In recent days @sportaustralia has started rolling out its "Sports Governance Principles 2020" framework. Some good thinking here and plenty that many National and State Sporting Orgs will benefit from. (A thread) https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/the-startline

At @thegembagroup we have the privilege and opportunity to work on structure, governance and strategy with a range of sporting organisations. We work through many of these problems on a daily basis. This thread highlights the key elements of @sportaustralia's framework:

1/9 Values. "Culture and behaviours should be underpinned by values which are demonstrated by the board in its decisions and actions. Values that encourage collaborative relationships with all stakeholders, and a culture of values-driven behaviour." https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-1

2/9 Collaboration and alignment (i.e. Stop the fighting within the sport!) "Across a sport, boards should work together to govern collaboratively and create alignment to maximise efficient use of resources and implement whole of sport plans." https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-2

2/9 continued... worth noting Sport Aus's recommended best practice that "at the national level, the different forms and disciplines of a sport should all sit within one entity from juniors to high performance".

3/9 A clear vision and strategic plan overseen by the board, with four-year strategic plans reviewed annually that guide budgets and operational plans. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-3

3/9 continued... (Chat to me about our Strategy Hack approach to getting to a clear vision and strategic plan quickly and efficiently. We've done this recently with a few sporting organisations, both pre-COVID and during COVID) http://thegembagroup.com/strategy-hack/ 

4/9 Diversity on the board, leading to better decisions and new thinking to highlight opportunities for growth. This should be a given, but as we know it's not always the case, from ASX companies to sports orgs. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-4

5/9 Governance documentation. Boring but important. Done well, provides clarity to the organisation on the role of the board vs executive management, and the role of board committees. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-5

6/9 Governance processes. "Through effective processes and continual review of its performance, the board should be able to demonstrate accountability and transparency to its members and stakeholders." https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-6

7/9 Risk management. Pretty hard to predict a global pandemic, but effective risk management can provide guidance on how to respond when the unexpected happens, and avoid costly governance mistakes. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-7

8/9 Integrity systems. Especially important in sport to maintain trust in fair competition and the safety of participants. We know how at-risk sport is, targeted by gambling syndicates at pro and sub-pro levels, and so many kids and volunteers involved. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-8

9/9 Measuring and monitoring performance against strategic plans - self-assessment of directors and the board, CEO performance, and overall organisation performance. We've done a lot of work helping align, set and measure strategic KPIs in sport. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principle-9

Final note: feel free to reach out to me or the Strategy Team at @thegembagroup if you work in a sports organisation and would like to chat about any of these principles and how to put them into action. http://thegembagroup.com/strategy/