Board Skills for Sport
Session 2
The role of National
Governing Bodies
Aims
• Role of National Governing Bodies (NGBs)
• Sporting pyramid
• Governance and accountability
National Governing Bodies
• UK Athletics
– As the national governing body for athletics, UK
Athletics oversees the development and
management of the nation’s favourite Olympic
and Paralympic sport, from grassroots right
through to podium. Since its inception in 1999, UK
Athletics has developed to become the most
successful and robust athletics governing body in
the world
• British Swimming
– British Swimming is the National Governing Body for
Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo
and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible
internationally for the high performance representation of
the sport
– The members of British Swimming are the three Home
Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA),
Scotland (Scottish Swimming) and Wales (Swim Wales)
– British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve
gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World
Championships and Commonwealth Games
NGB Priorities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Increased participation/membership
Elite performance
Corporate Governance
Facilities and access
School sport
Coaches and teachers
Volunteers
Performance Pyramid
Excellence
Performance
Participation
Foundation
Excellence
Performance
Participation
Foundation
County Sport
Partnerships
UK Sport
IOC/IPC
Commonwealth Games
Associations
Schools, Colleges,
Universities
International
Federations
BPA
Clubs
NGBs
BOA
Sport England etc.
Other organisations
Institutes of Sport
Youth Sport Trust
Sport and Recreation
Alliance
Governance
•
•
•
•
Corporate Governance
Public Funding (Lottery & Exchequer)
Accountability
Appropriately skilled board
UK Sport Investment Principles
UK Sport will scrutinise the governance and leadership of all sports in which it invests
to ensure that organisations are run both professionally and efficiently, with a
commitment to achieving the highest standards of corporate governance and financial
management with systemic excellence at all levels. Sports must be able to evidence
that equality and ethical standards are visibly integrated into their structures and
operations.
Implications
• UK Sport will not invest in an organisation where it perceives the governance of
that sport puts at risk the delivery of its long-term performance objectives
• UK Sport will seek evidence that the leadership team within the sport has the
appropriate skills to develop and guide the organisation’s strategic direction, with a
commitment to drive continuous improvement. UK Sport will embed these
required standards in its funding agreements, holding sports to account for their
delivery
• Performance reviews will focus on excellence in system development and
management as well as results
• Consistent failure to meet the required standards will result in the withholding or
withdrawal of funding
UK Sport & Sport England
• NGB and Funded Partner Assurance
Programme
– Annual self assurance
– Independent review
– Governance, finance & control framework
– RAG rating
– Fit to receive and manage public funds
– On-line tools
SRA Code
Voluntary Code of Good Governance for the Sport and
Recreation Sector
• Integrity: acting as guardians of the sport, recreation,
activity or area
• Defining and evaluating the role of the board
• Delivery of vision, mission and purpose
• Objectivity: balanced, inclusive and skilled board
• Standards, systems and controls
• Accountability and transparency
• Understanding and engaging with the sporting
landscape