Governance is how an organisation is managed.
A sporting organisation that demonstrates good governance can:
- Develop strategic goals and direction.
- Monitor organisation performance to ensure it achieves its strategic goals, has effective systems in place and complies with legal and regulatory obligations.
- Act in the best interests of its members.
Sport and Recreation is committed to working with sport and active recreation organisations to develop and implement a philosophy of good governance and continuous improvement.
The Sports Governance Principles are:
- Principle 1: The spirit of the game—values-driven culture and behaviours
- Principle 2: The team—aligned sport through collaborative governance
- Principle 3: The gameplan—a clear vision that informs strategy
- Principle 4: The players—a diverse board to enable considered decision-making
- Principle 5: The rulebook—documents that outline duties, powers, roles and responsibilities
- Principle 6: The playbook—board processes which ensure accountability and transparency
- Principle 7: The defence—a system which protects the organisation
- Principle 8: The best and fairest—a system for ensuring integrity
- Principle 9: The scorecard—embedded systems of internal review to foster continuous improvement
Sport Australia has produced a podcast series aimed at helping Australia’s sporting leaders – many of them volunteers - face the challenges of COVID-19 and to build a stronger sporting future through governance. These podcasts focus on bringing the Governance Principles ‘to life’ with sporting leaders sharing their experiences and practical advice.