LESOTHO SPORT & RECREATION COMMISSION DEVELOPMENT & GROWTH STRATEGY 2010-2014
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The vision of the Lesotho Sports & Recreation Commission is to provide an effective and efficient umbrella body in sport & recreation, promoting sport as a vehicle for national unity and developing sport to international standards. Despite the many challenges that would face any development endeavour, this vision is achievable through a streamlined and clear strategy that is adaptable, easy to monitor and cost effective. The Strategic Plan the Lesotho Sport & Recreation Commission has developed serves as such a strategy. It outlines four key goals in the development of sport and recreation. These are: 1. To strengthen the management and coordination of sport and recreation nationwide; 2. To develop and promote sport and recreation nationwide; 3. To improve the quality and standard of all National Sport Codes in the country; and 4. To reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS amongst youth who take part in sport and recreation activities nationwide. 2
Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 2 1. INTRODUCTION... 4 2. SPORT AND RECREATION DEVELOPMENT STRUCTURE... 4 2.1 DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT... 8 2.2 RESEARCH... 9 2.3 DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS... 9 2.4 CORE PROGRAMMES... 9 2.5 WORKING GROUPS... 9 2.6 SPORTS SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES... 10 2.7 MASS PARTICIPATION PROGRAMMES... 10 3. IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK... 10 APPENDIX 1... 12 APPENDIX 2... 15 APPENDIX 3... 18 3
1. INTRODUCTION The role of the Lesotho Sport & Recreation Commission (LSRC) is to facilitate the development of quality sport and recreation through sound leadership, strong financial and human resource base, adequate facilities that meet international standards and support systems that ensure effective and efficient coordination of all sport and recreation activities nationwide. 1 To succeed, the LSRC must do what has not been done for over four decades. 2 In order to achieve the above and cover lost ground in the development of sport in Lesotho, the LSRC will need to develop a clear and specific strategy of development taking into consideration, amongst others, all of its statutory duties as per the Lesotho Sport and Recreation Act 3 This document will outline some specific programmes and strategies that can be employed in the 2010 2014 quadrennial. 2. SPORT AND RECREATION DEVELOPMENT STRUCTURE The essence of the mandate of the Lesotho Sports & Recreation Commission as per the Lesotho Sports & Recreation Act 4 is to promote excellence and participation in Lesotho sport and recreation respectively. All other duties are incidental to these key elements and any programmes must, therefore, flow from these points. The LSRC Strategic Plan 5 outlines four strategic goals to be met over a four year period. As with the beginning of any new endeavour, in this case the coordinated development of sport, it will be important to investigate, examine and evaluate the prevailing status quo as far as the development of sport and recreation as a whole and code specific development is concerned. Such evaluation, which will be conducted with the Strategic Plan as the litmus test, will assist in the formulation of specific development indicators which will be the targets over this four year period. From these indicators it will then be easy to design core programmes for the Commission and code specific programmes for the various National Sports Federations. 6 In the process of designing these programmes working groups or commissions will be established to assist in the oversight and implementation of these programmes. Such commissions will be structured to involve, capacitate and advise all sport stakeholders and partners in an all 1 Part 3 of LSRC Strategic Plan 2010-2014 2 Since independence in 1966 and since Lesotho s first major international competition in 1972 3 Lesotho Sports & Recreation Act No. 15 2002 4 ibid Section 6 5 ibid n.1 6 National Sports Federations (or NF s) is the international term for what we call National Sports Associations 4
inclusive and all embracing structure. It is vital for all National Sports Federation to understand their relationship with the LSRC as one of partnership, with a greater degree of responsibility on the LSRC. Reason being that the LSRC is statutorily mandated to provide leadership and give the direction to the development of sport nationally and internationally.7 The below charts provide an illustration of the above steps. ATHLETES & COMMUNITY NATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS LSRC, LNOC & OTHER PARTNERS 8 7 Section 6, Lesotho Sport & Recreation Act 2002 Other Partners include the Ministry of Gender & Youth, Sport & Recreation and other Government Ministries, NGO s, IGO s, Para-statals and Government Agencies 8 5
Figure 1 EXCELLENCE PARTICIPATION PHASE THREE CORE PROGRAMMES PHASE TWO DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS PHASE ONE RESEARCH 6
