The Final Pass

Beyond Back-to-Back: How Symbols, Unity, and Belief Drive Winning Teams

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 13:17:53 GMT

Success is not always measured in trophies - it’s measured in the energy you create, the unity you build, and the belief you leave behind.

�� Damian Rawstorne

At the end of 2023, Hamilton SP RFC’s senior group struck a rich vein of form that would define the next twelve months.

We lifted the inaugural Amateur World Cup in France .
We secured the Western Province Super League A title in 2024 .

That success set the stage for 2025: the chance to defend our Western Province SLA title and chase a third consecutive trophy .

No open club in the modern era have achieved back-to-back championships in the Western Province SLA.

But in the end, it wasn’t to be.

We fell just short in the final against a spirited opponent.

So, was 2025 a success or a failure?
I believe it was a success.

Here’s why.

The Power of a Shared Symbol

At the start of the season, the group designed its own B2B (Back-to-Back) logo.

A simple visual that carried deep meaning.

The first “B” featured an infinity sign in yellow (∞). It represented boundless energy, unlimited possibility, and the belief that we could achieve anything together.
The second “B” was designed as a red “3”. It symbolized the pursuit of a third trophy and the unity of our three senior teams .
Inside the “3” were two arrows pointing in the same direction , reminding us that success required alignment. 45+ players across multiple teams working together towards a single purpose.

The Hardships Along the Way

Of course, the journey was not without its challenges. Injuries, setbacks, and moments of doubt tested both our resilience and our commitment to the bigger picture. There were weeks where momentum slipped, where the energy seemed drained, and where the goal felt just out of reach.

But those moments of hardship proved to be just as valuable as the victories. They reminded us that success is forged in adversity - that the strength of a team is not measured only in how it celebrates, but in how it responds when tested.

The Results

The 2 ^nd and 3 ^rd teams both went on to win their leagues .
The 1 ^st team reached the final but fell short of the ultimate prize.

On paper, we didn’t complete the “triple” and go “Back-to-Back,” but in truth, the season was extraordinary.

The flow of energy, the unity, and the boundless opportunities created were undeniable.

Everyone moved in the same direction, and that is no small achievement.

As someone mentioned: “We may not have the cup in the middle, but we have the success that truly matters.”

Leadership Lessons

Create a shared vision. A simple, powerful symbol can keep a group aligned and motivated through the highs and lows of a season.
Focus beyond the outcome. Success is not always defined by silverware but by the growth, unity, and resilience built along the way.
Harness collective energy. When everyone, players, management, and teams, moves in the same direction, the results are remarkable.
Embrace adversity. The tough moments sharpen resilience and give victories their true meaning.
Connect to deeper meaning. When goals are tied to something bigger than the scoreboard, teams unlock belief, resilience, and lasting bonds.

As the season winds down, players and management will go in different directions.

But we will always remain connected by the deeper meaning of B2B , a reminder that success isn’t always about what you lift, but about what you build together.

Success vs Happiness: The Winning Formula in Sport

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:34:56 GMT

Are you happy because you are successful, or are you successful because you are happy?

This age-old question is much like the one explored in our earlier article, A Lethal Combination: Culture and High Performance.

It’s a thought-provoking topic that goes to the heart of sports, leadership, and life.

Clear Goals and Adaptability

In sports, as in life, achieving success often depends on having:

A clear goal and a well-thought-out strategy to achieve it.
The flexibility to adapt and change course when necessary.
A willingness to listen to all stakeholders involved in the process.
The courage to acknowledge successes and tackle challenges head-on.

The Happiness-Success Link

Research by Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener (2005) has shown that happy people are more likely to lead successful and thriving lives.

While success can indeed make people happier, happiness itself plays a significant role in driving success.

Happy individuals tend to:

Exhibit positive emotions and traits like optimism and adaptability .
Take on challenges and work towards their goals , often leading to greater success.
Handle negative emotions appropriately, allowing them to remain resilient during tough times.

In Western culture, happiness is often seen as central to a fulfilling life, with research showing that happy people enjoy better relationships, higher incomes, superior work performance, robust health, and longer lives.

Personal Insights: Happiness and Success in Coaching

In mid-2023, I wrote an article titled Leadership in High-Performance Environments , where I shared some of the lessons I’ve learned in my coaching career and the change in coaching environment I was facing.

The past 18 months have been incredibly rewarding for me personally and professionally as I was part of some special teams and managements during this period:

Hamilton Sea Point RFC won the inaugural Amateur World Cup in France and the Western Province Super League A for the first time since 2009.
Boland U21 claimed victory in the SA Rugby U21 Shield Competition for the first time.

These achievements have reinforced the connection between happiness and success, both for the teams and myself.

Reflecting on these experiences during some much needed down time, the insights from Leadership in High-Performance Environments resonate strongly:

Happy teams have a strong vision and a clear strategy to achieve their goals.
Strong relationships with open, honest communication form the foundation of happy teams.
Adaptability allows teams to make timely, well-communicated decisions when the situation demands a change in course.
Accountability ensures that teams acknowledge their successes and address shortcomings directly.

New Lessons on Happiness and Success in Sport

In addition to these foundational insights, my coaching experiences over the past 18 months have highlighted new dimensions of the happiness-success dynamic:

1. Happiness Fuels Performance

Positive emotions boost motivation , helping players stay committed to their goals.
Confidence enhances skill execution , as happy players perform better under pressure.
Team dynamics improve when players contribute to a positive culture of collaboration.

2. Success Reinforces Happiness

Achievement creates joy , as milestones bring a sense of fulfilment.
Recognition builds confidence , creating a positive feedback loop that fosters growth.

3. The Role of Balance

Avoid overpressure by focusing on the journey, not just the destination.
Resilience in defeat helps players recover from setbacks and grow stronger.

4. Cultivating Happiness in Sport

Focus on the process : Emphasise skill development, effort, and teamwork.
Create a supportive environment : Positivity and encouragement from coaches, teammates, and families are essential.
Mental skills training : Techniques like mindfulness and gratitude help players maintain a positive outlook.

5. A Two-Way Relationship

Happiness and success influence each other. Happy athletes tend to perform better, and consistent success boosts their happiness. Recognizing this relationship creates a sustainable path to excellence.

Final Takeaway

Happiness isn’t just a result of success in sport; it’s a driving force behind it.

By fostering a positive, supportive, and enjoyable environment, we can help our players perform at their best while thriving in both sport and life.

While many believe success leads to happiness, research and experience suggest it’s often the other way around.

Focus on happiness, and success will follow.

Navigating the Digital Lens: A Step-by-Step Small Business Video Marketing Manual

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 08:45:33 GMT

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, video marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for small businesses to connect with their target audience.

With the right strategy in place, videos can capture attention, convey messages effectively, and drive engagement.

In this guide from The Final Pass , we'll delve into the components of a successful video marketing campaign for small businesses.

Understanding Types of Video Marketing

At the core of crafting an impactful video marketing strategy is grasping the array of video formats at your disposal. Each type of video serves a unique purpose and can be used to achieve different marketing goals.

For example, explainer videos are excellent for simplifying intricate ideas and making complex information more accessible to your audience.

Product demos spotlight your offerings, showcasing their features and benefits in a tangible way that helps potential customers understand their value.

Targeting Your Audience

To make the most of your video marketing efforts, it's crucial to define your target market by understanding their preferences, needs, and pain points. Start by examining your web traffic for unique visitors and average time on site to gain insights into which content resonates most with your audience. Additionally, analyze statistics from your social media platforms to further refine this information. Creating videos that address these identified aspects establishes a genuine connection, leading to higher engagement and better results.

Setting a Realistic Budget

Before embarking on a video marketing campaign, it's essential to determine a budget that aligns with your business's financial situation. Consider factors such as production costs, equipment requirements, and advertising expenses. Striking a balance between your investment and expected returns is key to ensuring that your video marketing efforts yield positive outcomes without straining your resources.

Enlisting Professional Help

While smartphone cameras have come a long way, collaborating with video production professionals can significantly enhance the quality and impact of your videos. Videographers, scriptwriters, and video editors possess the expertise to create visually appealing and compelling content that resonates with your audience. Their skills can elevate your videos from good to exceptional, leaving a lasting impression on viewers.

Integration with Content Marketing

A successful video marketing strategy doesn't exist in isolation. Integrating videos into your overall content marketing approach can amplify their impact. Enhance blog posts, enrich social media content, and strengthen email campaigns with engaging videos. This integration extends your reach and resonates with your audience on multiple platforms, maximising your overall marketing efforts.

Measuring Campaign Effectiveness

To determine the success of your video marketing campaigns, it's crucial to establish key performance indicators (KPIs). Metrics such as view counts, engagement rates, conversion rates, and social shares provide insights into how well your videos are performing. Regularly monitoring these metrics enables you to assess the effectiveness of your strategy and make necessary adjustments to optimize results.

Optimising Videos for SEO

To ensure your videos reach a broader audience, optimising them for search engines is essential. Start by incorporating relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve discoverability. Additionally, create captivating thumbnail images and provide transcriptions for accessibility and better indexing by search engines. By following these SEO best practices, you can boost your video’s visibility and drive organic traffic to your small business.

