Shared athlete leadership
Whether recognized formally or informally, athletes should occupy leadership roles to support a team’s functioning. Like some NHL teams, improving the number and effectiveness of athlete leaders can enhance team motivation, communication, cohesion and performance. Shared leadership among teammates can be an effective way to increase team dynamics and success.
Recommendations for evaluation
Through evaluation, sport organizations can gain insights and solicit feedback about their programs. Evaluation can also inform decision-making, guide program improvements and build stakeholders’ value and advocacy for programming. In the SIRC blog, discover three recommendations for sport organizations to enhance evaluation: stakeholder engagement, evaluative thinking and sharing data through storytelling.
Women in sport leadership
What “works” for advancing women into sport leadership positions? E-Alliance is conducting new research to answer this exact question. E-Alliance is exploring how allyship, mentorship and sponsorship, more “formal” and gender equitable hiring processes, and implementing quotas for women as leaders can help to increase women’s leadership in sport.
The mental health strategy for high performance sport in Canada: What national sport organization leaders and staff should know
Highlights The Mental Health Strategy for High Performance Sport in Canada aims to improve the mental health outcomes for all Canadian high performance athletes, coaches, and staff. The strategy was developed by Canadian experts in mental health and sport based on scientific evidence, applied experience, and international best practices. The newly formed strategy focuses on…
A new environmental normal in sport
Did you know that travel to-and-from practices and competitions accounts for more than 80% of emissions in sport? The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for the sport sector to work towards a new ‘environmental normal’ that limits its climate impact. Check out the Sports for Climate Action Framework to learn more about how your sport…
Building capacity for evaluation
While often overlooked, students and volunteers can be great human resources for conducting evaluations in sport. To harness these resources, partnerships between sport organizations and researchers in university-based settings are a good place to start. Researchers can collaborate with sport organizations to build capacity in students and volunteers, while leveraging the diverse experiences and knowledge…
Let them lead: The benefits of shared athlete leadership
In its inaugural season, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, a team of so-called “misfits” patched together from 30 other National Hockey League (NHL) teams, reached the Stanley Cup finals. One reason for their success was that they didn’t assign traditional on-ice captains. Instead, the team philosophy was that there were “23 captains.” According to Golden Knights forward…
COVID-19 program adaptations
Sport organizations were challenged to adapt their programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering unique opportunities for program evaluation. While organizations that paused their programs had a chance to step back and formulate new evaluation questions, organizations that changed their programming reported an increased value of evaluation due to shifts in program goals or delivery.
How fraud occurs
Did you know that today is International Anti-Corruption Day? Protect your sport organization from financial fraud by proactively addressing the risk factors. This infographic presents four common indicators to help organizations understand how and why fraud occurs: pressure, rationalization, capability, and opportunity.
Thin Ice
Due to warming temperatures and diminishing amounts of snow, winter sports are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Research from the University of Waterloo suggests ski resorts in Ontario and Quebec could be faced with winters too short to remain economically viable within 50-60 years if current emissions trends are not curbed. Learn…