CORE PROGRAMMES WORKING GROUPS/COMMISSIONS DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SPORT RECREATION TAILOR-MADE NF PROGRAMMES MASS PARTICIPATION PROGRAMMES 7
2.1 DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT The Development Department will be headed by the Development Analyst and will be composed of a team of three sports officers from the Department of Sport under the Ministry of Gender & Youth, Sports & Recreation. These sports officers will have specific backgrounds in sports science, public administration, sports management and coaching in both a team sport and an individual sport. The Development Department will serve as the main implementing organ of the LSRC programmes and policies and Secretariat to the various working groups in the LSRC. DEVELOPMENT ANALYST OVERSIGHT & COORDINATION (REPORTS TO CEO) DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (MANAGEMENT & COORDINATION - GOAL 1) DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (DEVELOPMENT & PROMOTION - GOAL 2) CORE PROGRAMMES CORE PROGRAMMES CORE PROGRAMMES CORE PROGRAMMES DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SPORT - GOAL 4) DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (QUALITY & STANDARD - GOAL 3) 8
2.2 RESEARCH This step will be carried-out, ideally, over a two month period covering as many sectors in and out of sport by the Development Department. It will help determine where grass-roots and elite sport are as far as development and performance is concerned; where recreation is as far as impact and accessibility is concerned; and where national sports administration is as far as good governance and effectiveness is concerned. It will also help explore other areas of partnership and expertise that can be used in the development of sport and where sport can be used as a tool for development. 2.3 DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS The Development Indicators will be in line with some of the performance indicators laid out in the LSRC Strategic Plan; however, these will be more specific. The over-arching principle will be to develop short-term quantifiable indicators that will translate into long-term qualitative indicators similar to those in the said Strategic Plan. 2.4 CORE PROGRAMMES These will represent the LSRC s over-arching sport development programmes. These will involve a pool of programmes that are designed to establish systems, tools and structures in the general development of sport and include programmes on sports marketing, 9 sports science, 10 sports medicine, 11 sports law, 12 sports administration, 13 sports and physical education, 14 income generation, 15 sports research, 16 athlete development, 17 coach development, 18 infrastructure development, 19 development through sport 20 etc. These programmes will help develop the quality of sport as a whole in all relevant respects and will cut across all sporting codes. See Appendix 1 for examples of each programme. 2.5 WORKING GROUPS To assist in the development, oversight and implementation of the LSRC Core Programmes, working groups or commissions will be established. These will be constituted by volunteers with skills and the passion for sport and public service. They will serve as an extended think tank for the LSRC and its development initiatives. These initiatives once approved by the LSRC EXCO will then be implemented by the LSRC Development Department. 9 Strategic Goal 2 10 Strategic Goal 3 11 Strategic Goal 3 12 Strategic Goal 1 13 Strategic Goal 1 14 Strategic Goal 2 15 Strategic Goal 1 16 Strategic Goal 1,2,3,4 17 Strategic Goal 1,2,3 18 Strategic Goal 1,2,3 19 Strategic Goal 1,2,3,4 20 Strategic Goal 1,2,3,4 9
2.6 SPORTS SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES These programmes are sport code specific programmes that will be determined by the level of development and classification of each sport code. They will be developed with each of the National Sports Federations (preferably with the involvement of each NF Development Director) and will be guided by the outcomes of the initial research and evaluation of their progress and development over the years and indeed some of the sport specific challenges they have encountered and possibly continue to encounter. See Appendix 2 for practical examples. See appendix 2 for proposed NF classifications. 2.7 MASS PARTICIPATION PROGRAMMES These programmes will target the public at large and will primarily be structured to attract as many people as possible to the family of sport through participation in sport for competition or leisure, physical activity or volunteerism. They will help brand sport as an attractive past-time or a worth-while endeavour while educating the community at large on a broad spectrum of issues. These programmes will focus on the grass-roots level of sport and recreation and will mostly be informed and designed from the LSRC Core Programmes pool. See Appendix 3 for practical examples. 3. IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK Once the above development structure has been put in place, a clear and cost effective strategy must then be adopted. The LSRC Strategic Plan outlines four (4) strategic goals. These are: 1. Strengthen the management and coordination of sport and recreation nationwide; 2. Develop and promote sport and recreation nationwide; 3. Improve the quality and standard of sport in all national sport codes in the country; 4. Reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS among the youth who take part in sporting and recreation activities nationwide. EXCELLENCE PARTICIPATION ELITE SPORT SCHOOL SPORT & RECREATION COMMUNITY SPORT & RECREATION Figure 2 10
