Inclusive communications strategies for sport organizations

Efforts to consciously improve inclusivity in sport communications can help reduce how often microaggressions, prejudices and biases are introduced or reinforced. Some strategies to improve the inclusivity of your communications include: providing communications in multiple formats, creating a list of inclusive terms to replace outdated language, using person-first language and choosing visuals that reflect the…

Air pollution safety in outdoor sports

Sport participants are at greater risk from air pollution, as they are often breathing hard and through their mouths, bypassing the nose’s natural filtration system. Air pollution in the short term can cause asthma flare ups, and in the long-term can increase one’s risk of serious conditions like lung cancer. To protect themselves, sport participants…

The power of sport

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport’s new publication, “Power of Sport: The True Sport Report” presents research that addresses how community sport contributes to a spectrum of societal goals, including quality education, gender equality, health and well-being, reduced inequalities, and climate action. The report identifies that “how” sport is delivered is key to achieving…

Data overload

Sport organizations produce more data than most organizations, ranging from athlete training and performance tracking to memberships and participation data. But how often is this data used to inform decision-making? Learn more about how Row Ontario is using existing data to inform decisions that will help to grow the sport in the SIRC Blog.

Board accountability

A board of directors is 100% accountable for everything that happens in an organization. However, being accountable for everything doesn’t mean the board must do everything, or even specify how to achieve its purpose. When determining how the organization will best accomplish its purpose, the board must differentiate between responsibility, authority, and accountability. Check out tips…

Steward-leadership in sport

The issues that face sport organizations are complex. A sport organization board needs to engage in dialogue, listen to its full spectrum of stakeholders, and be patient enough to transform its understanding of complicated issues. A steward-leader board is uniquely equipped to listen and lead to a desirable future.

Considerations for strategic planning in community sport clubs

Sport leaders can use strategic planning to help identify their organization’s current position, where it plans to go, and how it intends to get there (O’Brien et al., 2019). Strategic planning has been linked with improved organizational change processes as well as enhanced organizational effectiveness, resilience and performance (for example, Hu et al., 2014; Liao…

Managing sport events to maximize positive impacts

Project summary The value of sport events extends beyond the competition itself to society at-large. The overarching goal of this project was to understand how to maximize the positive impacts associated with hosting non-mega sport events. Guided by the idea that effective event design and leveraging strategies can increase positive outcomes from sport events, the specific objectives of this project were to identify:  Conclusions:  Research methods Objective 1 (Inspire an intention to participate) – Questionnaires were completed by 353 spectators…

Strategic Foresight: An Essential Skill for All Boards

This blog focuses on “setting direction,” a key aspect of “gold medal governance.” It is part of a series designed to increase the capacity of sport organizations to effectively govern in an increasingly complex world. Read the first blog, providing an overview of the six keys to gold medal governance. Without foresight, leaders aren’t able…

Building Capacity in Community Sport Organizations

Community sport organizations (CSOs) occupy an important place in our communities by providing sport and recreation opportunities for all ages, as well as serving a wider social role within our communities (see, for example, Taking Action: Community Sport Organizations and Social Responsibility by Misener, 2018). Previous research has pointed to the challenges these organizations face,…