Crafting an effective video marketing strategy for your small business requires a thoughtful approach that encompasses audience targeting, budgeting, professional collaboration, survey feedback, and performance measurement. By embracing the power of video and integrating it seamlessly into your content marketing efforts, you can create a lasting connection with your audience, foster engagement, and ultimately drive growth and success. Unlock the full potential of video marketing and watch your small business flourish in the digital age.

Unlock your team's full potential with tailored high-performance sports coaching from The Final Pass .

Reach out today to reshape your approach and achieve greater success in both sports and organisational growth!

Leadership in High Performance Environments

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 14:08:35 GMT

At the end of 2022 I was offered a different challenge within my rugby coaching career.

Stepping into a new role in your career can be both exciting and intimidating, especially when it involves entering an unfamiliar environment with a different age bracket of players.

However, this new challenge also presents an invaluable opportunity for personal growth and learning.

Looking back on the first six months, it became evident that this journey had profoundly influenced my understanding of leadership, particularly in a high-performance setting.

Leadership plays a crucial role in guiding and inspiring individuals to reach their full potential in high-performance environments such as academies or institutes. Throughout my experience, I have gained several key insights that are essential for excelling as a leader in such settings:

1. Results Orientation

Leaders in high-performance environments place a primary focus on achieving results. They set clear goals , establish performance standards , and drive their team towards success. By emphasizing outcomes, leaders create a sense of purpose and urgency among team members.

2. Visionary and Direction Setting

Effective leaders in high-performance environments inspire and mobilize their team by creating a compelling vision and providing clear direction . They communicate the overall purpose and direction of the team, ensuring that everyone is aligned towards a common goal.

3. Relationship Building

Building strong relationships is crucial in high-performance environments. Leaders establish bonds of trust with their team members and create an environment where individuals feel supported and motivated . They foster effective communication and collaboration among team members, fostering unity and cohesion .

4. Adaptability

Leaders in high-performance environments must be adaptable and flexible in their approach. They understand that different situations require different leadership styles and can switch between them accordingly. Being open to new ideas and willing to adjust strategies, when necessary, allows leaders to navigate changing circumstances effectively.

5. Coaching and Development

Effective leaders in high-performance environments prioritize the development of their team members' skills and capabilities. They provide guidance , mentorship , and opportunities for growth . By fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement , leaders nurture talent and facilitate long-term success.

6. Decision-Making

Leaders in high-performance environments make informed and timely decisions . They gather relevant information, analyse it, and make choices that align with the team's goals and objectives. While considering input from team members, leaders also take responsibility for the final decision.

7. Accountability

Leaders hold themselves and their team members accountable for their actions and performance. They establish a culture of responsibility and ownership , where individuals understand their roles and responsibilities and are committed to delivering their best. By promoting accountability, leaders foster a sense of individual and collective responsibility .

Effective communication , mentorship , and guidance are also critical aspects of leadership in high-performance environments. As a leader, you likely recognized the importance of establishing open lines of communication with your players and the management team around you. Building strong relationships and fostering open dialogue can enhance trust, collaboration, and overall team performance. Moreover, leadership in such settings often involves serving as a mentor and providing guidance to the players. Offering support , advice , and constructive feedback helps players develop their skills, boosts their confidence, and overcomes challenges.

Creating a positive team culture is essential. A supportive and inclusive environment , where players feel valued and motivated to give their best, significantly impacts performance and morale. Leaders have the responsibility to set the right example, establish clear expectations, and promote a growth mindset. By contributing to a positive team culture, leaders create an environment conducive to success.

It's important to note that the most effective leaders in high-performance environments are not confined to a single leadership style. They possess a range of leadership skills and can adapt their approach based on the situation they find themselves in.

Finding your 'why'?

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 08:47:46 GMT

What is your purpose?

Do you know your 'why'?

In recent years it has become more and more common to find ‘your passion’ (O’Keefe, Dweck, & Walton, 2018). This ‘finding of purpose’ has become a challenge for most of us living in the Western World. The ideal of living authentically and being ‘true to oneself’ is ever-present and all around us.

A core component of authentic selfhood is to find an occupation that is a passion and fulfil all your dreams (James, 2015). However, we get so caught up in day-to-day living that we don't take the time to examine this, or we are struggling to solve this puzzle. Once we understand this (your ‘why'), a sense of clarity will follow and this will make it easier to make decisions and guide your principles (Arnold, 2021).

While it may be argued that many other professions have high workloads, few, if any, have thousands (sometimes millions) of people interested in, and watching them perform their job, or scrutinising the performance outcome like those involved in High-Performance and professional sports. At the elite level sporting environments are largely complex, dynamic and very unpredictable (McLean & Mallett, 2012).

In an environment where sport has become part of the entertainment industry, how do we find that purpose in life and keep the flame burning through our careers, our players, and people within our organisations?

In a previous article "A lethal combination: Culture and High Performance" I mentioned that to drive a great culture within a High-Performance organisation/team there needs to be a common purpose . In essence a common ‘why’ between everyone involved within the organisation/team.

If the common purpose is clear, people will be willing to commit and sacrifice for the cause.

This purpose delves deeper than just the organisational ‘why’ and is more than just about the results in the end.

It is the very essence of our being.

We use this purpose as the foundation to build our ‘why’ and our ‘how’.

Unlike animals, which are driven simply to survive, we humans crave more from life than just mere survival. German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once said: “He who has a why can endure anyhow” (Warrell, 2013).

Before we can even get close to finding a common purpose and ‘why’ within our organisations and teams, we need to get our people to fully grasp their own personal purpose and ‘why’ . Once we have done that we can move onto the common ‘why’ and how to achieve goals that excite us all, and so create a life more fulsome than merely existence.

There might not be a ‘one size fits all’ approach to understanding your ‘why’, but there are ways to get a deeper realisation of what drives you and so gain a perspective on what you have to offer the world.

As Dr Margie Warrel writes in her book Stop Playing Safe your ‘life’s work’ sits in the intersection of your talents, skills/expertise, passions, and deepest values.

To narrow down our search we need to understand that in the sporting domain, motivation represents one of the most central elements for athletes and people in High Performance set-ups (McLean & Mallett, 2012).

There are two types of motivation in sport.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is the athletic behaviour that is driven by internal or personal meaningful rewards .

Extrinsic motivation is the athletic behaviour that is geared toward external rewards .

Ideally, we would like to see more of an intrinsic motivation in our High-Performance people. If the intrinsic motivation is increased people will be better equipped to focus on the present and they will be able to maintain a consistent level of motivation (Cohn, 2022).

The only real way to get to that magic answer of what drives me, what is my purpose, what is my ‘why’, is to answer some questions honestly and formulate a ‘why’ statement for yourself.

The following questions will help you formulate your why.

1. Does the work that I am currently doing, express what I truly want to do?

a. Does it align with my core beliefs?

b. Do I need to make changes and what risks do I need to take?

2. What makes me come alive?

a. What causes are there that are close to my heart, and I feel that I want to pursue?

b. What do I really care about in life?

c. Is there something I deeply value and yet have not fulfilled in my life.

d. What obstacles are standing in my way?

e. What am I willing to sacrifice?

3. What are my strengths?

a. What are my special talents?

b. What are my special skills?

4. Where can I add the greatest value through the

a. application of my education?

b. application of my skills?

c. use of my knowledge and skills?

5. How do I want my life to be measured?

a. What would I like to accomplish within the next 10 years of my life that that would provide meaning to my being?

b. What do I want your legacy to be?

c. What stands in my way?

(Arnold, 2021; Warrell, 2013)

As mentioned in a previous article ‘A lethal combination: Culture and High Performance’ the following cycle shows what professional players within the sporting industry generally go through:

As kids, players have a love for the game they play and they play it with passion.
The more they play the game, the more they realise they have a talent for the game and realise that this can become a profession.
Players turn professional and earn money for what once was a game they played for the pure love of the sport.
At the end of players’ careers the sport has now become a necessity to sustain life and in most cases the love and passion has disappeared

When players get to the “necessity” part of the cycle, that is when we start to see athlete burnout.

Burnout in High Performance individuals develops gradually and remains unnoticed for a lengthy period of time.

Athlete burnout has been defined as a multidimensional phenomenon characterised by:

(a) emotional and physical exhaustion, associated with intense training and competition.

(b) reduced sense of accomplishment, with athletes feeling unable to achieve personal goals and performing below expectations; and

(c) sport devaluation, referring to a loss of interest, a ‘‘don’t care’’ attitude or resentment toward the sport environment

(Vitali, Bortoli, Bertinato, Robazza, & Schena, 2015)

To make sure the fire burns strong for a long time, make sure you, your players and management have a clear statement on their personal ‘why’.

References

Arnold, L. (2021). Finding your “why” leads to the “hows.” The State Journal, 31.
Cohn, P. (2022). What’s The Best Motivation For Athletes? Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.peaksports.com/sports-psychology-blog/whats-the-best-motivation-for-athletes/
James, S. (2015). Finding Your Passion: Work and the Authentic Self. M/C Journal, 18(1). Retrieved from https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/954
McLean, K. N., & Mallett, C. J. (2012). What motivates the motivators? An examination of sports coaches. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 17(1), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2010.535201
O’Keefe, P. A., Dweck, C. S., & Walton, G. M. (2018). Implicit Theories of Interest: Finding Your Passion or Developing It? Psychological Science, 29(10), 1653–1664. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618780643
Vitali, F., Bortoli, L., Bertinato, L., Robazza, C., & Schena, F. (2015). Motivational climate, resilience, and burnout in youth sport. Sport Sciences for Health, 11(1), 103–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-014-0214-9
Warrell, M. (2013). Do You Know Your “Why?” 4 Questions To Find Your Purpose. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2013/10/30/know-your-why-4-questions-to-tap-the-power-of-purpose/?sh=7f96375673ad

Commitment vs Involvement

Sat, 02 Jul 2022 13:16:36 GMT

Ever considered the difference between commitment and involvement?

