governing bodies in sport

							GUIDELINES ON THE RECOGNITION OF ENGLISH GOVERNING BODIES BY SPORT ENGLAND

1. How does an English governing body apply for recognition?

An English governing body (i.e. a governing body that has jurisdiction over its sport in England only) should initially contact Sport
England to discuss its proposed application, and request an application form.

The completed application form, together with the required supporting documentation should be returned to Sport England. All
applicants are strongly advised to seek clarification from Sport England when completing the application form.

Applications for governing body recognition are considered by Sport England twice each year, normally in April and October.
Application forms must be returned to Sport England at least three months prior to the assessment meeting.

           Submission Date to Sport England                                   Assessment Meeting
           6th January                                                        April
           30th June                                                          October

2. What is the assessment process?

A Sport England Officer will assess the application against the agreed assessment criteria and will consult with the other Sports Councils
in the UK if he or she deems it appropriate. If any clarification or additional information is required, the Officer will contact the applicant
governing body.

The application and assessment will be presented to an Officer Panel comprising senior staff at Sport England. Normally, one of the
following recommendations will be made:

                     Unconditional offer of recognition status;
                     Conditional offer of recognition status with a time-limited period to rectify any areas that were below acceptable
                      level;
                     Refusal of recognition status.

The application will then be presented to the Sport England Main Board for decision and Sport England will inform the applicant of the
outcome within one week of the Sports Council meeting.

The process will normally take a maximum of four months from the date of receipt of the application.

3. What assessment criteria will Sport England use?

Sport England’s assessment of governing body recognition applications will be based on the following criteria. A successful application
will be expected to meet all the criteria:

Recognised Sporting Activity
The sporting activity, which the governing body is claiming to govern, must already be included on the recognised sporting activity list.



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Uniqueness
There is no other governing body operating in England (recognised or unrecognised) that could better govern and develop the sport.

Sustainability
The governing body has been established for a minimum of two years and can demonstrate this by forwarding a copy of its signed constitution and
its Annual General Meeting minutes and accounts for the preceding two years. (Where the body is a new organisation formed by the merger of two or
more already established governing bodies, Sport England will not normally insist on this criteria being met. However, they will expect to see
evidence of a properly constituted merger and plans in place to ensure the new body can continue to govern its sport.)

International Affiliation
The governing body can demonstrate it is affiliated or is in the process of affiliating to the GB/UK governing body where one exists and, where
appropriate, the international governing body for the sport.

Governance Structure
An appropriate constitution and statement on anti doping, child protection and equity are in place and have been formally adopted by the governing
body.

Membership and Participation
The governing body seeking recognition has demonstrated significant membership in terms of affiliated membership, club structures, participation,
etc.

Influence and Control
The governing body can demonstrate that it has reasonable influence in the context of the sport controlled, e.g. in terms of governing the rules of the
sporting activity within the jurisdiction, the training and education of coaches and officials.

4. Is governing body recognition awarded for a limited period of time?

There is no time limit on the recognition of a governing body. However, Sport England will review the recognition of a governing body in
its jurisdiction if there are concerns that the organisation is no longer meeting the recognition criteria, if the status of the governing body
or the sporting activity which it governs changes significantly, or if another body is claiming to govern the activity in England.

5. If a governing body’s recognition status is reviewed, what process does that entail?

For governing bodies that are in receipt of Sport England, the review process will normally be integrated within Sport England’s self-
assurance and monitoring processes.

For a recognised governing body that is not funded by Sport England, the review will involve re-visiting the initial recognition application
form (if this exists) or completing a new application form.

A Sport England Officer will assess the review documentation against the agreed recognition criteria. If any clarification or additional
information is required, the Officer will contact the governing body.

The review documentation will be presented to an Officer Panel comprising senior staff at Sport England. Normally, one of the following
recommendations will be made:




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              Unconditional re-endorsement of the governing body’s recognition status;
              Conditional re-endorsement of the governing boy’s recognition status with a time-limited period to rectify any areas that
               were below acceptable level, but within the context of achieving an acceptable standard overall;
              Withdrawal of recognition status.

The review documentation will then be presented to the Sport England Main Board for decision and Sport England will inform the
governing body of the outcome.

6. What happens if two governing bodies are seeking Sport England recognition as the governing body for the same sport in
   England?

If one of the governing bodies is already recognised by Sport England, Sport England will inform that body that a review process is to be
instigated due to an application being made by a second organisation.

Both governing bodies will be invited to complete and forward an application form, together with the required supporting information, to
Sport England for assessment. If audit information is available, this will be taken into account.

An Officer from Sport England will make an initial assessment of both applications using the assessment criteria. This assessment may
involve consultation with the other Sports Councils in the UK if the Sport England Officer deems it appropriate. If any clarification or
additional information is required, the Officer will contact the relevant governing body.

The two applications, together with the initial assessment report, will be presented to an Officer Panel comprising senior staff at Sport
England. The Panel may decide to invite representatives from one or both governing bodies to attend the meeting at which the
applications are considered. The Panel will normally make one of the following recommendations:

                   Reject the unrecognised body’s application and award unconditional or conditional endorsement of the currently
                    recognised governing body’s recognition status;
                   Withdraw recognition from the currently recognised governing body and award unconditional or conditional
                    recognition status to the second body;
                   If both bodies are currently unrecognised, to award conditional or unconditional recognition to one body and reject
                    the application made by the other body;
                   Withhold recognition status from both bodies on the basis that neither body has sufficiently demonstrated that it
                    meets the recognition criteria, or that neither body has demonstrated it is significantly better placed to represent the
                    interests of the sport than the other.

The Panel’s recommendation will be presented to the Sport England Board for decision. Sport England will advise both governing bodies
of the decision.



7. Can Sport England withdraw recognition from an English governing body?




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Yes, Sport England can withdraw recognition. Some of the circumstances when recognition can be withdrawn are listed below, although
this list is not exhaustive:

                   The activity is no longer recognised;
                   The governing body fails to demonstrate that it is meeting the recognition criteria;
                   The governing body fails to supply the requested supporting material to demonstrate that it meets the recognition
                    criteria;
                   Recognition has been conferred on another governing body that has demonstrated that it is the best-placed
                    organisation to develop and manage the sport.

8. If a governing body application for recognition is unsuccessful, can the governing body re-apply?

Yes, the governing body can re-apply, although Sport England will not normally consider a new application for a period of one year from
the date of the initial decision.

In cases where two governing bodies have applied for recognition as the governing body for the same sport in England, the
unsuccessful body(ies) that has (have) not been awarded recognition cannot normally re-apply for a period of 3 years.

9. Is there an Appeals Procedure?

If a Governing Body wishes to appeal against a decision made by Sport England, it should contact Sport England and details of the
appeals procedure will be provided.




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