February 24, 2021 – AthletesCAN is pleased to introduce three new resources to their athlete leadership education suite. These resources will further support effective leadership and skill development of Canada’s national team athletes in representing their voice and those of their teammates at National Sport Organization (NSO) decision-making tables.
“We are excited to share these resources with Canada’s national team athletes and our sport system partners to provide capacity for effective athlete representation,” said Georgina Truman, Manager, Operations and Athlete Relations. “We would encourage all Athlete Representatives, Athlete Directors and Athletes’ Council Members to review these resources and add the tools within to their athlete leadership playbook.”
As part of the commitment to develop athlete leaders, AthletesCAN has developed a variety of resources to ensure that athletes have the tools to develop skills and knowledge in effective leadership practices. In November 2020, AthletesCAN released the positon paper, ‘The Future of Athlete Representation within Governance Structures of National Sport Organizations,’ which aimed to determine how athlete representation can be optimized at the NSO board of director’s level. In addition to the paper, AthletesCAN undertook an extensive review of the current leadership resource suite, and as a result three new resources were created including; the Athlete Representation Guide, Athlete Council Guide, and Athlete Director Guide. The new guides have been tailored to create a more athlete focused, concise and user friendly learning experience, providing links to templates and more detailed information.
“The resources provided by AthletesCAN have been essential in navigating my role as Athlete Director,” said Cameron Wheelan (Beach Volleyball), Volleyball Canada Athlete Director. “As a new Athlete Director, I have relied on the Athlete Director Guide to prepare for my first board meeting. The information found within the guides have been utilized to implement an onboarding package for new athlete representatives and athletes’ council members, and given me a starting point and best practice as I work with Volleyball Canada to create terms of reference.”
“Athletes’ council are a critical part of Volleyball Canada’s good governance agenda. It provides the opportunity for athletes’ voice to be heard on key issues to make our sport better for all,” said Robin Guy, Director of Partnerships and Governance at Volleyball Canada. “These documents have been a great tool in reviewing best practice for athlete representatives and athlete councils.”
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About AthletesCAN
AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is the only fully independent and most inclusive athlete organization in the country and the first organization of its kind in the world. As the voice of Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN ensures an athlete centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture.
For more information please contact:
Georgina Truman
Manager, Athlete Relations & Operations
AthletesCAN
gtruman@athletescan.com