Sports Governance Academy’s Post

Join Bessie Hayes, Samantha Everard and the WAC (Jan Legg, Kristie Sheridan, Nicolai Morris) for an evening of professional development ONLINE on Tuesday 26 March, 19:00 - 20:00 AEST Learn more and register via https://lnkd.in/g-TiV_iH The theme of the night is 'Integrating club and/or sport culture into your S&C programs' 🌟 'Becoming Ironclad – Insights into Mackay Cutters Rugby League' - Bessie Hayes (ASCA Associate L2) After having their most-losing season in club history, Mackay Cutters have embarked on solidifying their identity - away from losing. As a club, players and staff have embarked on a journey of understanding how they play and act in all aspects of their lives. The outcome was to Become Ironclad - unbreakable with the underpinning values taken on wholeheartedly. While words can be initially impactful, it's the measurement that holds the accountability. Becoming Ironclad will delve into how we have designed and measured these values in our physical performance domain.   🌟 'Growth of a Role and a Program: Lessons learned from an early career practitioner' - Sam Everard - ASCA Level 1 A career in High Performance Sport can sometimes feel like you are navigating the white water rapids for the first time - External pressures pushing you to follow the flow, skilful execution of moves to get where you need to go, and the need for adaptability to correct any misdirection from floating rather than focusing. Growth of a Role and a Program is a snapshot of Sam's journey so far, highlighting how culture shifts are a part of team growth and that personal philosophy plays a role in the direction of these shifts. 

🚩 Eddie Jones’ Dictatorship: A Record-Breaking Tenure or a Red Flag for England Rugby? 📖 Danny Care’s new book, "Everything Happens for a Reason", sheds light on the troubling culture during Eddie Jones’ seven-year reign as England Rugby Head Coach. 🔒 Care describes the environment as “like living in a dictatorship, under a despot who disappeared people.” Fear dictated every move, with players subjected to relentless mind games and intimidation. 🤐 Teammates warned each other not to reveal too much information – even on forms – out of fear it could be used against them. Analysts visibly shook during presentations, terrified of making mistakes. 🏆 While Jones achieved notable success, boasting a 73% win rate - the highest of any England Men’s Coach - the dark truth is undeniable: a culture that rewards performance at any cost can inflict serious harm on both athletes and staff. ⚔️ Care writes, “Eddie took the same approach to rugby as Russia traditionally takes to war: just keep feeding men into the grinder, as long as we keep winning.” ❓ This raises critical questions about the culture England Rugby is cultivating under Steve Borthwick. 🤝 At Peak Team Performance, we believe lasting success is rooted in wellbeing, trust, and connection. Our focus is on strengthening relationships among players and coaching staff, fostering an environment where athletes can thrive free from fear. 🌱 I hope England Rugby embraces a model that prioritises player welfare alongside performance. After all, true excellence stems from a culture that nurtures both people and results. __ __ 🤔 What do you think… was Eddie Jones a success story or a red flag? #PeakTeamPerformance #Leadership #EliteSport #HighPerformance #Wellbeing #SocialConnection

Finest Hour is thrilled to be supporting the mighty Epping Rams in their pursuit of glory in 2024. 🏉 It’s great to be able to support the club where I played all my post-schoolboy rugby, and while there’ll be no hill sprints, mauling drills, or dreaming up complicated blind-side plays this time round, you can instead expect the following: 🏆 Unashamed posting after a big win. 😢 Reflective posts about how failure is only temporary after a loss. 📸 Numerous selfies in my Epping Rams jersey. 🏉 Waxing lyrical with various analogies on how sport imitates life (and work), and 🎉 When we win the GF in August, a barrage of content to rival the biggest Social Media 'influencers', and then silence for a week as I have a lie down from too much celebrating… Jokes aside, being able to support local rugby is an honour which we take very seriously. Apart from the obvious health benefits, sports, and particularly team sports like rugby are so valuable in building leadership skills that last a lifetime. Regardless of our industry or chosen endeavour, team sports can teach us: 🎯 The importance of ensuring everyone is clear on the goal and how we plan to get there. 💪 How having (and being!) a support player gives us so many more options to score. ✅ How well-structured feedback and being held accountable is without doubt the most effective way to improve performance, and most importantly, 🙌 How if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together. Let’s go Rams! 🐏

