Recent failures in the administration of sports federations have led individuals, institutions, and researchers in the field of sports to become increasingly concerned with questions of appropriate forms of governance. This paper provides a snapshot of the characteristics of the governance of Catalan sports federations by analysing key issues such as the composition of governing and executive bodies, the conservatism of presidents, participation and democratization in decision-making processes, and accountability orientation. The research was carried out based on content analysis and the operationalization of a questionnaire specific to the purpose of the research. The results point to some particularities, differences, and correlations between the size (and resources) of sports federations and their governance profile. Empirical evidence is presented on the lack of stakeholder participation in decision-making processes and mechanisms for management control and monitoring. Results identified a lack of accountability orientation and levels of transparency. Few organisations reported having created documents such as a governance code, or risk management manuals, and a low percentage of organisations were concerned about making them publicly available. The results support recent calls for good governance in sport by highlighting key areas for improvement. Authors believe that this contribution can serve as a framework for scholars to investigate other contexts.

governance policies; sports federations development; social systems; organisations infrastructure

1. Adriaanse J (2016). Gender diversity in the governance of international sport federations. In: Critical Issues in Global Sport Management. Routledge. pp. 45–59.
2. Adriaanse JA (2017). Quotas to accelerate gender equity in sport leadership: Do they work? In: Women in Sport Leadership. Routledge. pp. 83–97.
3. Adriaanse J, Schofield T (2014). The impact of gender quotas on gender equality in sport governance. Journal of Sport Management 28(5): 485–497. doi: 10.1123/jsm.2013-0108
4. Amis J, Slack T (1996). The size-structure relationship in voluntary sport organizations. Journal of Sport Management 10(1): 76–86. doi: 10.1123/jsm.10.1.76
5. Arnaut JL (2006). Independent European sport review. Available online: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/eslj/issues/volume4/number3/garcia/ (accessed on 1 December 2022).
6. Arnstein SR (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners 35(4): 216–224. doi: 10.1080/01944366908977225
7. Aucoin P, Heintzman R (2000). The dialectics of accountability for performance in public management reform. International Review of Administrative Sciences 66(1): 45–55. doi: 10.1177/0020852300661005
8. Australian Sports Commission (2012). Sports governance principles. Available online: https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance/principles (accessed on 10 December 2022).
9. Bayle E, Camy J (2003). The federal leader: today and tomorrow. French National Olympic Academy (ANOF) of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (French).
10. Bovens M (2007). Analysing and assessing accountability: A conceptual framework. European Law Journal 13(4): 447–468. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0386.2007.00378.x
11. Cabello D, Rivera E, Trigueros C, Pérez I (2011). Analysis of the Spanish federated sport model of the XXI century (Spanish). Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de La Actividad Física y Del Deporte 11(44): 690–707
12. Chappelet JL (2018). Beyond governance: The need to improve the regulation of international sport. Sport in Society 21(5): 724–734. doi: 10.1080/17430437.2018.1401355
13. Chappelet JL, Mrkonjic M (2019). Assessing sport governance principles and indicators. In: Research Handbook on Sport Governance. Edward Elgar.
14. Cohen LR, Spitzer M (1992). Term limits. Georgetown Law Review 80(3): 477–522.
15. Colucci M, Geeraert A (2012). The ‘social dialogue’ in European professional football. Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal 33(1): 203–234.
16. Consell d’Associacions de Barcelona (2019). Gender equity in the entities and associations of Barcelona January 2019 (Catalan). Available online: https://plataformavoluntariado.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2018-12_generebcn_cab_v3.pdf (accessed on 10 December 2022).
17. Council of Europe 2012 highlights (2013). Available online: https://book.coe.int/en/activities-annual-report/5679-pdf-council-of-europe-2012-highlights.html (accessed on 10 December 2022).
18. Council of Europe (2019). All in: Towards gender balance in sport. Available online: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/gender-equality-in-sport/home (accessed on 20 December 2022).
19. CSD. Tokyo Olympics (2020). Available online: https://www.csd.gob.es/test.php/es/alta-competicion/jj-olimpicos-paralimpicos-y-del-mediterraneo/jjoo-y-jjpp-tokio-2020 (accessed on 10 December 2022).
