A sport management and job satisfaction audit among selected school sport managers in the North West Province

Abstract

For many learners, the school is regarded as the main environment for physical activity through organised sport activities, and as such, school sport provides the opportunity for participation in regular and structured physical activity programmes. The role of the school sport manager has in general evolved into a significant position of such professional leadership in secondary schools through ever-increasing demands and expectations together with new sports additions, expectations of parents, and fiscal tightening to be dealt with. School sport at secondary school level can therefore be acknowledged as the centre point of sport development and may provide the opportunity for learners to compete at a structured level and try to reach their optimal physical potential. Extensive research has been conducted on sport management in general, but little attention has been paid to the management of school sport. Due to the lack of research regarding school sport management, the aim of the study was to conduct a sport management and job satisfaction audit among selected secondary school sport managers in the North West Province (NWP). The study utilised a descriptive quantitative research design to collect information, using a self-compiled questionnaire, and was based on an availability sample from secondary schools in the North West Province (NWP) with more than 200 learners in the school (it was assumed to be unlikely for schools with fewer than 200 learners to have a sport manager at the school). The study comprises 79 school sport managers (59 men and 20 women; age range from 20 to 56+ years). Data analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analyses and t-tests. The results of the sport management and job satisfaction audit showed in the following: • The physical school sport environment at selected secondary schools in the NWP is not well maintained, not accessible, and inadequate for the majority of the schools. • There were statistically significant differences between the perceived importance of competencies and the frequency of responsibility with regards to competencies. • School sport managers indicated the need to attend sport management workshops in managing sport finance, sports facilities, human resources, public relations, sport marketing and sport organisation. • School sport managers were to some extent mostly satisfied with the way they were treated by colleagues, cooperation from colleagues, availability of resources, and physical working conditions. The main aspects they were mostly dissatisfied with are insufficient in-service training opportunities, followed by salaries, time allocated to manage sport, and support from sport federations. To the researcher's knowledge, this study is the first of its kind in the North West Province, providing a new insight into sport management and job satisfaction in secondary schools. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations include the following: Firstly, the North West Department of Sport should give attention to the availability, adequacy and accessibility of sports facilities for the promotion and development of school sports in the NWP; secondly, school principals should empower their school sport managers by sending them to attend the relevant workshops to improve their sport management competencies; and thirdly, the North West Department of Sport should take note of the findings of the study to implement appropriate funding and structures for the advancement of school sport in the NWP. Future research should include: a) more comprehensive research to determine the competencies, roles, skills and responsibilities of school sport managers in South Africa, b) more distinctive research to distinguish between the competencies of school sport managers from private schools and state schools, and c) research on school sport managers from primary schools in the NWP.