The Code for Sports Governance in the UK Jane Purdon UK Sport

UK Sport and Governance

Introduction to UK Sport UK Sport is the United Kingdom’s elite sport agency. We strategically invest public money (tax and lottery) into Olympic and Paralympic sport. We’re an ‘arms-length’ governing body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. We work closely with our sister organisation Sport England Sport England fund grassroots and mass participation in sport.

What UK Sport invests Total funding for Tokyo 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games: £345,279,427 Total funding for PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games: £30,685,668

How we invest it Central funding for sporting National Governing Bodies Over 60 national governing bodies receive public funding Some only receive funding from UK Sport Some only receive funding from Sport England Some receive funding from both of us

A Code for Sports Governance UK Sport and Governance A Code for Sports Governance

http://www. uksport. gov http://www.uksport.gov.uk/resources/governance-code Or search for ‘A Code for Sports Governance’

Purpose of the Code “ To drive and influence the highest standards of professional, organisational and ethical conduct in national and international sport.” Compliance with the Code is mandatory for organisations in receipt of public funding. This legal obligation is contained in UK Sport and Sport England’s funding agreements with sports organisations.

Principle 1 - Structure Organisations shall have a clear and appropriate governance structure, led by a Board which is collectively responsible for the long-term success of the organisation and exclusively vested with the power to lead it. The Board shall be properly constituted, and shall operate effectively. JP Slide

Principle 2 - People Organisations shall recruit and engage people with appropriate diversity, independence, skills, experience and knowledge to take effective decisions that further the organisation’s goals. LN Slide

Principle 3 - Communication Organisations shall be transparent and accountable, engaging effectively with stakeholders and nurturing internal democracy. LN Slide

Principle 4 – Standards and Conduct Organisations shall uphold high standards of integrity, and engage in regular and effective evaluation to drive continuous improvement. JP Slide

Principle 5 – Policies and Procedures Organisations shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and to take responsible financial strategic planning, and have appropriate controls and risk management procedures. LN Slide

UK Sport and Governance Compliance process

Application of the Code The Code applies to 60 sports national governing bodies Includes the big professional sports (football, rugby etc) October 2016: publication of the Code. Jan to March 2017: bespoke analysis of each sport organisation against the requirements of the Code. April 2017: bespoke Governance Action Plans agreed with all organisations. October 2017: deadline for compliance.

Compliance 20 December 2017: compliance decisions announced. All funded national governing bodies bar three deemed compliant. Compliant organisations include the Football Association, Rugby Union, England and Wales Cricket Board, British Cycling … and UK Sport itself. Plans in place for the other three. A revolution in British sport governance.

Lessons learned Change is challenging! But vital. Plan and prioritise the changes you need to make. Each organisation differs Some will be more compliant than others. Central support was available from UK Sport and Sport England. But peer support – organisation to organisation – is valuable. Discuss mutual problems. Share good practice.

Lessons learned Embrace it! Great governance is an asset to your organisation: Builds stakeholder trust Improves organisational performance on every metric Senior leaders of sports should be advocates for change within their organisations.

UK Sport and Governance Thank you