20. CSD. Licences and clubs (2021). Available online: https://www.csd.gob.es/sites/default/files/media/files/2022-07/Licencias%20y%20Clubes%202021.pdf (accessed on 10 December 2022).
21. De Bosscher V, De Knop P, van Bottenburg M, et al. (2009). Explaining international sporting success: An international comparison of elite sport systems and policies in six countries. Sport Management Review 12(3): 113–136. doi: 10.1016/j.smr.2009.01.001
22. Legislative Decree 1/2000, of July 31, approving the Single Text of the Sports Law (Catalan). Available online: https://portaljuridic.gencat.cat/eli/es-ct/dlg/2000/07/31/1 (accessed on 10 December 2022).
23. DiMaggio PJ, Powell WW (1983). The iron cage revisited: institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review 48(2): 147. doi: 10.2307/2095101
24. Dowling M, Leopkey B, Smith L (2018). Governance in sport: A scoping review. Journal of Sport Management 32(5): 438–451. doi: 10.1123/jsm.2018-0032
25. Ferkins L, Shilbury D, McDonald G (2005). The role of the board in building strategic capability: Towards an integrated model of sport governance research. Sport Management Review 8(3): 195–225. doi: 10.1016/s1441-3523(05)70039-5
26. Ferkins L, Mcdonald G, Shilbury D (2010). A model for improving board performance: The case of a national sport organisation. Journal of Management & Organization 16(4): 601–621. doi: 10.5172/jmo.2010.16.4.601
27. Forster J, Pope N (2004). The Political Economy of Global Sports Organisations. Routledge.
28. García B (2007). UEFA and the European Union: From confrontation to co-operation? Journal of Contemporary European Research 3(3): 202–223. doi: 10.30950/jcer.v3i3.52
29. Geeraert A (2018). National Sports Governance Observer. Indicators and instructions for assessing good governance in national sports federations. Play the Game/Danish Institute for Sports Studies. Available online: https://www.dshs-koeln.de/fileadmin/redaktion/user_upload/nsgo-indicators-and-instructions.pdf. (accessed on 10 December 2022).
30. Geeraert A, Alm J, Groll M (2014). Good governance in international sport organizations: An analysis of the 35 Olympic sport governing bodies. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 6(3): 281–306. doi: 10.1080/19406940.2013.825874
31. Geeraert A, Groll M, Alm J (2013). Good governance in International Non-Governmental Sports Organisations: An empirical study on accountability, participation and executive body members in Sport Governing Bodies. In: Alm J (editor). Action for Good Governance in International Sports Organisations. Play the Game/Danish Institute for Sports Studies.
32. Girginov V. (2017). UK: England—National Governing Bodies of Sport and Government Agencies. In: Scheerder J, Willem A, Claes E (editors). Sport Policy Systems and Sport Federations. Palgrave Macmillan.
33. Government of Ireland (2018). National Sports Policy 2018–2027. Available online: https://assets.gov.ie/15979/04e0f52cee5f47ee9c01003cf559e98d.pdf (accessed on 10 December 2022).
34. Guevara JC, Martín E, Arcas MJ (2021). Financial sustainability and earnings management in the spanish sports federations: A multi-theoretical approach. Sustainability 13(4): 2099. doi: 10.3390/su13042099
35. Han J (2023). How does governance affect the control of corruption in India? A configurational investigation with Fs/QCA. Economies 11(2): 43. doi: 10.3390/economies11020043
36. Hart O (1995). Corporate governance: Some theory and implications. The Economic Journal 105(430): 678. doi: 10.2307/2235027
37. Heinemann K (2008). Metodología de la investigación empírica aplicada a las Ciencias del Deporte. Barcelona, España: Paidotribo.
38. Henry I, Lee PC (2004). Governance and ethics in sport. In: Chadwick S, Beech J (editors). The Business of Sport Management. Pearson Education. pp. 25–42.