This advertisement of the Standard Bank Group got me thinking about commitment and involvement, especially within sport, and especially so in the post Covid-19 world we find ourselves in.

(“We’re all in - YouTube,” n.d.)

A student once asked his professor: "I don't understand the difference between involvement and commitment. Aren't they the same thing?"

"No, they are not the same thing,” said the professor. He went on, "think of it this way: have you ever had eggs and bacon for breakfast?"

"Yes" responded the young student.

"Ah, then you will understand." the professor said slowly. "In your breakfast of eggs and bacon, the chicken was involved, but the pig was committed." (Wilson, 2017)

I nvolvement: the act or process of taking part in something

(“INVOLVEMENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary,” n.d.)

Commitment: a promise or firm decision to do something:

something that you must do or deal with that takes your time

(“COMMITMENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary,” n.d.)

From the Pig and Chicken analogy and from the definitions that the Cambridge dictionary gives us, it is evident that there is a big difference between the two.

Involvement only mentions “taking part” in something, whereas Commitment features the strong words “promise” and “firm decision” and something that “takes your time”.

The question: When are you just involved versus when are you committed to the sport (task) that you do?

This after all can be the defining difference in success for high performance athletes and coaches.

Dave Trott put it best in his blog:

“If we’re merely ‘involved’ in something then we don’t have to give it our all.

If it fails, it’s not the end of the world.

But if we’re ‘committed’ that’s a different matter.

Then it really is do or die.

We’ve got a lot more at stake.” (Trott, 2010)

Social media plays a massive role within high-performance sport in modern society.

To be cool and to look good is very important, especially for our younger athletes. Commitment can be very uncool for a start. Athletes are not supposed to look like they are working hard and trying hard right? Social perception counts and what if they gave it their all and still failed? There are then no excuses.

If they are just involved and not fully committed the excuse is still there that they did not really try and have more in the tank to give next time. (Trott, 2010)

The challenge is to understand the signs of involvement versus commitment in our athletes and to understand what it is that will make them switch from just being involved to fully committed to the cause.

The answer lies in the outcomes that athletes achieve and experience.

“Outcomes are the rewards and costs a person experience in an activity” (Schmidt & Stein, 2016)

The greater the rewards relative to the costs, the higher the outcomes.

In high performance sport these rewards can be anything from financial rewards, trophies, and emotional satisfaction in the achievement of a desired goal.

Rewards and cost does not exist in isolation however. (Schmidt & Stein, 2016)

As high-performance coaches and athletes we need to be aware what it is that drives commitment within our athletes and ourselves.

Back in 1993 Scanlan and Simons published the Sport Commitment Model. This is a simple model that highlights five factors that drives commitment in sport.
Four of these factors has a positive outcome on commitment, while one has a negative impact.

Büssing (20020 also highlighted trust as a factor that plays a massive role in the commitment shown.

Let’s start with the negative factor.

Involvement alternatives

Where there are alternatives that athletes can participate in and get better rewards with the same cost or even less, athletes will not be committed and just be involved until the opportunity arises to jump ship.

How do we then keep athletes committed to the cause to achieve maximal results?

Positive factors are the following:

Sport Enjoyment

Make sure that there is maximal enjoyment in what you do and in what you present as a coach. In a recent article on NBC Sports (https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/how-steve-kerr-preserved-warriors-winning-culture-through-losing-seasons) Steve Kerr points out that enjoyment was one of the key factors instilled with the Golden State Warriors. (“How Steve Kerr preserved Warriors winning culture through losing seasons | RSN,” n.d.)

Personal Investments

Where athletes have made personal sacrifices, the commitment will be stronger. It is the same as the age-old principal that you will look better after something that you have bought for yourself with your hard-earned money than after a gift. With personal investment the cost factor is high but so are the emotional reward achieved in the end that comes with these sacrifices.

Social Expectations and Norms

As mentioned earlier, social media has become a major role player in the way high performance sports is portrayed and marketed. The higher the social expectation and or norms are the more committed athletes will be to their cause and sport. This however can create pressure on athletes that on the other hand be negative in performance even though the athlete is fully committed. This is tight rope to be walked very carefully.

Involvement Opportunities

The more athletes are involved, the happier they will be and the more they will commit. Within professional team setups this can be harder than what you would think. With big squads and only a percentage of that squad being able to play, keeping all involved becomes a challenge.

Trust

In a world where change is all around us, confidence in leadership is at an all-time low and

uncertainties are the order of the day; trust goes a very long way in the commitment

process.

In summary, sport commitment is a motivational force that reflects a person’s desire and resolve to continue participation in sport.

Sport commitment is a dynamic, psychological state that can vary over time, through seasons, and over the course of careers.

Individuals’ level of commitment influences behavior in the form of choice, persistence, and effort (Williams, 2013)

In a high-performance environment, the factors that plays a role in the level of commitment needs to be identified and actively pursued to make sure that commitment is at a maximum and involvement at a minimum.

Let’s makes sure in our environment everyone is ‘in’ and no one is ‘out’.

Commitment after all is a necessary condition for success.

As a result of this article I caught up with Oliver Randall from Tribe 365 for a chat.

You can see a condensed version of our conversation below.

We split the chat into:

What does it mean to be committed vs involved? 0:07

What made you look at Committed vs Involved? 0:33

What are the challenges to getting committed individuals? 4:08

How does the pathway to committed look? 8:17

How much do we sacrifice focus on results for getting culture right? 13:58

Bibliography

Büssing, A. (2002). Trust, Commitment and Involvement in Work 37, 28(4), 36–42.
COMMITMENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/commitment
How Steve Kerr preserved Warriors winning culture through losing seasons | RSN. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/how-steve-kerr-preserved-warriors-winning-culture-through-losing-seasons
INVOLVEMENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/involvement
Scanlan, T. K., Carpenter, P. J., Simons, J. P., Schmidt, G. W., & Keeler, B. (1993). An Introduction to the Sport Commitment Model. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 15(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.15.1.1
Schmidt, G. W., & Stein, G. L. (2016). Sport Commitment: A Model Integrating Enjoyment, Dropout, and Burnout. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 13(3), 254–265. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.13.3.254
Trott, D. (2010). THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INVOLVEMENT AND COMMITMENT | Dave Trott’s Blog. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://davetrott.co.uk/2010/08/the-difference-between-involvement-and-commitment/
We’re all in - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0FxcZVkm6s
Williams, L. (2013). Commitment to sport and exercise: Re-examining the literature for a practical and parsimonious model. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 46(SUPPL.1), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.2013.46.S.S35
Wilson, M. (2017). The difference between involvement and commitment. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/difference-between-involvement-commitment-mel-wilson

Discipline in Sport

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 15:49:11 GMT

Motivators for Discipline in Sport

Why do parents want their children to play sport?

What are the benefits of playing sport?

Why do we play sport?

These are all valid questions with various different answers.

Sport encourages a healthy lifestyle (Balint, 2017).

Sport helps with the promotion and development of non sport specific skills such as life skills, social and moral development, confidence and individual responsibility (Gilbert & Trudel, 2004).

Time management, work ethic and respect for others are also all learning’s and benefits from sport being played, especially in a team environment (Whitley, Hayden, & Gould, 2016).

“Have you ever given thought to why good athletes get suspended or get banned from playing their sports disciplines? When joining a sport disciplinary, the first thing that is required from you as an athlete is self-discipline.”

(“The power of self-discipline in sport,” n.d.)

Self-discipline is one of the major driving forces that parents emphasise when asked on why they encourage their children to play sport (Mirehie, Gibson, Kang, & Bell, 2019).

Our youth sport structures and secondary schools are the environment where we need to mould these young athletes. These are the environments where self-control and character are built within athletes (Orunaboka & Nwachukwu, 2012).

Athletes with character have both the knowledge to know what is right and the courage to act on that knowledge. Character implies not only moral and ethical excellence, but also firmness, resolution, self-discipline and judgement (Docheff, 1998).

These are all characteristics that we want in our future stars.

If we look at the news and the modern world we live in, this is however not the case.

Unfortunately students today are less respectful, less obedient and less willing to live in accordance to the rules we have within our societies. This is rather unfortunate, bearing in mind the goals, and purpose of what sport should be doing within our society (Belsha, 2021; Orunaboka & Nwachukwu, 2012).

Also see: “The importance of sport in our modern day society”

Through the years we have been taught ‘sport builds character’.

Through the building of character sports tick all the boxes that parents are looking for.

This phrase however has been overused and under supported throughout the history of sports.

Has anybody ever stood up and asked: “Where is your proof?”

“Show us the character you are building”.

People do not question the phrase because they truly want to believe it (Docheff, 1998).

The world however has changed.

We live in an age where we need to challenge the norm.

We need to challenge the way we do things.

We need to challenge the way we think.

