Knowledge Nuggets

The goal of many young athletes is to pursue elite sport at the senior level; to achieve that dream of excellence in sport. There are demands from outside environment like school, family, peers and other elements of life that place stress on the young athlete. All these different factors play on the mind of the...

Risk management in sport was largely associated with helmets, crash mats, and course safety until 10 years ago when sport leader Dina Bell-Laroche, now a partner with the Sport Law & Strategy Group (SLSG), considered risk from a different angle. Bell-Laroche wondered if sport organizations would benefit from a comprehensive inquiry into assessing organizational risks...

Being part of a team can be one of the most supportive environments to learn and grow as an athlete and as an individual. However, working with multiple personalities and strengths can cause friction, frustration and conflict between teammates. When teammates are in conflict it can have a huge impact on team dynamics and team...

Recent research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine recommends that “young athletes should not specialize in sports before age 12, train more hours per week then their age, and should limit training to less than 16 hours per week to avoid injury”. The study analysed training patterns in over 1,200 athletes over 3...

Knowing what to eat and when to eat for sports can seem like a science. When plotting your nutritional plan, it’s important to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every athlete and sport is going to require individual tweaks to find a nutrition plan that works best for them. Don’t let all the information...

According to Statistics Canada, children who live in unsafe neighborhoods, children of new immigrants and children coming from low-income families are less likely to participate in sports. For children, joining a sports team is an opportunity to learn, create new friendships, and develop fundamental skills. Being part of a sport team not only keeps kids...

When you have a message to share, the first question that comes to mind is ‘How do I present this to make it memorable?’ According to social science research 65% of people are visual learners and visual information is processed 60,000 times faster than text. So it makes sense that in order to communicate our...

Recognizing the importance of engaging highly qualified leaders on the Board of Directors, Volleyball Canada recently completed a succession planning process. After reviewing a number of on-line resources, Volleyball Canada created a customized approach to succession planning which included 3 steps. Read more about their process and see the tools they built around Board succession...

The two biggest problems which most sport organizations encounter with their employees relate to: (i) not understanding what entitlements terminated employees have; and (ii) not having proper employment contracts or termination letters in place. While it’s not possible to address these issues in depth in a short article such as this, potential employer liability can...

Leaders of sport organizations face all the complex challenges of leading in small organizations – limited resources, small teams doing multiple roles, expectations to perform as an organization plus the added complexity of unpredictable funding resources and expectations around athlete performance. While the choices and decisions are the same as larger organizations, the levers and...