39. Hoye R, Cuskelly G (2006). Sport Governance. Routledge.
40. Katwala S (2000). Democratising Global Sport. The Foreign Policy Centre.
41. Kihl LA, Schull V (2020). Understanding the meaning of representation in a deliberative democratic governance system. Journal of Sport Management 34(2): 173–184. doi: 10.1123/jsm.2019-0056
42. Kikulis LM, Slack T, Hinings B (1992). Institutionally specific design archetypes: A Framework for understanding change in National Sport Organizations. International Review for the Sociology of Sport 27(4): 343–368. doi: 10.1177/101269029202700405
43. Kohe GZ, Purdy LG (2016). In protection of whose “wellbeing?” Considerations of “clauses and a/effects” in athlete contracts. Journal of Sport and Social Issues 40(3): 218–236. doi: 10.1177/0193723516633269
44. Kolstad I, Wiig A (2009). Is transparency the key to reducing corruption in resource-rich countries? World Development 37(3): 521–532. doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2008.07.002
45. Law 10/1990, of October 15, on Sports (Spanish). Available online: https://www.boe.es/eli/es/l/1990/10/15/10/con (accessed on 10 December 2022).
46. Mallin C, Dunne T, Helliar C, et al. (2004). FRS 13 and corporate governance: A fund management perspective. Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management 1(2): 17–42. doi: 10.1108/11766090410813346
47. McLeod J, Adams A, Sang K (2020). Ethical strategists in Scottish football: The role of social capital in stakeholder engagement. International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics 14(3): 298. doi: 10.1504/ijbge.2020.108085
48. McKeag J, McLeod J, Star S, et al. (2022). Board composition in National Sport Federations: An examination of BRICS countries. Journal of Global Sport Management. doi: 10.1080/24704067.2022.2155982
49. Mulgan R (2003). Holding Power to Account: Accountability in Modern Democracies. Palgrave Macmillan.
50. Muñoz J, Solanellas F (2023). Measurement of organizational performance in national sport governing bodies domains: A scoping review. Management Review Quarterly. doi: 10.1007/s11301-023-00325-9
51. Muñoz J, Solanellas F, Crespo M, et al. (2023). Governance in regional sports organisations: An analysis of the Catalan sports federations. Cogent Social Sciences. 9(1): 2209372. doi: 10.1080/23311886.2023.2209372
52. National Institute of Statistics (2021). Available online: https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Tabla.htm?t=31304 (accessed on 10 December 2022).
53. O’Boyle I, Hassan D (2014). Performance management and measurement in national-level non-profit sport organisations. European Sport Management Quarterly 14(3): 299–314. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2014.89867
54. OECD (2004). Principles of corporate governance. Available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fca.24488410e.2005.562 (accessed on 10 December 2022).
55. Phat TH, Birt J, Turner MJ, et al. (2016). Sporting clubs and scandals—Lessons in governance. Sport Management Review 19(1): 69–80. doi: 10.1016/j.smr.2015.08.003
56. Pielke R (2013). How can FIFA be held accountable? Sport Management Review 16(3): 255–267. doi: 10.1016/j.smr.2012.12.007
57. Pielke R (2016). Obstacles to accountability in international sports governance. Available online: https://www.transparency.org/files/content/feature/1.2_ObstaclesToAccountability_Pielke_GCRSport.pdf (accessed on 10 December 2022).
58. Pielke R, Harris S, Adler J, et al. (2019). An evaluation of good governance in US Olympic sport national governing bodies. European Sport Management Quarterly 20(4): 480–499. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2019.1632913
59. Pieth M. (2011). Governing FIFA, Concept paper and report. Basel: Universität Basel.
60. Puga-González E, España-Estévez E, Torres-Luque G, et al. (2022). The effect of the crisis on the economic federative situation and evolution of sports results in Spain. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise 17(2): 378–388. doi: 10.14198/jhse.2022.172.13
61. Puig N, Martínez J, García B (2010). Sport policy in Spain. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 2(3): 381–390. doi: 10.1080/19406940.2010.519343
62. Puig N, Soler Prat S (2004). Women and sport in Spain: state of the matter and interpretative proposal (Spanish). Educación física y deportes 2(76): 71–78.
63. Royal Decree 1835/1991, of December 20, on Spanish Sports Federations (Spanish). Available online: https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rd/1991/12/20/1835/con (accessed on 10 December 2022).
