Governance, Leadership, and Policy Frameworks for Sports Development in Higher Education

Dr. Bhaskar Ankem

doi:10.69980/redvet.v21i1.2447

Dr. Bhaskar Ankem Assistant Professor, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.69980/redvet.v21i1.2447

Keywords: Sports governance, leadership, policy frameworks, sports development, higher education, transformational leadership, institutional management

Abstract

The development of sport in higher education depends not only on facilities and funding but on the quality of the institutions that direct it. How sport is governed, how it is led and how it is guided by policy together determine whether resources are used well and whether sporting potential is realised. This paper examined the status of governance, leadership and policy frameworks for sports development in higher education institutions and analysed how these factors relate to the effectiveness of sports development. A descriptive and analytical survey was conducted among two hundred respondents, comprising sports administrators, heads of physical education, coaches and student-athlete representatives in higher education institutions in Andhra Pradesh. A structured questionnaire measured governance quality, leadership effectiveness, policy adequacy and the perceived effectiveness of sports development, each through validated sub-scales rated on a five-point scale. Percentage analysis, mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used in the analysis. The findings show that governance and leadership were rated as moderate, while policy frameworks were the weakest of the three areas. Governance, leadership and policy were each significantly and positively related to the effectiveness of sports development, and together they explained about half of the variation in it, with leadership the strongest single predictor. The study concludes that strengthening governance, developing capable leadership and putting clear policies in place are essential to advancing sport in higher education, and it offers recommendations to that end.

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