Gone are the days of: “It has always been done this way.”

So…if we challenge the statement: ‘sport builds character’, what character are we actually building? What are the building blocks that make up this ‘character’ we are building?

“Discipline is an essential foundation for any sport. It builds an athlete's character to help them set their mind to achieve great things. Beyond sports, it is also instrumental to succeed in other areas of life.”

(Ngolo, 2018)

The task to build this ‘character’, to build the self-discipline in athletes, falls squarely on us as coaches.

Coaches of youth sport should broaden their view of a coach’s role to include effective and cognitive consequences, ethical issues, and the goal of developing autonomous learners and leaders of the future.

Discipline is highlighted as one of the roles a coach needs to play (Gilbert & Trudel, 2004).

Let us then define what ‘building character’ is in sport and name definitive self-discipline actions to work on.

Character, as is commitment (drive), is something that is ingrained in human beings. You can not teach it, but you sure can put motivators in place (Pickerel, 2019).

I would like to combine some tangibles from Corne Krige, Springbok Captain Number 46, (“The D-Factor: 5 Habits for more self-discipline - Corné Krige,” n.d.) and Navy Seal Admiral William McRaven ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoKdCqgiSVY , 'Make Your Bed’ by Admiral William H. McRaven speech transcript,” n.d.) with some of my own thoughts on defining what we need to instil in young athletes to ‘build character’, self discipline and be successful.

Not just successful in sport, but also in life.

Get up early.

Getting up early gives you extra time in the day where you are most productive and can have uninterrupted time to yourself.

Make your bed every morning.

You would have accomplished the first task of the day and it will encourage you to do more tasks in the day. It also reinforces that the small things matter in life. If you cannot do the small things right, you cannot do the big things right. It is a sign of self-respect and self-discipline.

Say good morning.

This is to show others that you care and value them. Also for you to stay humble no matter your title or achievements.

Say thank you.

This is to show people that you acknowledge their work, appreciate them and to make them feel valued.

Be on time.

"Early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable!" was a phrase coined by the author Eric Jerome Dickey

Being on time shows an appreciation and respect towards others, regardless of their station in life and also towards their time.

Clean up after yourself.

This is a way of servant leadership and you can never expect anybody to clean up after you, you do it yourself.

You are not entitled to anything in life.

It is all about the effort.

Another part of self-discipline is to always give 100% effort and do the extra on and off the field. This includes the physical, mental and spiritual parts of life.

To be a leader you can lead from the front and by example.

Stay humble.

To stay humble is a challenge. Especially when things go well. Staying humble is the easy way to keep a growth mind-set and to keep improving. No job or action is then ever too much to do.

Staying humble will also allow you to ask for help when needed.

If you want to succeed, you cannot do it alone. Respect your management, peers and competitors.

Be the hope for others.

Leading from the front, especially when times are tough, is what counts. Be the hope when everyone else has given up. Sport and life is not always fair. There will be tough times where the situation or people will try to bring you down. Face the situation head on and never back down from adversity.

Do not ever ring the bell.

Never give up!

These 10 points might seem easy to instil, and you would think they come naturally to our young sports men and women.

They don’t!

It is up to us the coaches, and leaders in the sport industry and in education, to instil these motivators within our youth. To make sure that sports build the ‘character’ we talk about. It is up to us to make sure that our sports stars of the future are disciplined, have self-discipline and have all the character to succeed in the future, not just in sport, but also in life.

Empower our stars to take ownership of their lives, to take responsibility for their actions and be accountable for their performances and the lives they live.

Empowerment = Ownership + Responsibility + Accountability

Bibliography

Balint, L. (2017). The importance sports activities have over the quality of life in the adult population. Journal of Social Science Research, 10(1), 2003–2006. https://doi.org/10.24297/jssr.v10i1.6601
Belsha, K. (2021). Schools struggling with behavior issues as students return - Chalkbeat. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/9/27/22691601/student-behavior-stress-trauma-return
Docheff, D. (1998). Character in Sport and Physical Education—Summation. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 69(2), 24–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.1998.10605065
Gilbert, W. D., & Trudel, P. (2004). Role of the Coach: How Model Youth Team Sport Coaches Frame Their Roles. Sport Psychologist, 18(1), 21–43. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.18.1.21
“Make Your Bed” by Admiral William H. McRaven speech transcript. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://jamesclear.com/great-speeches/make-your-bed-by-admiral-william-h-mcraven
Mirehie, M., Gibson, H., Kang, S., & Bell, H. (2019). Parental insights from three elite-level youth sports: implications for family life. World Leisure Journal, 61(2), 98–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2018.1550437
Ngolo, S. (2018). The importance of discipline in sport - The Namibian. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://www.namibian.com.na/182785/archive-read/The-importance-of-discipline-in-sport
Orunaboka, T. T., & Nwachukwu, E. (2012). The role of sports and physical education as a mechanism for control of deviant act among secondary school students in Nigeria. Asian Journal of Management Sciences and Education, 1(1), 21–27.
Pickerel, J. (2019). How Sports Training & Discipline Impact Professional Success - Aviation Personnel International. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://www.apiaviation.com/professional-success-sports-training-discipline/
The D-Factor: 5 Habits for more self-discipline - Corné Krige. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://www.cornekrige.com/the-d-factor-5-habits-for-more-self-discipline/
The power of self-discipline in sport. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://www.gaboroneinternationalschool.co.bw/the-power-of-self-discipline-in-sport
Whitley, M., Hayden, L., & Gould, D. (2016). Growing up in the Kayamandi Township: II. Sport as a setting for the development and transfer of desirable competencies. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 14(4), 1–26.

The importance of sport in our modern day society

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 09:46:25 GMT

What role does sport play in our modern day society?

Purpose (noun)

why you do something or why something exists
determination or a feeling of having a reason for what you do
a need

(Cambridge University Press 2021, n.d.)

With a successful Olympic games in Tokyo behind us and the Covid-19 cloud slowly disappearing, most people are returning to some sort of competitive sport after a 12-18 months of absence.

What did we actually miss with no sport in the past year or so?

Does sport play a role on our lives?

Now seems to be a good time to take a look at what is the purpose and importance of sport in our modern day society?

We all agree that we miss and or missed sport in some sort of form or another.

Be that as a competitor or as a supporter.

Sport is an arena of patterned behaviours and social structures that holds unique opportunities (Frey & Eitzen, 1991). Sport also provides us with an escape, a brief respite from the crazy world we currently live in. It serves as an escape valve, a refuge that makes us forget about the turmoil of our daily existence (Segrave, 2000).

No other activity combines the serious with the frivolous, playfulness with intensity and the ideological with the structural like sport does .

Jeffrey O. Segrave in his paper for the Journal of Sport & Social issues, ‘Sport as an Escape’, mention six factors that sport gives us an escape from (Segrave, 2000).

SPACE

Sport is so much different than real life. Sport is played in a designated area set aside for that specific sport. There is a specific space made for a specific purpose, to play the game that is supposed to be played in that space, and nothing else.

This space is our escape from reality where there are no clear lines and anything can happen at any time.

TIME

“In this sense, sport offers us control over that which of course can never be controlled – time.”

In sport we have the ability to stop the clock, call a time out, we have an exact knowledge of how long the game will be.

This control over time is an opportunity to step away from the everyday concerns and anxiety in the rat race that we live in.

COMMUNITY

Sport in nature requires a participant and an audience. Sport is social in nature and through that builds communities.

For the participant it gives a sense of belonging, especially in team sports. It is the one place where you will never be alone. The team will always be there.

For spectators it gives an opportunity to belong to the bigger community. A community generally formed around the supporters’ base of a specific team etc.

“Few spectators or athletes at the Olympics do in fact not find themselves touched by a profound sense of commonality, of belonging, of relatedness; and many talk in terms of feeling the beating pulse of common humanity.”

ORDER

The order and predictability of sport is another of its most appealing features. In sport the game is governed by rules. From the number of participants in a team to the equipment that can be used to play the game are governed.

This provides security for participants for the time they participate in the game.

Sport also offers an effective setting for the earning of acceptable values and beliefs and for acquiring desirable character traits (Frey & Eitzen, 1991)

PURPOSE

“The rules of sport not only bring order and justice into the world, they also bring a sense of purpose and meaning.” The objectives of the game are clear and there is no doubt about how the game should be played.

This is in stark contrast to most of our day-to-day lives we live in.

SELF

“At its most profound and hence potential most perilous and debilitating level, the world of sports also offers us the chance to escape ourselves. Where else can otherwise reserved and modest folk paint their faces or dress up like animals? Where else can grown men pat each other on the butt? Where else can mortals act like immortals?”

The world of sport offers us the opportunity to enter an alternate universe, a space where we can be who ever we want to be without the fear of being judged by society.

Sport also offers us the opportunity to be either task or ego orientated. This is more so in youth sport participants.

In the case of task orientated individuals sport offers the opportunity to lead to positive and adaptive achievement behaviours. In the case of ego orientated individuals sport offers the opportunity for them to answer questions about their adequacy of their own ability. Sport among our youth promote self-esteem and promote the value of increase person mastery and exerted effort (White, Duda, & Keller, 1998).

Sport not only gives us an escape from the daily reality we live in, but also has a positive impact on society. Laura Depta highlights a few of these impacts on www.bleacherreport.com (Depta, 2015).

