Want to protect your club against sports integrity issues? Where do you begin?
Steven Dillon
Clubs and Leagues Manager at Oceania Football Confederation | Coaching & Sports Management Generalist
Sports integrity is increasingly becoming a focal point for many sports clubs, necessitating a constant commitment to ensuring the safety and duty of care for everyone involved.
A club should be recognisable in its approach to sports integrity by the way in which clubs conduct and operate in their environment for everyone involved, underpinned by values of fairness, trust and abiding by the rules and regulations of their sport.
Member Protection (Children and Adults), Anti-Doping, Match Fixing, and Gambling are just a sample of the areas that sports club committees must address by implementing adequate policies and procedures. But where do you start?
Sports club committees already have a never-ending list of important activities or initiatives, however, the development of a sports club integrity plan could be one of the most crucial steps a club board can take.
Here are ten additional steps to assist club boards in protecting their clubs from unwanted integrity issues.
Step 1: Ensure that this important topic is part of the ongoing conversation at board level.
Sports integrity can be a difficult topic to discuss given a number of sensitive issues that can be linked. Club Boards and Committees can ensure that this is part of the regular conversation at an organisational level by adding Sports Integrity as a standing item on Board Meetings throughout the season.
This provides a great opportunity for items to be discussed on an ongoing basis and maintain awareness of key issues that club members may be facing.
Step 2: Communicate your sports integrity pledge to all members and ensure a club-wide commitment to this declaration.
Club committees should prioritize this topic and include it in their yearly communication plan, regularly sharing key information about club activities.
Proactively and positively framing this message will help create an environment where members feel comfortable addressing integrity issues and are prepared to take action if needed.
Step 3: Clubs should consider establishing a committee dedicated to overseeing sports integrity, comprising members from various departments within the organization. At a minimum, appointing a single individual responsible for managing these areas is highly recommended. This person can play a crucial role in implementing and refining the following steps to ensure a robust club-based sports integrity program.
Step 4: Promote Sports Integrity Development Opportunities on offer by recognised and reputable organisations. There are various educational offerings from organisations such as Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa , or the newly established Sport Integrity Commission NZ Te Kahu Raunui.
These resources, webinars and workshops can be shared with all groups within the club, such as players, coaches, referees and any other stakeholder connected to the delivery of the sport.
Step 5: Host in-person club education events. These events are essential for keeping sports integrity issues at the forefront throughout the season. Regularly scheduled at the club, these sessions can cover a variety of topics and be delivered by external experts in each field.
Conducting these workshops will not only enhance your community partnerships but also bolster your club’s reputation and credibility.
Step 6: Develop and promote effective reporting mechanisms for integrity issues. Many sports clubs may struggle with handling reported matters appropriately, so it’s crucial to establish clear procedures for reporting these issues to the club or relevant authorities.
There are high-profile campaigns such as the one launched by FIFPRO , as well as national guidance from national sports organisations such as the The Football Association or Athletics Australia , who all offer advice on how to report any issues that warrant further exploration.
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Step 7: Actively share and publish resources and tools on your club website, ensuring ease of access. A centralised online repository for sport integrity issues will ensure all club members are aware of the supporting documentation.
A simple desktop research review of many football clubs in New Zealand shows limited promotion of any supporting documentation, however many positive examples of regulations surrounding potential Sports Integrity issues can be found on the New Zealand Football website as well as various other National Sport Organisations.
Step 8: Where appropriate to release such details, publicize the action taken should any sports integrity issues take place in your club. Your members will be comforted by the fact that any problems that have been reported and addressed transparently, demonstrate the club’s commitment to maintaining a fair and ethical environment.
This transparency builds trust within the community and reinforces the message that integrity issues are taken seriously and managed responsibly.
Step 9: Maintain a Club Based Report. Keep an annual report of all sports integrity issues reported each season. This report will help you assess the effectiveness of your policies and procedures, providing valuable insights for areas of focus in the next season.
Areas of reporting could include, sources of reporting, summary of reported issues, issue type and any actions taken in response to any reported cases of sports integrity.
The collected data is crucial for identifying trends and patterns and can be used as actionable evidence by the club committee to allocate resources or seek support from partner organizations.
Step 10: Review, reflect and act. As with all other topics outlined in other articles, regular reviews, reflections, and actions on sports integrity issues by the club board ensure the club operates with high ethical standards, improves its policies, maintains its reputation, makes informed decisions, fosters continuous improvement, and strengthens partnerships.
Ultimately, above and beyond any sporting matters, the safety of club members and the wider community needs to be maintained focus and the development of a sports club integrity plan could be one of the most crucial steps a club board can take.
Has your club developed a sports integrity plan? Have you had to create policies to help deal with these issues? Comment below with your suggestions. You never know who you might help!
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