Revised Code for Sports Governance released today Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland response 7 December 2021

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland welcomes today’s publication of the revised Code for Sports Governance and its accompanying commentary.

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland welcomes today’s publication of the revised Code for Sports Governance and its accompanying commentary.

The Institute fully appreciates the progress made by the sector since the Code was introduced. Having been part of the Project Board undertaking the review, we have first-hand knowledge of the careful approach taken by the review to ensure that changes made reflect the latest in good governance practice and are evidence-based,

The Institute partners with Sport England to deliver the Sports Governance Academy (SGA), which was set up in February 2020. We are committed to supporting the implementation of the Code to continue to raise standards of governance in the sector. To date, over 250 people from NGBs, Active Partnerships and organisations from across the sector have taken SGA courses, and 300 people attended the first SGA conference in April. We offer a large and growing library of guidance, documents and tools to help organisations get to grips with governance. We bring the sector together through our networking and online forum.

Recent high profile stories have highlighted the continued need for attention to be paid to governance to create well run, sustainable and inclusive sports reflective of our society and safeguard these essential cultural and community organisations for the future. However, what the Institute has seen through its work on the SGA and involvement in the Code review is a sector that can be enormously proud of the progress it has made and the efforts of organisations and individuals to embrace the Code and seek to go beyond it. We endorse this spirit and the drive to make further progress.

We welcome too the desire to ensure that the Code itself continually improves. The review took place against the backdrop of Black Lives Matter, and it is right that diversity and inclusion are front and centre in the new requirements. The Institute supports the drive to make organisations welcoming to all, and we recognise the benefits to decision making that diverse leadership offers.

The revised Code also contains new requirements for boards to consider the environmental and social impact of their actions. This aligns the sports sector with other areas of the economy with which we work. We were pleased to contribute insights into how the governance landscape has moved on in this area.

These additions, coupled with the requirement to encourage good governance throughout an organisation’s structure and operations, are crucial, helping to keep the Code at the forefront of good governance practice. The Institute has been active in promoting these issues in all sectors, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with sport and physical activity organisations to implement effective responses to the challenges and opportunities they represent.

Louise Thomson, Head of Policy at the CGIUKI said, ‘The training and resources we provide through the SGA have the Code at their heart, drawing on our expertise in governance and bringing the sector together to share best practice.

Any organisation working towards being more inclusive and welcoming in the boardroom and beyond must attend to its culture as well as governance practice. This can be challenging, but it is for the board to lead and monitor.’

The revised code can be found here.

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