Dr Jordan Matthews has twice been commissioned by UK Sport (the UK’s high-performance sport agency) since 2021 to analyse the leadership and governance of international sport organisations. The recommendations from these projects are being used by UK Sport to instigate change in sport.
Firstly, his team found imbalanced gender representation with just 22% female representation on the highest governance bodies, 5% female representation within the highest governance positions and 22% female representation within the highest leadership positions of international sport organisations. Further, there was a weak prevalence of actions (such as quotas, targets, and election and recruitment rules) taken to improve gender equality.
Secondly, his team analysed the career pathways and experiences of British senior postholders in international sport governance. There was a notable lack of diversity amongst these postholders, with over half acknowledging that international sport governance is not inclusive enough. The research also constructed a new model to better understand what networking looks like in international sport governance, given that problematic practices were encountered and resulted in cultures where women and marginalised communities can feel othered, unwelcome, and unsafe.
Jordan is also the programme development officer of the Women’s Sport Leadership Academy (WSLA; www.wsla.co.uk). Since 2014, over 400 women leaders based in nearly 70 countries have completed a WSLA programme. The vast majority of these have come to the University of Chichester for a one-week residential programme designed and delivered with Leading Edge. WSLA is a globally-renowned programme with regular engagement from Olympic Solidarity, the International Paralympic Committee, sportscotland, and The Football Association, amongst many others. Sponsorship opportunities are welcomed for the 2024 programme to explore opportunities for further investment and development.
