Governance policies in sports federations. A comparison according to their size

Abstract

Recent failures in the administration of sports federations have led individuals, institutions, and researchers in the field of sports to become increasingly concerned with questions of appropriate forms of governance. This paper provides a snapshot of the characteristics of the governance of Catalan sports federations by analysing key issues such as the composition of governing and executive bodies, the conservatism of presidents, participation and democratization in decision-making processes, and accountability orientation. The research was carried out based on content analysis and the operationalization of a questionnaire specific to the purpose of the research. The results point to some particularities, differences, and correlations between the size (and resources) of sports federations and their governance profile. Empirical evidence is presented on the lack of stakeholder participation in decision-making processes and mechanisms for management control and monitoring. Results identified a lack of accountability orientation and levels of transparency. Few organisations reported having created documents such as a governance code, or risk management manuals, and a low percentage of organisations were concerned about making them publicly available. The results support recent calls for good governance in sport by highlighting key areas for improvement. Authors believe that this contribution can serve as a framework for scholars to investigate other contexts.