions and was in danger of folding.

“A small group of the then committee recognised the need for major change if we were to survive,” said Mr Mitchell.

Getting started – talk to members

“Gaining member commitment on the need for change and then gathering information on the nature of changes required were essential first steps,” said Mr Mitchell.

A planning session was conducted with members. It identified priority issues for the Association including:

• Improve public relations
• More effective structure/constitution
• Improve facilities and relationship with Council
• Better support clubs/affiliates
• Develop representative teams
• Boost financial resources for long term growth
• Improve communication and meetings
• Gain better commitment from parents/volunteers
• Develop umpires.

“High on the list of these priorities was the establishment of a sound base for the governance of the Association, including acceptance of a new Constitution, supporting regulations and structures,” said Mr Mitchell.

First steps

“A new contemporary Constitution was developed using a model constitution template provide by sports lawyers Lander and Rodgers.

“It provided sound governance principles, but also greater flexibility through supporting Regulations. These can be amended to meet changing needs by the appointed Board.

The old model provided for the election of up to 10 positions and didn’t take into consideration the needs of the HDCA or skills and experience of people. We found it difficult to fill positions using this model.”

The new HDCA Inc. constitution provided for the establishment of a Board consisting of five elected and two appointed directors. This allowed the Board to bring in specialist skills through these two appointed directors.

“The Board was to be a working group with portfolios assigned to each Board member, but with still a focus on the big picture.

“The structure allowed for supporting operational committees or individuals to look after the day to day running of the Association’s activities. For example, Junior/Senior Competitions, Facilities, Representative Cricket, Finance, Marketing and Governance.

“The major benefits of this approach allowed members to focus their efforts in specific areas and overcame the earlier problem of too much reliance on a few volunteers,” said Mr Mitchell.

Jeffrey Slatter from NSW Sport and Recreation, concurs the HDCA Inc. approach is the way forward for sport.

“The trend for sporting organisations is not to entrench portfolios or title in a Constitution e.g. President, Treasurer and Secretary.

“The contemporary constitution allows for office bearers of boards/committees to determine portfolios on the needs of the sporting organisation and the skill level and experiences of the office bearers,” says Mr Slatter.

Taking it to the next level

Following the governance reform, HDCA set about developing a three year strategic plan, based on issues identified in the planning session. It sets down goals relating to:

• The health of clubs and affiliate members
• The strength of competition
• The standard of facilities
• The development of players
• The promotion of cricket
• The operation of the association
• Financial health.

Over 50 separate tasks support these goals and responsibility was assigned to each.

Reaping the rewards

“After two full seasons under our new governance arrangements we have managed to complete the vast majority of our objectives and tasks,” said Mr Mitchell.

The highlights for the HDCA Inc. have included:

• Better distribution of the volunteer workload
• More open communication and processes for handling issues
• Obtaining of grants for facilities development
• Securing of major sponsorships
• Improved standards in representative cricket
• Issuance of Code of Conduct for players, administrators and supporters
• Implementation of a Volunteer program involving improved training opportunities for administrators, coaches and managers
• Stronger financial position without significant increase in the financial burden on members.

“Whilst, along with most other cricket Associations, we have not seen an increase in our playing numbers we are now positioned to invest in and implement strategies to address this,” said Mr Mitchell.