Sport Ireland takes over Governance Code for sporting organisations
Sport Ireland today announced that it is taking over the Governance Code for Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations as a Governance Code for Sport.
This follows the decision of the Governance Code Working Group to retire the Code of Practice for Good Governance of Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations (the Code).
The Government’s National Sports Policy, published in July 2018, tasks Sport Ireland with overseeing a process whereby all National Governing Bodies for Sport and Local Sports Partnerships adopt the Code by the end of 2021 (Action 31). In taking over the Code, Sport Ireland can ensure that this objective is delivered and that all funded organisations have appropriate governance structures in place.
Chairman of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, said: “This is an important step for Sport Ireland, which has a long history with the Code, having been the first state body to adopt the Code as best practice for our sector in 2013. In taking over the Code, Sport Ireland is reaffirming its commitment to supporting all of funded bodies in putting in place and maintaining robust corporate governance structures. I would like to thank the Governance Code Working Group for their hard work over the last ten years in developing and rolling out the Code, which set a high bar for standard not just for sporting bodies, but also for many other organisations.”
The handover of the Code will not have any impact on funded bodies who have fully adopted the Code or are on the adoption journey. All resources relating the Code and its adoption will remain on the Code website: www.governancecode.ie.
Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy, added: “Sport Ireland places a high premium on good governance, and encourages high standards in governance from all funded bodies. As a development agency, it is our aim to provide leadership in this area, empowering sport organisations to take responsibility for their own governance and meet the challenges that they face. In line with the actions laid out in the Government’s National Sports Policy, Sport Ireland is looking forward to taking over the Code with a view to all funded bodies completing the adoption journey by 2021. To support this, we will continuing to identify and put in place the training and supports needed by the different organisations to assist with the adoption process. I would like to thank the Governance Code Working Group for their support in handing over the Code to Sport Ireland.”
Charities that have adopted, or are on the journey to adopt, the Code will be directed towards the Charities Regulator’s new governance code.
Chair of the Governance Code Working Group and Chief Executive of Volunteer Ireland, Nina Arwitz, said: "The members of the Working Group are proud to have led the movement around improved governance for community, voluntary and charitable organisations in Ireland, and played a role in building trust in our sector at a time when it was particularly needed. Ten years since we started this journey in 2009, we can say that our job is done and pass the mantle to the Charities Regulator and also to Sport Ireland."
Sport Ireland would like to thank the current and former members of the Governance Code Working group for their hard-work in putting together and maintaining the Code since its introduction in 2012.
Notes to the Editor:
About the Governance Code:
The Governance Code for Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations (CVC Code), launched in 2012, has become the de-facto standard for excellent practice in corporate governance for non-profit organisations. It was developed, maintained and promoted by a unique coalition of leadership organisations in the non-profit sector that worked together with a small number of like-minded organisations and individuals with relevant expertise from the private sector.
These organisations include:
• Boardmatch Ireland
• Business in the Community
• Carmichael
• Charities Institute Ireland
• Clann Credo
• The Corporate Governance Association of Ireland (CGAI)
• Disability Federation of Ireland
• Good Governance Solutions
• Volunteer Ireland
• The Wheel