Clubs & Governing Bodies
Governance that supports sports, integrity, and long-term success.
Sport in the UK depends on the people who give their time to run it. From the national governing bodies that steward the rules, standards, and development of entire sports, to the clubs and associations where participation actually happens — the quality of governance at every level shapes what sport can achieve and who it can reach.
At its best, governance in sport is an enabler. A well-functioning board gives an organisation the clarity, confidence, and credibility to pursue its ambitions — whether that means growing participation, developing elite pathways, attracting investment, or simply ensuring that every member and participant is safe, valued, and well-served. Strong governance creates the conditions in which sport thrives.
For national governing bodies, that means providing the strategic leadership and accountability that underpins the integrity of the sport itself — setting and upholding the rules, standards, and culture that everyone from grassroots clubs to international competitors depends upon. For clubs, it means creating a well-run, welcoming, and sustainable organisation that serves its members and community with purpose and pride.
The organisations that invest in their governance — that build boards with the right skills, the right culture, and the right structures — are the ones best placed to grow, to attract funding, and to make a lasting difference to the sport and the people in it.
Whether you are a national governing body shaping the future of a sport, or a club at the heart of your community, good governance is what makes everything else possible.
The Landscape - NGBs, Clubs, and How They Work Together
Sport is organised through a structured relationship between national governing bodies and the clubs and associations that sit within their frameworks. Understanding this relationship — and governing well within it — is central to running an effective sports organisation at any level.
National governing bodies are independent organisations recognised by the sports councils to manage and develop their sport. They set the rules of competition, establish standards for coaching and officiating, lead on safeguarding and participant welfare, and drive participation and development. Bodies like The FA, the Rugby Football League, and their counterparts across dozens of other sports are the custodians of their sport's integrity and future — and the governance of an NGB has a direct bearing on the health of everything beneath it.
Clubs are where sport actually happens. Most are local, member-led organisations — often unincorporated associations run by volunteer committees — that affiliate to their NGB and operate within the framework it provides. They manage local competition, deliver coaching and participation programmes, and provide the community home that keeps people involved in sport throughout their lives. Running a club well, with clear roles, sound finances, and proper attention to the welfare of members, is a genuinely important responsibility — and one that deserves proper support.
The relationship between NGBs and clubs is one of mutual dependency. NGBs rely on a healthy club network to deliver their participation and development ambitions; clubs rely on their NGB for the standards, resources, and recognition that give their activity legitimacy and structure. Governance that works well at both levels strengthens the whole ecosystem.
As sports organisations have grown in scale and ambition — and as the expectations placed upon them have risen — the governance frameworks needed to support them have evolved accordingly. Today, organisations at every level are expected to operate with greater transparency, stronger accountability, and a more deliberate approach to the way they are led and managed.
The Framework — The Code for Sports Governance and Funder Expectations
The governance expectations placed on sports organisations vary by size, type, and funding relationship — but the direction across the sector is consistent: clearer standards, greater transparency, and boards that are genuinely equipped to lead.
The Code for Sports Governance, developed by Sport England and UK Sport, is the primary framework for organisations in receipt of National Lottery or government investment. It sets out requirements across three tiers, scaled to the level of public funding received, covering board composition and diversity, conflicts of interest, remuneration, and transparency. For many organisations, the Code provides a helpful and clarifying framework — a clear articulation of what good governance looks like and a structured basis for improvement.
Compliance with the Code is assessed as part of funding relationships, and demonstrating strong governance is increasingly a prerequisite for accessing the investment that helps organisations develop their sport. Rather than viewing this as a burden, the most forward-thinking NGBs and funded bodies have come to see it as an opportunity — a prompt to build boards and governance structures that genuinely serve the organisation's ambitions.
UK Sport's high-performance funding brings additional expectations around the culture and welfare environment within which athletes develop and compete, reflecting the sector's commitment to ensuring that the pursuit of excellence never comes at the cost of participant welfare.
For professional football, the establishment of an Independent Football Regulator introduces a formal licensing framework with governance and financial sustainability at its core — signalling a new era of structured oversight for the professional game and a significant opportunity for clubs to demonstrate the seriousness with which they take their responsibilities.
For clubs and associations outside the directly funded sector, the Code and the guidance of the Sport and Recreation Alliance provide a widely respected benchmark for good practice — one that an increasing number of NGBs are using to shape their expectations of affiliated organisations, and that funders, insurers, and partners look to as a signal of organisational credibility.
What Our Governance Reviews Look Like for Clubs and Governing Bodies
Our governance reviews are designed to give boards and committees an honest, independent, and constructive assessment of how effectively they are operating — and a clear roadmap for building on their strengths and addressing any gaps.
We understand that sports organisations come in every shape and size — from large, professionally staffed NGBs managing significant public investment, to volunteer-led clubs operating on tight budgets with enormous community commitment. We tailor our approach to the specific context, culture, and needs of each organisation, and we bring genuine knowledge of the sports governance landscape to every review we undertake.
Our reviews are not a compliance exercise. They are a genuine conversation about governance quality — designed to give boards the clarity and confidence to operate at their best and to make the most of everything their organisation has to offer.
Our reviews typically cover:
Board composition, skills and independence — whether the board has the right mix of skills, experience, and independence to govern effectively, including assessment against Code for Sports Governance requirements where applicable, and whether board members are properly supported and developed in their roles
Roles, responsibilities and delegation — clarity of accountabilities between the board, committees, and executive or paid staff, and how well the organisation navigates the relationship between volunteer governance and professional management
Strategic oversight and challenge — how effectively the board sets and monitors strategy, holds leadership to account, and maintains oversight of organisational performance, financial health, and risk
Conflicts of interest and integrity — the robustness of the organisation's approach to identifying and managing conflicts of interest, and whether its culture supports transparency and sound decision-making at every level
Compliance with the Code for Sports Governance and funder requirements — a clear assessment of where the organisation stands against the Code and other applicable frameworks, and practical support for addressing any gaps
Safeguarding governance — how effectively the board provides leadership and oversight of the organisation's safeguarding responsibilities, ensuring that the welfare of every participant is given the prominence it deserves
Board culture, dynamics and effectiveness — how the board works together, the quality of debate and decision-making, the effectiveness of the chair, and whether the board's culture supports openness, ambition, and continuous improvement
Governance infrastructure — the quality of governance administration, including meeting papers, minutes, constitutional documents, and the support available to board members
Following every review, we provide a detailed written report with clear, prioritised recommendations — and we remain available to support implementation, not just deliver findings.