I would only like to mention three of these that became apparent in the Covid-19 ‘no sport’ time the last few months.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Sport in modern society is a billion dollar business that has a massive impact on local economies.

It also supplies millions of jobs across the world, from athletes, coaches, and referees to vendors, company employees and front office personnel.

ROLE MODELS

Sport offers athletes the opportunity to be good role models for the youth of today and through that can help kids life a more active life style.

EMOTION

The most positive thing about sport is the pure, unadulterated joy that can result for everyone involved. As mentioned earlier sport transports us away to another world and can incite great passion and joy, or not. Only sport has the ability to do that, and that is a good thing.

I think we can all agree that sport plays a major role in our lives, be it as a participant at the top level, a rookie, a recreational athlete or even a die-hard supporter. If Covid-19 has taught us anything it is that sport has a major role to play in our lives and modern day society.

Sport has the ability to unite nations that are divided

Sport has the ability to teach lessons without life or death consequences

Sport has the ability to heal wounds that cannot be seen

Sport has the ability to create smiles in sad times

References

Cambridge University Press 2021. (n.d.). PURPOSE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/purpose
Depta, L. (2015). 12 Ways Sports Make a Positive Impact. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2347988-12-ways-sports-make-a-positiveimpact
Frey, J. H., & Eitzen, S. D. (1991). Sport and society. Annual Review of Sociology, 17, 503–522. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.187
Segrave, J. O. (2000). Sport as escape.pdf. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 24(1), 61–77.
White, S., Duda, J., & Keller, M. (1998). The Relationship between Goal Orientation and Perceived Purposes of Sport among Youth Sport Participants. Journal of Sport Behavior, 21(4), 474.

A lethal combination: Culture and High Performance

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 08:28:43 GMT

The big buzzwords in sport currently are ‘Culture’ and ‘High Performance’.
Can these two buzzers be a lethal combination within a sporting environment?

In his book “The making of a leader” Tom Young says that an effective culture is at the core of most successful High Performance organisations.

To start off, we need to look at ‘Culture’ and ‘High Performance’ as separate entities.

CULTURE

What is ‘Culture’?

The word culture derives from the Latin cultus , which means care .

Culture is something you (we) do
Culture is a driver of behaviour
Culture drives expectations and beliefs , expectations and beliefs drives behaviour , behaviour creates habits and habits create the future.

Culture is a tool that improves our ability to function efficiently and effectively in groups.

Culture helps with building relationships, connections and building a team.

To cultivate a good culture within an organisation there needs to be a purpose.

This purpose is also commonly known as the ‘why’.

Once this purpose is clear, people are willing to commit and sacrifice.

This purpose delves deeper than just the organisational ‘why’ and is more than just about the results in the end. It is why we exist.

We use this purpose as the foundation to build our ‘what’ and our ‘how’.

Simon Sinek has a great video where he explains his principles of ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’.

To get a healthy culture we need to change behaviour and drive that behaviour.

Starting with ‘why’ and getting a common purpose is the answer.

To watch the video click here: Start with why - how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek

Generally in the professional sporting industry players go through a cycle as represented below.

As kids, players have a love for the game they play and they play it with passion.
The more they play the game, the more they realise they have a talent for the game and realise that this can become a profession.
Players turn professional and earn money for what once was a game they played for the pure love of the sport.
At the end of players’ careers the sport has now become a necessity to sustain life and in most cases the love and passion has disappeared.

The challenge for us as leaders in professional sport is to keep the fire burning, to keep the love and passion continuing in our athletes and staff, through a shared purpose and a ‘why’ that is unstoppable. Doing this will create a healthy culture.

So how do we create this ‘culture’ as leaders within our sporting organisations?

Taking inspiration from Daniel Coyle and his book “The Culture Code” I have derived the following diagram as an indication for leaders to build a ‘culture’.

Safety

Build safety in the group so everyone feels comfortable working together.

Make sure that there is a common purpose and those roles and responsibilities are clear.

There should be clear rules of engagement within the group, that all agree upon, so that the group can operate within these guidelines with safety.

Vulnerability

No one needs to be perfect.

Athletes and staff must feel free to express themselves without the fear of criticism from management and peers.

Make sure you reward effort above skill.

Accountability

With clear guidelines everybody within the system should hold each other accountable for actions and performance, but also take full responsibility for their own actions and performance.

Values and Standards

Only once you have installed a safe and vulnerable environment where everyone within the organisation takes accountability for their actions, can you implement values and standards.

These are the daily behaviours and habits that drive the future of your organisation.

Goals

Once you have safety, vulnerability, accountability and your values and standards as foundation in place, can you look at placing goals on top of the pyramid.

It is important that a person understands and feels part of the culture.

Once an organisations’ people has connected with each other and start living the culture will they be equipped to deal with challenges and success.

When a strong culture has been build it will be visible to people from the outside and it will attract people that do not form part of the group.

Culture is the one thing you can grow and enrich within your organisation and it is 100% within your control.

HIGH PERFORMANCE

Tom Young in his book “The making of leader” also mentions that we need to understand that it is not the culture that is high performing, but the people within the organisation.

What is high performance then?

According to Cambridge dictionary High Performance means to “operate to a high standard”.

How do we get people within an organisation to operate to a high standard?

For effective high performance there are three parts that play a role and needs to be in place:

High Performance Systems
High Performance Components
Team and Individual Aspects

A simple breakdown and summary of each one of these is given in the diagram below.

High Performance Systems

To obtain high performance there needs to be systems in place to identify, develop and retain the correct people within the organisation. These people all need to be aligned and be part of the succession plan of the organisation. To make sure this happens the correct environment needs to be created.

High Performance Components

Systems drive components within high performance. The systems are people as discussed and these people need to drive the high performance components of change and data. These are the day-to-day components that happen within the organisation and are underpinned by the vision, values and daily behaviours of the people within the organisation.

Team and individual aspects

The final part of high performance is the six blocks of development for individuals and for the team within the sporting organisation.

For all individuals, the team and the organisation to operate at the highest level, there needs to be a conscious effort to develop in the following six areas:

Technical
Tactical
Physical
Psychological
Personal
Life style

Once this is achieved the people that drives high performance and culture will live a life of excellence and the organisation can operate to a higher standard.

To achieve and operate at a high performance level is not an easy task, and for the most part not comfortable. If it were easy everybody would have been able to do it.

A great example would be the way Stephen Francis (previous head coach at MVP track and field athletics club – Jamaica) puts it: “The road to success is largely uncomfortable. People must not be too comfortable in a performance environment. They should not be to uncomfortable either”.

To watch a short interview with Stephen Francis click here: Stephen Francis: "The road to success is long and uncomfortable"

To see MVP trach and field club results click here: MVP Track and Field Club

With background of culture and high performance, how would we combine the two to create a high performance organisation with a great culture?

Or simply said, a high performance culture within our organisation.

THE WAY FORWARD

The way forward is combining these two buzzers into one.

Within your high performance systems consisting of people you need to build in safety and bring energy towards the group. This will aid in alignment and make identification and development of individuals much easier.

In the high performance components where change happens, underpinned by the daily behaviours and values of people, there needs to be vulnerability and the individual needs to know that you are looking out for him or her. People need to feel safe in their day-to-day jobs, with the freedom to push the envelope and make mistakes in the process.

In the six areas of development for the individual the purpose of the individual will be established and so the future orientation of the individual, team and also the organisation will be established.

This will bring us full circle to our ‘why’, the purpose of the individual, creating a high performance culture within the organisation to achieve and perform at a higher level in the process.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

How do we create and stimulate a culture that supports and encourages a High Performance environment while our athletes are feeling ‘comfortable’ being ‘uncomfortable’

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? – Conclusions and Recommendations

Wed, 12 May 2021 14:53:36 GMT

A summary of the on and off-field characteristics and factors that play a role in the monetary valuation of a professional rugby player.

To summarise the previous 6 parts in the series on the monetary valuation of a professional rugby player, in this the final part of this 7 part series I will make some conclusions and recommendations for the professional rugby sector.

These views are my own as represented in my MSc Sports Directorship Dissertation (Salford University Business School – Manchester UK).

The full dissertation, that includes the literature review that was not covered in this series, can be access here:

MSc Sports Directorship Dissertation

Conclusions

Given the sample size, breadth of sample and relative consensus of responses, it should be abundantly clear that there are definitely on and off-field characteristics and factors that play a role in the monetary valuation of a professional rugby player. The experience of the respondents interviewed also lends external validity to the data gathered (Daly, Wood, Brooks, Miller, & Roper, 1995). Despite the similarities seen, there are also obvious differences in these on and off-field characteristics and factors from the perspective of the agent, coach and senior management.

The natural ability of the player to play the game and what position they play in has a significant impact on valuation. There is also significant support from the literature in this regard. The three positions of most value are tighthead prop (3), lineout lock (5) and flyhalf (10) .

Consensus between key stakeholder opinion and literature was also seen, previous experience of the player at a higher level and a consistency in performance over time are on-field factors playing a role in valuation. Two key factors, highlighted in this study, not previously mentioned in the literature are succession planning and the style of rugby the team wants to play .

All parties agreed that the personal character of a player and his daily behaviours were of significant value. This personal character will also play a role in forging and maintaining personal relationships within the team and organisation ; a value determining characteristic reported in the literature. The weighting of this personal characteristic versus talent can be presented best on a graph used by Johan Erasmus (South African RWC winning coach 2019) (South African Rugby, 2020).

