COMING SOON: Pitch sessions for Sport Business Solutions

Jamaica continues to dominate sport and news pages with the exploits of some of its elite athletes globally. The time is always right and ripe for more people to get involved. The Business of Sport is always poised for explosion on and off the field.

Jamaica remains a sport destination, one where athletes from several sporting disciplines are prepared for national, regional and international competition.

The business also continues to employ managers, agents, lawyers, financiers and a whole range of technical officials, helping to guide performances and businesses in the right direction. The media and production units also play a major role in broadcast and creation of content to the world.

What has been missing are business solutions that can aid in making the experience at a sporting event better, more efficient while remaining cost-effective. This is what the business of sport looks like in 2023 and beyond.

Since the covid-19 pandemic, we have had a chance, globally, to rethink how athletes, brands and fan interact. And now with some restrictions eased where fans are back out in numbers, we ought to have more efficient and user-friendly applications.

SOLUTIONS NEEDED

This calls for an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to create. Ideas will be welcome in a two-day pitch session which will have a look at business ideas in three key areas:

• Operations – concession, parking, ticketing, security, venue management
• Athlete Performance – data collection, talent management, injury management, gear
• Fan Engagement – fans in and outside of venues, sales, advertising

All sporting disciplines should be considered from A – Z. Individuals/Groups (not more than 5) can create ideas and pitch to sport leaders for up to 15 minutes, this April in Kingston. The pitch session will target participants 18 years and older who may want to explore those options.

The pitches will be judged based on design, development and talent; in other words, the “wow” factor, the simple, easy-to-use factor and how cost effective it can be developed.

Details on how to participate will be launched by the end of February.

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A step towards good governance in sport

Jamaica’s sporting industry has benefited from excellent performances on the track, field, court and in the ring, likewise the country has had some excellent administrators some of whom have led in the international sphere. As a developing country, the publicity gained from this has had tremendous impact. However with sport playing such a meaningful role in people’s lives, there are assertions that the athletes’ progress and growth are surpassing what administrators can and have been able to lead. Is this true of the Jamaican situation? 

The major stakeholders in Jamaica are Government, Private Sector (Sponsors), Sporting Federations, Athletes, Schools & Colleges, Communities, Media and the international bodies. 

The Business of Sport has in the last three years raised some valuable questions and have moved towards creating an environment where the stakeholder groups can openly and privately discuss the evolution of sport through a communication platform in a series of workshops and conferences. While the concept seeks to point out the issues, it has also made massive steps in providing solutions which is now urgent. 

The Business of Sport has offered solutions for management, marketing, media, education and its role; it has also looked at anti-doping – this has been done by assembling experts in academia, media, branding, and sport planning to name a few areas. 

If Jamaica was to copy what a country like Denmark is doing where their equivalent of The Business of Sport has merged with its Institute of Sport seeking “to widen and deepen the search for solutions” that would be a master stroke for sport development. The question is though, is Jamaica serious about sport?

As the country seeks to find its footing through its programmes and policies, here are some key areas which must be managed towards achieving good governance in sport: 

• Transparency and public communication 
• Democracy must be adhered to at all times 
• There must be checks and balances
• Solidarity 

The country’s drive towards seeing a continuing formula for success must be driven by the demand for good governance, but must be contributed to by the Jamaican community at home and abroad through its contributions. Sporting federations must have clear plans which aims towards a national goal all targeted at competing at the highest level and impacting socially, financially and ethically on people’s lives while creating wealth opportunities for those who make it a career. 

There should also be a system in place to evaluate management performances by sporting federations which should  in turn help to produce better leaders and reduce the risk of corruption. While doing that there should also be a move towards collecting evidence, data, and calculating return on investment to ensure continuity in programmes. 

This is The Business of Sport.