64. Renfree G, Kohe GZ (2019). Running the club for love: challenges for identity, accountability and governance relationships. European Journal for Sport and Society 16(3): 210–228. doi: 10.1080/16138171.2019.1623987
65. Ruoranen K, Klenk C, Schlesinger T, et al. (2016). Developing a conceptual framework to analyse professionalization in sport federations. European Journal for Sport and Society 13(1): 55–74. doi: 10.1080/16138171.2016.1153881
66. Scheerder J, Willem A, Claes E, et al. (2017). Sport Policy Systems and Sport Federations—A Cross-National Perspective. Palgrave Macmillan.
67. Schulenkorf N (2017). Managing sport-for-development: Reflections and outlook. Sport Management Review 20(3): 243–251. doi: 10.1016/j.smr.2016.11.003
68. Seguí-Urbaneja J, Cabello-Manrique D, Guevara-Pérez JC, et al. (2022). Understanding the predictors of economic politics on elite sport: A case study from Spain. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19(19): 12401. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912401
69. Shilbury D, Moore KA (2006). A study of organizational effectiveness for National Olympic Sporting Organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 35(1): 5–38. doi: 10.1177/0899764005279512
70. Sisjord MK, Fasting K, Sand TS (2017). The impact of gender quotas in leadership in Norwegian organised sport. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 9(3): 505–519. doi: 10.1080/19406940.2017.1287761
71. Solanellas F, Camps A (2017). Barcelona Olympic Games, 25 years later (1) (Spanish). Apunts Educació Física i Esports. (127): 7–26. doi: 10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.es.(2017/1).127.01
72. Solanellas F, Muñoz J, Petchamé J (2022). An examination of ticket pricing in a multidisciplinary sports mega-event. Economies 10(12): 322. doi: 10.3390/economies10120322
73. Sport England. (2016). A code for sport governance. Available online: https://www.sportengland.org/ funds-and-campaigns/code-sports-governance
74. Thibault L, Kihl L, Babiak K (2010). Democratization and governance in international sport: addressing issues with athlete involvement in organizational policy. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 2(3): 275–302. doi: 10.1080/19406940.2010.507211
75. Thiel A, Mayer J (2009). Characteristics of voluntary sports clubs management: A sociological perspective. European Sport Management Quarterly 9(1): 81–98. doi: 10.1080/16184740802461744
76. Tse Consulting Group (2016). Ranking of sports cities. results. December 2016. Available online: https://www.cambrabcn.org/documents/117985/528578/Observatori_Barcelona_2017_EN.pdf/efb9034b-e90d-4bcd-9b9b-65a2373ccecd (accessed on 10 December 2022).
77. Torres L, Martin E, Guevara JC (2018). The gold rush: Analysis of the performance of the Spanish Olympic federations. Cogent Social Sciences 4(1): 1446689. doi: 10.1080/23311886.2018.1446689
78. Valiente C (2022). The impact of gender quotas in sport management: The case of Spain. Sport in Society 25(5): 1017–1034. doi: 10.1080/17430437.2020.1819244
79. Vega P, Pérez-González B, Fernández-Luna Á, et al. (2019). Gender diversity on the boards of directors of sports federations: Economic and operational results (Spanish). Apunts Educación Física y Deportes (137): 115–128. doi: 10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.es.(2019/3).137.09
80. Winand M, Vos S, Claessens M, et al. (2014). A unified model of non-profit sport organizations performance: Perspectives from the literature. Managing Leisure 19(2): 121–150. doi: 10.1080/13606719.2013.859460
81. World Bank (2003). Toolkit: Developing corporate governance codes of best practice. Washington, DC: World Bank.
82. Yeh CM, Taylor T (2008). Issues of governance in sport organisations: A question of board size, structure and roles. World Leisure Journal 50(1): 33–45. doi: 10.1080/04419057.2008.9674525
83. Zeimers G, Lefebvre A, Winand M, et al. (2020). Organisational factors for corporate social responsibility implementation in sport federations: a qualitative comparative analysis. European Sport Management Quarterly 21(2): 173–193. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2020.1731838
84. Zintz T, Camy J (2005). Manager le changement dans les fédérations sportives en Europe, Belgium, De Boeck Université.