Strong governance is pivotal to the success of sporting organisations. So, what makes an effective board? Previous research shows diversity and smaller board sizes are two key aspects of board composition. Despite this awareness, we don’t know how many sporting boards around the world align with best practice.
In this project, researchers from Deakin University, Melbourne and O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat analysed the composition of national sport federation (NSF) boards in nine countries, including India and Australia. Specifically, researchers looked at the number of directors on the board, their occupation and gender.
Collaborative process
The principal researchers, Dr Joshua McLeod from Deakin and Prof Shaun Star from Jindal, led a team of researchers from India and Australia to collect and analyse data on the boards of national sport federations (NSF) across several countries. In addition, researchers from China, Brazil and Russia were recruited to assist with data collection from their respective jurisdiction, due to language and accessibility constraints. The research team collected publicly available information on NSF boards, allowing the research team to code for board size, gender diversity and occupational background.