Andrew
Hastings Kamanga
For sport, the landscape has changed drastically in the last 20 years, with governments’ role also increasing either through funding or infrastructure development.
Government intervention in sport cannot be underestimated because of its inherent social benefits.
But funding is not always available to national governing bodies (NGB) as they are other ministries in need of funding, too.
Sport is now a cultural phenomenon that shapes politics.
It is a key driver for economies and a contributes to a sense of identity.
Governments throughout the world provide funding to NGBs for infrastructural and sporting development because of the perceived social benefits that sport brings.
Sport is also a public or collective good that has a comprehensive public policy implication.
Government is and can be the provider of sporting infrastructure in most countries.
Inactive lifestyles have made participation in sports a major concern for governments.
Sports have been used to reduce crime, promote health campaigns and community development.
A huge benefit arising from active participation in sport and physical activity is reduction in medical costs, saving health authorities millions of dollars.
The purpose of NGBs is to ensure there is effective governance, increased participation and extra revenue.
Most local NGBs have failed to adapt to the modern age practice of accountability and transparency.
Sports development is about promoting change in organisations and personal behaviour, yet most sports organisations in Zimbabwe have failed to create an environment that is conducive for change.
Sport is a physical, competitive, institutionalised and rule-governed activity, and development brings about advancement, expansion, improvement and creation of sporting opportunities.
Experts define sports development as a process by which interest, desire, effective opportunities, processes, systems and structures are set up to provide and encourage people of all backgrounds/areas to participate for recreation or performance.
Sports development is about removal of barriers.
It is also a learning process, a practice of challenging tradition, changing attitudes of providers and participants, and promotion and implementation of positive change.
It is definitely not about compromising standards in the management of sport.
Effective sports development benefits people at all stages throughout their lives.
These stages are known or referred to as a sport development continuum and come in a pyramid shape with a four-stage hierarchy.
It illustrates the pathway or opportunities for anyone to progress either in participation or sporting ability.
Foundation:
At the bottom of the pyramid is the foundation stage and has the majority of participants. Fundamental skills such as basic movement (Agility, Balance and Coordination (ABC) and sporting skills are acquired at this level. This is the base for personal development and future participation in sport, and skills acquired at this level are transferable to other sports, as they sample a range of sports.
Participation:
At this stage, the opportunity to participate in sport is offered to members of the community for enjoyment, fitness, social contact or participation for its sake. It is at this stage that participants decide to specialise in a particular sport. Grants that are provided for the development of sport should be invested at this level.
After school, coaching clubs and partnerships with local authorities and schools are created.
Performance:
This is the stage at which performers are provided with an opportunity to enhance their sporting ability. Athletes begin to focus on specific skills and demonstrate they have talent in that particular sport. Good-quality coaching is a crucial part of athlete’s development. A number of programmes contribute to learning phase organised youth football competitions, local/district/provincial team training or holiday camps.
Excellence/Elite:
The number of participants narrows at this stage. This is the peak of the pyramid. It is the level at which athletes reach excellence. NGBs at this stage have the responsibility of developing athletes as they transition from local to provincial to national youth teams. Most NGBs should by now be having high-performance centres for elite youth players in the country, with sports science introduced.
Zimbabwe lacks coaching expertise in most of our team sports and the biggest challenge is the lack of high-level competition locally. There is need to implement the Long-Term-Athlete-Development Model (LTADM) in school sports to complement the Physical Education curriculum.
This is compounded by the non-existence or decaying sporting infrastructure and lack of human resource professionals to efficiently deliver sports programmes.
The question is: Are any of these principles being applied by our sports administrators running various sports disciplines or they are trying to reinvent the wheel?
The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) needs to develop a sport policy and funding criteria for sport. This can be divided in two — 1: Grassroots sport and 2: Elite/High performance.
1- Grassroots sport is the life-blood and without it there will be no elite sports. It is very much community-driven and not about high-level performance or commercial success. Grassroots sports are led by the voluntary sector in partnership with the public and private sectors, who usually provide facilities and funds.
2- Elite/High performance requires a culture of excellence and the right funding from either government or the private sector. Crucial is an effective talent-identification system, comprehensive planning system, development of elite facilities and sports science, coach development, well-structured competitive programmes and the right system of monitoring and evaluating the progress of athletes.
High performance/achievement and professional sport is nurtured from sources such as schools, academies, universities and grassroots.
The more participants at these levels, the better the quality of athletes that will be produced.
The purpose of a sport policy or a strategic plan is that it provides a framework or an overarching guiding policy that will define vision, values, strategic direction and objectives for the development of sport in a nation.
A sport policy and strategic framework is crucial to the development of sport.
Sports policy is an instrument providing a coherent direction for stakeholders mandated with the task of improving and delivering sport.
Through provision of funds by Government and a strategic sports policy for both grassroots and elite sports, the country’s visibility in global competitions can be increased, thus differentiating it from other nations.
The current system of producing athletes has proved to be incapable of bringing any form of success from global competitions.
The SRC should embark on a modernisation agenda of NGBs, including formulating and implementing a sports policy and modern administrative structures for them to develop and administer effective sports programmes, especially team sports.
Massive funding that far exceeds what NGBs receive from international federations is vital in enabling the government to enforce checks and balances and management capabilities in NGBs.
To achieve this, vast investments will be required in programmes such as coaching, facilities and management skills.
As a nation in dire need of systematic reform, a new way of thinking on how we run our sports needs to be adopted.
A sports development system needs to be drawn if we are to entertain any hopes of any meaningful achievement at international level.
For this to happen, it requires a constitutional obligation from Government, local authorities and substantial long-term investment in a systematic institutional development of sport.
The sports industry’s significance from an economic and commercial perspective continues to grow at an exponential rate.
To gain the respect and legitimacy of key stakeholders, sports organisations need to operate in a professional manner.
Hastings Kamanga is a UK-based Zimbabwean who is the academy coach at AFC Rusden and Diamonds. He holds a BA Hons in Football Studies and an MA in Leadership and Management of Sport and Physical Activities from the University of Bedfordshire.
Online Reporter