"It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." – Harry Truman As someone who coaches a lot of rugby, there's one thing that frustrates me deeply about the grassroots level of the sport: egos. Too many people make it about themselves. That’s not to say everyone is guilty. Most of the coaches, club staff, and volunteers I meet are incredibly generous and encouraging. They help players fall in love with the game, supporting them selflessly and creating an environment where thousands thrive. These are the people who love the game, love coaching, and genuinely want to help players improve. They’re the ones who revel in watching players find their groove, develop their skills, and come together as a team to play great rugby. To me, rugby should always be about the players. It’s about them stepping onto the field, giving their all, and walking off knowing they left everything out there, not just for themselves, but for each other. Winning matters, sure, but the score takes care of itself when you focus on giving players the platform, support, and coaching they need to succeed. Sadly, like in many sports, there are those who make it all about themselves. For them, the players are just a means to an end, a way to say, “Look at me. Look how great I am.” These individuals chase power, control, and admiration to compensate for their own insecurities or advance personal agendas. This undermines the sport for future generations. It’s counterproductive, too. After all, how many of us do our best work under pressure, scrutiny, and the fear of being criticized? How many of us thrive when mistakes are met with ridicule instead of support? Players, especially the young players, need an environment where they’re coached, not berated; encouraged, not micromanaged. Thankfully, there are so many wonderful coaches out there who work quietly, building great teams and instilling a love for this fantastic game. They deserve the recognition. But it’s the loud ones, who are politically and personally motivated, who create toxicity. These individuals take positions of power for their own agendas, and they make it unpleasant for everyone else. They need to be called out. Let’s keep it simple. Let’s play rugby. #rugby #culture #leadership #fortheloveofthegame #playfortheteam #nomoreegos

Ever wonder what goes into training an elite football team in the Premier League? ⚽️ We sit down with Brentford FC's Performance Director, Ben Ryan, to learn the secrets to peak performance. Read it on the blog. #BrentfordFC #PeakPerformance #Partnership

Ever wonder what goes into training an elite football team in the Premier League? ⚽️ We sit down with Brentford FC's Performance Director, Ben Ryan, to learn the secrets to peak performance. Read it on the blog. #BrentfordFC #PeakPerformance #Partnership

Just had a deep conversation with my brother that took me on a journey through my time in senior Women’s football. It's been quite the ride, filled with unforgettable moments and invaluable lessons learned along the way and getting to meet and work with some fantastic people! From coaching keepers to managing teams, each season has brought its own challenges and triumphs. Here’s a snapshot of the journey so far: 2010-2011 - GK Coach - Cov City Women - Northern Prem 2nd place finish - Promoted 2011-2012 - GK Coach - Cov City Women - National League 6th place Finish 2012-2013 - GK Coach - Cov City Women - National League 5th place Finish 2013-2014 - GK Coach - Forest Women - National League North 4th place Finish (League restructured to WSL / Championship and no national division) 2016-2017 - GK Coach - Cov United Women - Southern League 2nd place Finish 2017-2018 - GK Coach - Cov United Women - Southern League 4th place Finish 2018-2019 - Assitant Manager - Birmingham West Mids Women - Division One Midlands 3rd place Finish 2019-2020 - Joint Manager Boldmere Women - Division One Midlands - Covid killed the season 2020-2021 - Joint Manager Boldmere Women - Division One Midlands - Covid killed the season 2021-2022 - GK Coach - Oxford United Women - Southern League 2nd place Finish 2022-2023 - GK Coach - Oxford United Women - Southern League 3rd place Finish Looking back, this journey has highlighted my unwavering competitiveness in football, a trait I've missed since injury cut short my playing days in 2013. But through coaching and managing, I've found a new way to channel that passion and drive. 📈🙌⚽ #CoachingJourney #ReflectingOnThePath