In order to be able to address all four of the goals within the set time frame of four years, it will be vital to clearly identify the LSRC s main target groups and classify each of the National Sports Federations on a criteria to be developed once the initial research has been carried out and the development indicators agreed on. The subsequent steps in the development structure will then follow and determine the specific progression towards the fulfilment of the afore-mentioned strategic goals. Figure 2 above illustrates the three classes of target groups and their progression from participation towards excellence. It is important to note that the main challenge sport is currently facing is the absence of structures that will assist in implementation and monitoring and implementation of any development plans either from the excellence or participation angles. The first year of the implementation of this strategy will therefore look into the establishment and sustenance of such structures. 11
APPENDIX 1 FIELD EXAMPLE STRATEGIC GOAL(S) ADDRESSED SPORTS MARKETING Establishing Team Lesotho & Lesotho Sport as brands; Development of a website; Using Elite Athletes as brand ambassadors; preferential tax system; establishment of international relations with sporting & non sporting entities. GOAL 1 & 2 SPORTS SCIENCE Use of Sports Science in Elite Athlete training, development & National Team Development. GOAL 1 & 2 SPORTS MEDICINE Use of Medical Science in athlete preparation, education & development; use of medical science in anti-doping & doping control GOAL 1 & 3 SPORTS LAW Development & Expansion of a legal framework for sport; development of a national sports grievance procedure; training of administrators & legal practitioners in sports arbitration GOAL 1 12
SPORTS ADMINISTRATION Development of National Sports Administration standards & best practices; training in good governance; development of good governance tools and mechanisms GOAL 1 SPORTS & PHYSICAL EDUCATION Development of a National Sports & Physical Education curricula; Implementation of S.E. & P.E. Programmes in schools GOAL 2 FINANCE Establishment of a sports trust fund; establishment of sports lottery GOAL 1& 3 SPORTS RESEARCH Establishment of a research & M & E working group; provision of research grants for sports research GOAL 3 NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT Establishment of a standard Team Lesotho ; Development of clear national team selection criteria for each NF GOAL 3 ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT Establishment of an Athletes Commission; Development of job & education opportunities for elite athletes GOAL 3 13
COACH DEVELOPMENT Establishment of a National Coaching Board; Development of a Coach Accreditation System; Development of Continual Coach Development Programme GOAL 3 WOMEN IN SPORT Development of Women In Sport day(s); Development of sport programmes for girls and young women GOAL 2 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SPORT HIV/AIDS Programmes; Sport & Environment Programmes; Legacy Programmes; Development of a Sport Volunteer Corp; Job creation programmes GOAL 4 SCHOOL SPORT Developing a clear school sport programme; Designing a scholarship system for elite athletes GOAL 3 TRADITIONAL SPORT Encouraging participation in traditional games at all levels; GOAL 1 14
APPENDIX 2 NATIONAL COACHING BOARD ATHLETES COMMITTEE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE 2011-2012 WOMEN IN SPORT COMMITEE SCHOOL SPORT COMMITTEE 15
TRADITIONAL SPORT SPORTS LAW (RESTRUCTURED FROM CPDC) SPORTS ADMINISTRATION (RESTRUCTURED FROM CPDC) NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT 2012-2013 SPORTS MARKETING SPORT & PHYSICAL EDUCATION 16
SPORTS SCIENCE SPORTS MEDICINE SPORTS RESEARCH 2013-2014 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SPORT PARA-SPORT & SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORKING GROUP 17
APPENDIX 3 NATIONAL FEDERATION CLASSIFICATION CLASS 1 CLASS 2 CLASS 3 CHARACTERISTICS Developed NF structures; developed sport administration, coaching & athlete development structures & mechanisms covering at least 7-10 districts; sound governance practices; emphasis on quality & numbers Developing NF structures; developing sport development framework covering at least 5-6 districts; emphasis on numbers Skeletal NF development framework in predominantly 2-5 districts; emphasis on NF growth & improvement CLASS 4 Introductory Sports predominantly in 1-2 districts; emphasis on CLASS 5 Recreational Sport 18