Graph 1: Talent versus Mind-set in selecting the correct players for a team and contracting.

A notably absent characteristic from the literature is that of leadership . This came to the fore as a primary characteristic that all respondents looked for in a player. The context of this leadership was also linked to the experience of the player and applying leadership to educate other team members in the squad, thus adding value to the team. The makeup of the team management is another valuation factor found in the literature. The context for this was different for the three groups of respondents as discussed, likely reflecting their varying perspectives. Two off-field factors, that are value determinates which go unmentioned in the literature, are the local regulations and that of supply and demand within the players market . As professional rugby grows in the future, these two factors will almost certainly play a bigger role and determining where players can play and what they will earn while playing there.

As was expected the three perspectives evaluated to determine the characteristics and factors that plays a role in the valuation of a player, displayed some differences.

CEO’s (senior management) emphasised the off-field factors and characteristics that could potentially play a role, much more than the on-field factors and characteristics. Coaches, however, were much more focussed on both the on and off-field factors and characteristics. Agents interestingly were well aligned with what coaches looked for in a player.

In conclusion, the monetary valuation of a rugby player is a complex thing, with a multitude of interconnected, multilayer variables that play a role. Every characteristic and factor, be it on the field or off the field of play, can be linked back to the others, and they can all influence each other.

Clearly, if a player is in the three primary positions mentioned, has a good natural ability to play the game consistently at a high level and is of high personal character, they will be rewarded and have a higher monetary value as a player compared to the rest of the players in the organisation within the local regulations imposed on that organisation.

Figure 5.1: Summary of on and off-field characteristics and factors as highlighted by Agents, Coaches and Senior Management within professional rugby organisations.

Recommendations

Owing to the complex and multilayer process of determining a value of a player, the potential arises for a lot of subjective decision making, rather than objective decision making. Unfortunately, as mentioned by a coach in one of the interviews, this is a significant risk.

“In professional sport, for me, for my coaches and my players, there is no grey. There is black and white. There is win and lose. There is nothing in between”

(Director of Rugby – Premiership)

Even though the grey areas will always be present, the elimination of some of the grey areas will also eliminate most of the frustration between players, agents, coaches and CEO’s regarding the valuation and contracting of players.

Consistency within the process of valuation and contracting of players will be a positive step in the right direction. Even though there were some differences between agents, coaches and the organisational management, there were also certain aspects of consistency. Building on this consistency is what is needed, across all organisations and also across the professional section of the sport.

Using the characteristics and factors that are important in the valuation of the player within the organisational budget and local regulations, there could be salary bands created to ensure remuneration of players is open, honest, transparent and consistent within the organisation and also within the sport. These can be linked to the characteristics and factors on and off the field. This will keep gossip in the change room to a minimum, aiding in team cohesion and streamline aspects of succession planning. Succession planning should also be done earlier and communicated better to all parties concerned, especially as it pertains to the retention of players within a team, and once again creating consistency across all areas of the game.

A detailed recruitment and retention strategy, linked to the long-term strategic plan and the way the team wants to play, should be put in place. This should be built independently of the coach of the team. This will also be bespoke to the structure of the organisation i.e. if there is an academy etc.

“Rugby coaches change very quickly. You must build a structure that is independent of the coach. When the coach leaves and you have built a whole structure around him, your whole High-Performance structure falls apart”

(CEO – Super Rugby Franchise)

As coaches need to focus on coaching, CEO’s need to focus on the financial and commercial well-being of the organisation and agents want the best for his client, the need arises for a role within the process that is constant. Currently only a few professional rugby organisations fill this role, and there is currently no set title for such a role.

In such a role hereafter called the ‘Sporting Director’ role, the individual will represent the organisation and the long-term succession plan and identity of the organisation in the retention and recruitment process. The ‘Sporting Director’ would be independent of the coach and as a result, when coaches change, there will be a constant in place. This enables less subjective grey, and more objective decision making. Ultimately this would create more consistency in the process and as a result also more consistency in the organisation. If there is more consistency and transparency, and the process is less subjective and more objective, the correct players will be retained or recruited more often. Players will then feel more valued, have a better relationship with the coach, stay longer and this will create more cohesion in the group that will lead to better results for the team and organisation (Carron, Coleman, Wheeler, & Stevens, 2002).

“Reality for me was that in the recruitment and retention I was negotiating with agents and there was conflict. That conflict made it harder to build relationships with players when you coach them. If you have somebody outside the coaching environment that is the negotiator and succession planner, I think it allows the coach to coach the player and have a clearer relationship with him”

(Previous Head Coach – Pro 14 and Top 14)

Consistency in approach to the valuation of players is required across the game and also within organisations. This will create stability for players and staff and benefit the game as whole, especially in these challenging financial times rugby is experiencing.

A recommendation for a further study is to look at the impact of especially the local regulations from unions, salary caps and competitions on the structure of playing squads and the further impact that has on the monetary remuneration of players within certain competitions or countries.

References

Carron, A. V., Coleman, M. M., Wheeler, J., & Stevens, D. (2002). Cohesion and Performance in Sport: A Meta Analysis. Journal of Sport & Excercise Psychology, 24, 168–188.
Daly, J., Wood, M., Brooks, A., Miller, J., & Roper, M. (1995). Structured Interviews on the Object-Oriented Paradigm, 1–34.
South African Rugby. (2020). SA Rugby: Online Workshop with Johan Erasmus.

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? – Part 6

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 09:09:52 GMT

Off field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players as mentioned by Professional Rugby Coaches within professional rugby organisations.

Part 6 is the last part of looking at characteristics and factors that play a role in the monetary valuation of a professional rugby player before we draw a conclusion and makes some recommendations in part 7.

In this part we will focus on the off field characterises and factors as highlighted by professional rugby coaches and directors of rugby.

1. Off Field Characteristics (Director of Rugby/Head Coach)

a. Personal character

“I am a big believer you look at the man before you look at ability”

(Director of Rugby - Premiership)

All coaches agreed that personal character is almost more import than the playing ability of the player. The value system that the player lives by and the alignment of that with the value system of the team is also important. Coaches talk about character as the daily behaviours that players display when in and around the organisation, but also away from the organisation. Discipline, integrity, respect, humility and work ethic are all characteristics that coaches mentioned they are looking for. This equates to professionalism.

“The character of the individual trumps everything”

(Head Coach – International Team)

The high-performance world of professional rugby requires competitiveness; as a result coaches are seeking this in players.

“I am not a believer that everybody in the team should be the best of friends, but I do think there are certain guys that do want to win and compete and other guys don’t. We have found on the back of that the lifestyle stuff falls easier in place if their default position is to compete and become part of the team”

(Head Coach – Super Rugby)

Coaches were of the belief that good character will also keep good internal relationships within the team. These are seen as ‘off-field, zero talent’ moments.

"To be successful in a team, cohesion is massive, work rate is massive, discipline is massive, things that take no talent are the cornerstone of your team being successful”

(Head Coach – Major League Rugby)

There are two schools of thought on how to deal with personal character that are not to the coach’s liking. Some coaches were willing to take the risk and try to make a difference in the players’ life. Other coaches were hard and fast in their thought process.

“You always get the one or two players that do not always fit into the perfect framework, but then you walk the road with them, he starts to fit and you make a difference in his life. If you do not do that you could potentially miss out on a good player that can make a difference. He might change into a better rugby player and an unbelievable human being”

(Head Coach – Pro 14)

“As a young coach you always think you can make a leopard change its spots, but these things are sayings because they are true. It is very hard if you find a player that has been to two or three clubs in four to five years. That should be a massive red flag, because in general there is a reason why he is not getting renewed”

(Head Coach – Super Rugby)

b. Leadership

“If you get a good leader it’s worth the extra money. A good leader that can pull a team together is a scarce commodity. I want a player-led culture off the field that can be driven by leaders”

(Head Coach – Russian Professional Rugby League)

Being a leader is a character trait that coaches value and are willing to pay extra for. Coaches also expect these leaders to educate within the team and help the younger players in the team with guidance to become better professionals.

“If you have to choose between players, then I will always go for the leader. Culture is a thing that is driven in a team, and it is the senior players and leaders, the guys with experience, that does that”

(Head Coach – Japan Top League)

c. Synergy between players

“Cohesion plays a big role in what we are trying to build. In order for me to be successful, in specific positions I need to make sure there is cohesion and that the team can identify with that cohesion”

( Head Coach – Major League Rugby)

Coaches also describe synergy as connectedness between players. Some coaches use third party consultants to help with the measurement of cohesiveness within their teams (GAIN LINE Analytics Pty Ltd, 2020). Coaches do realise that the cohesion does not happen overnight and that keeping a squad together for a period of time aids the synergy. There is therefore value in player retention for the organisation.

“There is no magic wand in cohesion. It is time in the middle. If you keep players, make them feel valued, they will stay for longer on average, and as a club you can save money in the long run”

(Head Coach – International Rugby Team)

d. Growth mind-set

“Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mind-set. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mind-set (those who believe their talents are innate gifts) (Dweck, 2016, p.2). Players with a growth mind-set, regardless of their experience, are of great value. Coaches also view these players as coachable.

