Jeff Ward’s Post

Really looking forward to speaking on this panel today at Farrer & Co on “Learning Lessons about Sports Organisation Culture from Recent Cases and Reviews”. I’ll be discussing the regulatory tools available to athletes, NGBs and sports organisations for changing cultures. My thanks to Siobhan Murray and David Hunt for putting on the event! #sportslaw

If you are interested in studying on the Master of Sport Directorship programme in September 2024, there is still time to apply. Contact the MSD team ([email protected]), if you: 1. would like the MSD programme brochure, 2. have any questions relating to the MSD programme, 3. would like an informal chat with one of the MSD team. #mastersofsportdirectorship #SportMasters #SportDirector #SportingDirector #LeaderInSport #LeadersInSport #sportleader #Masters #FutureSportLeaders #FutureLeadersInSport 

LimeCulture’s first Safer Sport Knowledge & Network Conference takes place tomorrow, Wednesday 3 July 2024, chaired by our very own Christopher Quinlan KC. Join individuals and organisations to share best practice in making sport safer, discuss successes and challenges and expand your professional network. #SportsRegulation #SafetyinSport #SportsLaw

Invited on to Talksport Breakfast today to discuss Dan Ashworth with Alan Brazil and Gabby Agbonlahor. I always enjoy speaking on radio and it was good to discuss from personal experience of working directly with Dan, his strategic approach to work and how the job he does is much more than player recruitment. Like the best leaders, Dan observes before making decisions and builds good teams of people off the pitch. A true Sporting Director will take responsibility for a longer term vision and strategy, covering performance services, recruitment (all aspects of talent ID), coaches and coaching methodology, academy, general playing philosophy and player care throughout the club. Also to ensure the club has best facilities affordable and maximises use of data and analytics. Being at the forefront of innovation and future game development is very important. The SD will be a leader and conduit to board, coaches, staff and players. They should be excellent communicators. What can never be fully appreciated by anyone outside of a club or federation is exactly how the people and an organisation really works. Public and industry perception can often be very different to the reality when it comes to responsibilities and authority. Every club and organisation is very different, depending on structure, individuals and culture. Success is rarely achieved solely by one person, but the collective all pushing in the same direction with clear goals and objectives - and individual clarity around responsibilities.

Looking forward to having you join our panel discussion on 30th May Darragh!

On Tuesday 14 November 2023, Victoria University in collaboration with Sportscover hosted the 8th National Sport Integrity Forum (NSIF), taking a deep-dive into challenges posed by sports betting. This year’s NSIF was titled: ‘Betting your bottom dollar, against the odds?’ The forum featured experts in the industry discussing regulation, legal and illegal betting, match fixing, the impact on gambling advertising on young people and live-streaming community-level sports events. The panellists emphasised the need for better awareness of the associated risks, and the importance of (preventative) education and better national alignment of policies and regulation. In a collective call to action the panellists advocated the creation of a national sports-wagering scheme, progressing harm minimisation measures, achieving consistent regulatory frameworks, promoting real-time information sharing, addressing gaps in education for athletes at all levels, and making progress in national legislation to align with international best practices. We would once again like to thank the event organisers at Victoria University along with the distinguished panel of speakers including… ➡ Lara Hayes - Sport Integrity Australia ➡ Simon Bishop - Basketball Australia ➡ Andy Cunningham - Sportradar ➡ Dr Catherine Ordway, PhD - University of Melbourne Law School ➡ Facilitator: Prof. Hans Westerbeek - Victoria University You can watch the NSIF in full here…  https://lnkd.in/grvJurYw   #sport #betting #legal #integrity #gambling

So as the week has gone on, like a lot of us, I've been having many debates about the England team, whether it was a success or failure, and I realise that it's extremely objective, so I thought I'd share my own opinion, as it's my philosophy in life and in work too, not just football related, but something I very much believe in. For me Southgate failed, not because he didn't win anything, and if you want to look at where we got to in each tournament, you could easily argue he's one of, if not the best English manager of all time, however I tend to look at the process/performances rather than just the results. So please allow me to explain further. The current crop of English players include several best in class, and I believe that we have the squad capable of being the best, the reason why I'm disappointed and consider it as a failure, is because Southgate didn't get the players to play as a team, didn't get the best of the wonderful individuals that we have at our disposal, in each tournament we lost to the first top team we played. Football is an escape from our daily lives and struggles, I want to be entertained, I want to see our players give it their all and be the best that they can be. Now moving it on to Commercial Agency, deals can fall through, there are a multitude of reasons why this happens, some are in our control, other factors may not be, but, if you do the process correctly, give it your best shot, more often than not you will succeed. I train my staff to follow the process, be proactive, communicate well and work as a team. It's not always results driven, trust the methods, be the best you can be at whatever you do. If you work in a team then you need to work as a team. P.S. for what it's worth, I think that Southgate is a top person, a wonderful representative of the English game, he cares, carries himself with dignity, brought a massive change in culture of the team, for all of this he deserves loads of credit, but for me, he's a director of football, can oversee, advise, help with the bigger picture, but as a manager/coach I feel that he is tactically naïve and not good enough to get these wonderful individuals playing as a team.

Assembling a diverse panel of judges for the SPIAs isn't just about selecting winners—it's about fostering inclusive sport and recognising the organisations and individuals who champion it. Excited to celebrate excellence and diversity in sports! 🌟 #SPIAs #InclusiveSport #DiversityInSports"

In this video, filmed in November 2023 , I was at an event organised by VES, which is the Association of Quality Clubs in the Netherlands. I was delivering a presentation on staff retention but at the point in this clip I'm talking about what I call generational clubs. And the question I was asking was have we been around long enough now where there are different types of clubs that different generations are attracted to, as opposed to what's closest or what's cheapest? If you have any comments or questions please leave them below. #retentionguru #fitnessbusiness #customerexperience #fitnessindustry