Integrity can’t be left to one person... or no one

Across many sport organisations - especially at the community and regional level - integrity responsibilities tend to be scattered. They might sit partly with the CEO (if you have one), the GM, partly with the admin staff, or sometimes just the well-meaning volunteer who also runs the U15s, keeps the website updated, and does the draw for Saturday.

It’s not that people don’t care. It’s that there’s no clear role - and when everyone’s responsible, often no one really is.

We’ve worked with several sport organisations who’ve told us:

“We know integrity is important - but it’s not something we’ve assigned to a person. It’s just something we expect everyone to do.”

The problem is that without a dedicated lead - even a part-time one - things like policy updates, complaint processes, and safeguarding checks fall behind. And when an issue does arise, people scramble to figure out who’s in charge and what's the right thing to do.

Take this example. A community football club recently had a situation where a young player disclosed something concerning to a coach. The coach did the right thing - they listened, kept calm, and took it to the club convenor. But then things stalled. The convenor wasn’t sure what the process was. There was no safeguarding lead. The complaint sat unresolved for weeks, not out of neglect, but because no one was clear on the next steps.

That’s why one of the most powerful things a sport organisation can do is assign clear integrity ownership. It doesn’t have to be a new hire. It might be a shared role across regions. But it needs to be recognised, resourced and supported.

At SafeSport, we work with organisations to build this clarity - helping you assign responsibility, train the right people, and set up systems that support them.

Integrity isn’t something that should be bolted on. It needs a home - and a human that's in charge.