Revisiting the club concept in SVG

11

National sports associations are the national governing bodies for the sports practised in
the country.

Clubs have a formal relationship with national sports associations. By dint of their membership of the associations these clubs seek to develop themselves alongside their governing bodies which are themselves developing in tandem with their respective international federations.

Clubs strive to develop their members in leadership, communications and interpersonal relationships. Teams have no such ambitions. If they do they would soon enough transform themselves into clubs.

National associations cannot build themselves on teams. They are transient and therefore cannot be relied upon in the long term to facilitate the genuine development of the association.

In the recent past several international federations have come to the realisation that there is an urgent need to strengthen themselves and that this goes all the way through to the clubs that make up the national associations that are their affiliates.

Basketball and football have found that their international parent bodies have laid down very stringent regulations governing membership of national associations. They must be clubs. Associations that do not comply may find themselves in trouble with their respective parent bodies. The overall objective appears to be to ensure that the global organisation is moving in one accord, adhering to one set of rules that are deemed consistent and beneficial to all members wherever in the world they may exist.

Rules governing what constitutes a club have been drafted, approved and circulated to all affiliates. Rules governing transfer, discipline and participation in competitions have also been duly approved and circulated. All must comply or face suspension or possible expulsion.

The stance of the international federations is clear. Teams cannot offer much to them. They detract from the association’s attempt at building itself and engaging in genuine development of the sport at a global level.