Received an amazing message today from a player I used to coach. Context: We bumped in to each other at a rugby game and I suggested that I might take on a coaching role for a women’s team. Her response was to say that it would be an awesome thing for me to do and that I just needed to tell her where and when and she would be there. This threw me a little as she plays for a club that has multiple teams and guarantees regular game time for all - so considering a start up team who doesn’t even have 15 players would be a big decision. So I asked the question. A very genuine question. Why? The response has reinforced why I coach rugby and what I aim to deliver at all points. With permission- I am sharing the response here. “It’s because of the values and fundamentals you instilled during your time at upwrfc. Grassroots rugby isn’t just about playing the game—it’s about respect, commitment, and community. Those lessons make you the kind of mentor I’d turn to, no matter what. Don’t get me wrong playing competitive rugby is fun and is challenging but it’s still very much just a humble hobby for me, that I should be enjoying. There’s plenty of time to be competitive 🙂” I’m not here to build world champions - I’m here to motivate, help people engage and develop and above all, enjoy what they do! As a coach, I fascilitate opportunities to learn and aim to create safe environments where people want to explore their potential. If we (as coaches) get this bit right, there will be more players entering the performance environment and, in the end, world champions will emerge! Personally - cannot wait to get back out on the pitches and coach again

Ever wonder what goes into training an elite football team in the Premier League? ⚽️ We sit down with Brentford Football Club’s Performance Director, Ben Ryan, to learn the secrets to peak performance. Read it on the SafetyCulture blog. #BrentfordFC #PeakPerformance #Partnership

“One of the big challenges of the England team over a long period of time has been the weight of the shirt. It’s something we’ve worked to develop and move on from with this team, but clearly the consequence [of playing with more freedom] is that if you turn the ball over that many times, you’re not giving your defence as much of a chance”. Steve Borthwick, England Rugby coach …but playing with freedom is very often not the solution to dealing with performance anxiety (which isn’t to suggest that ‘freedom’ can’t be a part of a wider package of solutions for players to manage their performance anxiety). Several years ago, I had the honour and privilege of working with some of the best sports coaches I’ve ever worked with when I was lead psychologist for the England rugby team. Borthers was one of those coaches. He’s as dedicated a coach as I’ve ever worked with and an even better human being. Just as I’ve done with the England cricket team with their brand of ‘Bazball’, I wish to respectfully check and challenge this notion that playing with freedom is the elixir on a supposed ‘performance anxiety’ continuum. I want to respectfully suggest this is what Borthers really wants: 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 - 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. This isn’t freedom. This is approach behaviour. This is approach behaviour in response to the threats associated with high pressure games. When England rugby players (and we can include England footballers as well) compete they can tend to engage in avoidant behaviour. Energy back – hesitant and inhibited. This negatively impacts their ability to detect the important cue that invite action. It slows their anticipation and decision-making. It damages their technical ability and physical capacities. The call for freedom can draw players into a tactical recklessness that loses important moments during the game, subsequent momentum, and ultimately the scoreboard. Approach behaviour, energy-forward as I would describe it, isn’t reserved for attacking play. A team can shape themselves defensively but compete with energy forward. To think any other way is to conflate tactics and mindset (which probably only have a small relationship). Just as I told the coaches back when I had the privilege of working with them, every player needs to have a mental playbook that helps them compete with energy-forward under pressure. Even better, the team as a whole needs a team mental playbook they can use together in order to play with a cohesive mentality under pressure. Playing with freedom is not the opposite of playing with performance anxiety. That is way too simplistic a lens of the complex competitive world of professional international sport.