Towards more honest and efficient sports organisations

The Sports Governance Observer is a benchmarking tool that enables national and international sports leaders to improve the governance of their federation.

It is developed in cooperation with leading experts from six European universities and aimed at bringing practical change in the everyday running of sport’s organisations.

The Sports Governance Observer focuses on four key areas of governance: Transparency & public communication, Democratic Processes, Checks & Balances and Solidarity.

Se more about the basic good governance indicators used in the Sports Governance Observer

Better governance is a way to wipe out corruption and backroom dealings, but it is more than that: It is a way to make your organisation more efficient and add to its public prestige.

Does your organisation need a governance check? Contact info@playthegame.org to get more information about the Sports Governance Observer and how to use it.

Who is behind?
The Sports Governance Observer is developed in 2012 and 2013 by Play the Game/ Danish Institute for Sports Studies in cooperation with KU Leuven, the University of Utrecht, IDHEAP Lausanne, Loughborough University, University of Ljubljana, the German Sport University Cologne and the European Journalism Centre.

They joined forces in the Action for Good Governance in International Sports Organisations (AGGIS) which received support from the European Union.

Today, Play the Game and KU Leuven has employed the sports governance expert Dr. Arnout Geeraert as a coordinator of further research into the governance of international federations. Dr. Geeraert can be contacted at arnout@playthegame.org

Together with a consortium of European universities, Play the Game is also applying to the EU’s Erasmus+ programme in order to engage and carry out research at the level of national sports federations.

Video interviews on good governance

Hans Bruyninckx:
Good governance: Sports organisations must operate in a decent way
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Jens Sejer Andersen:
We have a common interest in restoring public trust in sport
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Simona Kustec Lipicer:
The AGGIS tool informs about your governance standard
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Frank van Eekeren:
Sport must turn its culture of secrecy into a culture of transparency
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Barrie Houlihan:
Accountability is a duty to explain
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Biba Klomp:
Sports organisations must connect with their stakeholders
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Michael Mrkonjic:
Sports federations are privileged in Switzerland
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