Figure 1: Off-field characteristics as highlighted by professional rugby coaches.

2 . Off Field Factors (Director of Rugby/Head Coach)

a. Team management

“My job is to pick a team. If a guy does not fit into our team and culture then I don’t care how good he is, but I don’t want him”

(Director of Rugby - Premiership)

The standard set by the coach, what he is looking for and wants to add to his squad, plays a significant role in whether a player will be contracted and what he will earn. As was mentioned earlier, coaches are looking for certain characteristics. These generally link to the way the team plays on the field, hence the management of the team influencing the valuation.

b. Local regulations

“I have a cake that is only so big, and keeping in mind I have a salary cap I need to meet. I also have to take into consideration that I can increase the cap for home grown players”

(Director of Rugby - Premiership)

As previously mentioned, local regulations factor into contracting and selection decisions, this sentiment was echoed by the coaches.

c. Market supply and demand

All coaches mentioned the market and what role it plays in retention and recruitment within the organisation.

“You have to have a very good knowledge of the market. You have to know what players are getting and you have to have a good feel for it”

(Director of Rugby - Premiership)

Figure 2: Off-field factors as highlighted by professional rugby coaches.

References

Dweck, C. (2016). What Having a “Growth Mindset” Actually Means. Harvard Business Review, 1–5. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means
GAIN LINE Analytics Pty Ltd. (2020). Services — Gain Line. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from http://www.gainline.biz/services

Summary: A one page summary slide for your benifit:

1.Off field characteristics that Professional rugby coaches said they are looking for

2.Off field factors that Professional rugby coaches said they are looking for

Tip: Click on above links to open summary slides

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? – Part 5

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 08:04:27 GMT

Off field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players as mentioned by Senior Management within professional rugby organisations.

Nearing the end of our 7 part series on the monetary value of a professional rugby player, in this part 5 we look at what is the off field characteristics and factors that influence this monetary valuation, as seen by the senior management within a professional rugby organisation.

By now there is a clear picture emerging of what characteristics and factors play a role in the valuation of a professional rugby player.

If you missed parts 1 to 4 they are all available in the blog .

A quick visual recap of the off field characteristics and factors as was mentioned by agents that represent professional players in part 4.

Figure 1: Off-field characteristics as highlighted by professional rugby agents

Figure 2: Off-field factors as highlighted by professional rugby agents.

Let's get stuck into what senior management ha to say.

1. Off Field Characteristics (Senior management)

a. Personal character

“We back coaching to fill the skillset of the player, as we take personality above skills. In the long run we need good people”

(Head of Recruitment – Premiership)

The character of the player is as important as the rest of what the player brings to the organisation. Players with good daily behaviours, that are competitive and can keep good internal relationships, are sought after.

b. Leadership

“Education of a player is also important for me, as they will become the leaders of the future and that will lead to a good career”

(General Manager - MLR)

Leadership and the ability to educate and lead within the squad, to help improvement within the organisation, was a characteristic that added value.

c. Growth mind-set

Not all interviewees mentioned this as a characteristic that can add value, but it warrants mentioning from a senior management perspective. This is also linked to the coachability of the player.

d. External relationships

Some senior management mentioned the importance of the interaction of players with media and sponsors, as something that can potentially play a role in the future valuation of a player.

Figure 3: Off-field characteristics as highlighted by senior management within professional rugby organisations.

2. Off Field Factors (Senior management)

a. Team management

“Players buy into the coach. The profile of the coach matters. If they believe he will make them better and get them back into an international jersey, they will sign for less money. They also believe they can win trophies with him and will come cheaper. This can be reversed if they do not buy into him; you then need to pay those more to get them into the organisation”

(President – Super Rugby Franchise)

Senior management expressed the need to have a high-performance setup of coaches that can attract players. If the team is successful and the organisation is successful, it is a benefit for the organisation in recruitment and retention.

“We end up getting players for less because they want to try and come win some trophies, and being part of that group means something to them. We have to use that to our advantage”

(Head of Rugby Operations – Pro 14)

b. Local regulations

“Transformation players might get more than what they are worth because you must have a certain number of them, and everybody wants them”

(President – Super Rugby Franchise)

The theme of local regulations significantly impacting player valuation was again evident from the interviews with senior management.

c. Budget

“Monetary value was set through our budget. We try to differentiate our money roughly evenly, but it all depends on the personnel we have available”

(Head of Recruitment - Premiership)

Budget constraints at most organisations are linked to the salary cap with local regulations. The senior management members interviewed generally held the preference to spread the budget more evenly across the squad if it is possible.

“If players are of similar age and pedigree they will be earning the same”

(CEO – Super Rugby Franchise)

d. The organisation

“When I started, we had to let go 380-390 worth of international caps, as they were too expensive and did not fit the culture of the organisation”

(CEO – Super Rugby Franchise)

A strong opinion was expressed that the strategic plan for the organisation plays a role when it comes to retention and recruitment.

We are willing to spend a bit more to get or keep home grown players to sell the dream to the younger generation”

(President – Super Rugby Franchise)

e. Market supply and demand

“The market states certain values to a certain range. International experience = X, Premiership experience = Y and so forth”

(Head of Recruitment - Premiership)

Market supply and demand was also mentioned by senior management. It was however not a primary factor in value determination.

f. Player status and reputation

“Big name players have their own following and can contribute to the organisation’s brand through social media, as people will associate with the organisation through the player”

(President - Super Rugby Franchise)

Status and reputation were not consistently mentioned by interviewees. That said, it is important to mention and link with the strategic goal of the organisation, as in future this may well become a more significant factor in player valuation as professional rugby grows in the commercial market.

“The image rights of players in future will definitely play a bigger role”

(CEO – Super Rugby Franchise)

Figure 4: Off-field factors as highlighted by senior management within professional rugby organisations.

Summary: A one page summary slide for your benifit:

1.Off field characteristics that Senior Management said they are looking for

2.Off field factors that Senior Management said they are looking for

Tip: Click on above links to open summary slides

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? – Part 4

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 16:14:42 GMT

Off field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players as mentioned by Agents representing Rugby Union Players.

Following on from the first 3 parts of the 7 part series on the determination of the monetary value of rugby union players, where we looked at the on field characteristics and factors as described by coaches, senior management and agents, in the next 3 parts we will be focussing our attention on the off field characteristics and factors determining the value of a professional rugby player.

Link to Part 1

Link to Part 2

Link to Part 3

Part 4 will cover the off field view from the agent, followed by senior management (part 5) and coaches (part 6).

Let’s get going with part 4 and the off-field characteristics and factors that play a role in the determination of the monetary value of professional rugby union players as mentioned by professional rugby agents.

1. Off-field Characteristics (Agents)

a. Personal character

“Our reputation is our business, so the moment we get a player causing trouble off the pitch and we need to recommend him to a club, our relationship is in tatters and that’s damn hard to recover ”

(Director of a European competition based representative agency)

Personal character, who the player is and his behaviour off the field of play is vitally important. Personal character is seen as the players’ values, his professionalism and work ethic off the field. Good character also leads to good internal relationships within the organisation. Here attitude, particularly of the younger generation, towards senior players and coaching staff was mention as a point of interest.

“Because of the viewpoint of the coaches and the fact they were very character driven, that stopped them from looking at players that could potentially start for them”

(Director of a South African competition representative agency)

b. Leadership

“Leadership is conceptualised as a dynamic process of interaction that creates change” (Barker, 1997, p. 351). Leadership was a characteristic that came to the fore predominantly. Leadership was linked with the ability of players to use their leadership skills to educate and influence players around them.

c. Synergy between players

“Johnny Sexton was on, and I specifically remember him quoting the importance, and basically in his opinion rugby is the most interconnected sport on the planet, and hence going on picking on attributes alone has become irrelevant because it is so important to be picking a guy along a partner”

(European Director of a global competition representative agency)

When synergy between players was mentioned it was mentioned as connectedness and a value determinator, as players that are connected have synergy and produce better results.

Figure 1: Off-field characteristics as highlighted by professional rugby agents.

2. Off-field Factors (Agents)

a. Team management

“At the end of the day the head coach is equipped with the responsibility to decide what players he wants”

(Director of a South African competition representative agency)

The influence of the coach is a golden thread seen through all the conversations. The way the team plays originates directly from the coach and has a significant impact on player value within the team. The profile of the coach plays a role too, as a successful coach within a successful organisation will attract players. Players might sign for less, just to play in a successful team and have stability.

“As an agent I want to sell players to the Bulls. They have a good CEO, are financially sound and a have a World Cup winning coach”

(Managing Director of a global competition representative agency)

b. Local regulations

“Different countries, politics, where the player is qualified to play for the country etc. In England is he EQP (England qualified player), in France is he JIFF (joueurs issus des filières de formation), in South Africa is he black? That is reality. These all affect the player’s value”

(Director of a global competition representative agency)

Salary caps, local union and competition regulations can all play a role in the valuation of a player, and it can even determine eligibility for a certain team in a country. Organisations need to adhere to these regulations. These regulations also impact the assembly of the squad and the organisation’s depth chart. A prime example mentioned is the regulations in South Africa regarding the fulfilment of representation by organisations (SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY, 2020).

“If you do not fulfil your quota (representation), you do not get your PONI (players of national interest) money from the union. A union was eight players short on their quota, and now an agent can get clever and say: all right…I want a little bit more”

(Managing Director of a global competition representative agency)

c. Market supply and demand

“It is obviously our job to understand who is out there, what the clubs want, which is all available in that position and all the little bibs and bobs. It is a question of knowing the market”

(Director of a global competition representative agency)

Supply and demand in the player market was some of the factors that agents see as critical. Some agents have even changed their business strategy as a result.

“We have changed to know what the unions are looking for, and if we play it right we can create a demand in the market if we want to. Organisations don’t always sign the best, but who the market thinks is the best”

(Director of a South African competition representative agency)

d. Player status and reputation

“If you come with a profile or a reputation, it helps 99% of the time”

(Director of a South African competition representative agency)

Players who have been successful and become household names will have more value. The value of these players is generally linked to the commercial intent and strategy that the organisation wants to follow when they are signing the player.

“As rugby gets bigger and bigger, I think the boardroom is going to have more of a say. As that stuff starts to matter more and more, they will have more input into who is brought in”

(European Director of a global competition representative agency)

Certain players have image rights that can play a role in their valuation. Mention was made of the legal minefield around this, but agents did however mention that there might be other reasons why these rights are used.

“More and more the image of players is gaining value, but reality is, historically image is kind of used to lower tax exposure”

(Director of a global competition representative agency)

e. Social background

“If they want wings, they will go for Fijian and Samoans. They are big, athletic, quick and they are cheap”

(Director of a global competition representative agency)

The social background of players was mentioned. This is not a definitive determining factor, but there are organisations that can use this in lowering the value of a player that should be earning more. This was also mentioned in the work of Schieder and Presterudstuen (2014).

Figure 2: Off-field factors as highlighted by professional rugby agents.

Summary: A one page summary slide for your benifit:

1.Off field characteristics that Professional Agents said they are looking for

2.Off field factors that Professional Agents said they are looking for

Tip: Click on above links to open summary slides

References:

Barker, R. A. (1997). How can we train leaders if we do not know what leadership is? Human Relations, 50(4), 343–362. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679705000402
Schieder, D., & Presterudstuen, G. H. (2014). Sport migration and sociocultural transformation: The case of fijian rugby union players in Japan. International Journal of the History of Sport, 31(11), 1359–1373. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2014.921907
SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY. (2020). Governance | SA Rugby. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.springboks.rugby/pages/governance

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? - Part 3

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 16:41:45 GMT

On field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players as mentioned by Agents representing Rugby Union Players

A quick visual recap from Part 2 where we dealt with the on field characteristics and factors that Senior Management of professional Organisations said they are looking for.

If you missed Part 2 read it now! Click here for Part 2

Figure 1: On-field factors as highlighted by senior management within professional rugby organisations.

Figure 2: On-field characteristics as highlighted by senior management within professional rugby organisations

In part 3 of the 7 part series we will be looking at what did Agents, that represent Professional Rugby Union players, say are the on field characteristics and factors they are looking for to determine the monetary value of a player.

1. On field characteristics (Agents)

a. Technical sporting abilities

“Each player comes with a unique skillset”

(Director of a global competition representative agency)

The natural ability of the player to play the game is essential for agents in determining a monetary value for a player.

A variety of sporting abilities were mentioned, including motor aspects and physical aspects of the players. The most important aspect however is the skillset of the player to play the game. Statistics are a great way to summarise and individual performance on the field of play (Bracewell, 2002; James, Mellalieu, & Jones, 2005). Agents utilise this as a marketing tool for players.

b. Playing position

“You definitely would walk the extra mile for certain positions. These are the spine of the team and key decision makers in the team. There are positions of value. It’s a given”

(Director of a South African competition representative agency)

The ‘spine’ of the rugby team was mentioned by all interviewees. The ‘spine’ of a team are the positions that are crucial in making the side successful on the field, and generally are the hooker (2), tighthead prop (3), lineout lock (5), backrow talisman (generally nr. 8), scrum-half (9), fly-half (10) and inside centre (12) (NGJ Rugby, 2019). Positions that were named by all agents as carrying more monetary value were tighthead prop (3), a lineout lock (5), fly-half (10) and inside centre (12). Two other positions, eighth man (8) and fullback (15), was also mentioned by some as potential positions with an increased value.

“Position is such an important factor which determines and varies how much money you can get. You can be at the top in a certain position and you will still not get paid as much as other positions”

(Intelligence manager for Europe at a global competition representative agency)

Versatile players that can play in more than one position could have added value and this was mentioned as a side note due to salary caps and local regulations that are in play in certain competitions.

There was also a strong sentiment that certain positions just do not carry any value.

“…if you want to get a hooker (2) as an agent, go for it. You cannot sell a hooker, unless he is exceptional. Players with little value, especially in the overseas market are hookers and scrum-halves”

(Managing Director of a global competition representative agency)

c. X-Factor

“The kind of back three flamboyant players have become a sought-after thing these days. I think that is also looking after the commercial side of the game because they are trying to attract fans”

(Director of a European competition representative agency)

X-factor is a quality that you cannot describe that makes someone very special (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Even though X-factor was not mentioned explicitly, some participants did elude to the fact that players with a point of difference are somewhat higher up in the value stakes.

Figure 3: On-field characteristics as highlighted by professional rugby agents

2. On field factors (Agents)

a. Previous experience

“The amount of test caps a player has counts, and leadership that comes with that, counts”

(Managing Director of a global competition representative agency)

Agents regard previous experience as a vital on-field factor that will add value to a player. Players with international experience are generally seen as leaders and that increases their value as will be seen later. One of the interviewees mentioned they do not consider representing junior players. Age was mentioned as a possible negative factor if a player becomes too old. This also accounts for players that move abroad at a later stage in their careers.

“Players have a sell-by date. Players from South Africa that are 26 or 27 will sign in France for €600k to €700k and after the two-year contract they are too expensive for the market. They then either sit without a job or need to take a 50% pay cut to keep a job”

(Director in South Africa of a global competition representative agency)

b. Consistent performance

“Players that play at the highest level, regularly, are valuable”

(Director of a global competition representative agency)

The injury profile of a player can play a major role in the time he spends off the field and subsequently has an impact on the consistency of his performance (Ryan, 2008). The psychological impact of injuries should also not be overlooked (Liberal, López-de-la-llave, Pérez-Llantada, & Garcia-Mas, 2014). Players cannot perform consistently if their season is interrupted by injury frequently. Injuries which occur just before the end or renewal of a contract were also mentioned as a factor that can be detrimental to a player’s future remuneration.

“If you go get a knee injury five months before you renegotiate, a CEO will take advantage of that”

(Managing Director of a global competition representative agency)

c. The way the team wants to play

The way the team wants to play and the needs of the coach in terms of personnel to make that happen, plays a vital role in what a player might be earning and if he will be signed by an organisation. Naturally the way the team wants to play the game also has an impact on winning and losing (Vaz, van Rooyen, & Sampaio, 2010).

d. Succession planning

Succession planning is doing all you can to ensure you have the right people in the right jobs at the right time (Hills, 2009). Organisations make use of depth charts (to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players) to keep track of players within the squad. The succession planning of organisations is strongly linked with the strategic plan of the organisations, as well as the way the team wants to play. Depth charts can be filled by proactive recruitment, retention, and the academy structure of the organisation (which provides young players, not needing recruitment from other clubs).

Figure 4: On-field factors as highlighted by professional rugby agents.

In part 4 we will start to look at what is the off-field characteristics and factors that play a role in the monetary valuation of professional rugby players.

Summary: A one page summary slide for your benifit:

1.On field characteristics that Professional Agents said they are looking for

2.On field factors that Professional Agents said they are looking for

Tip: Click on above links to open summary slides

References:

Bracewell, P. (2002). Implementing Statistics in a Diagnostic Coaching Structure for Rugby. Research Letters in the Information and Mathematical Sciences, 3, 79–84. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3082083
Cambridge University Press. (2020). the X factor | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/x-factor
Hills, A. (2009). Succession planning – or smart talent management? Industrial and Commercial Training, 41(1), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197850910927697
James, N., Mellalieu, S. D., & Jones, N. M. P. (2005). The development of position-specific performance indicators in professional rugby union. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(1), 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410410001730106
Liberal, R., López-de-la-llave, A., Pérez-Llantada, M. C., & Garcia-Mas, A. (2014). Psychological impact of sports injuries and psychological well-being in relation to sports performance in competition gymnasts. Revista Portuguesa de Ciências Do Desporto, 14(3), 97–107. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=110245461&site=ehost-live
NGJ Rugby. (2019). The Spine Of A Rugby Team. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp-aDcUgbKw
Ryan, G. (2008). The changing face of rugby: The union game and professionalsm since 1995. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Vaz, L., van Rooyen, M., & Sampaio, J. (2010). Rugby game-related statistics that discriminate between winning and losing teams in IRB and super twelve close games. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 9(1), 51–55.

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? - Part 2

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 13:47:13 GMT

On field characteristics and factors that Senior Management of Professional Rugby Organisations said that they are looking for.

A quick visual recap from Part 1 where we dealt with the on field characteristics and factors that Head Coaches and Directors of Rugby (DOR) said they are looking for.

If you missed part 1, read it now! Click here for Part 1

Figure 1: On-field characteristics as highlighted by professional rugby coaches and DOR's.

Figure 2: On-field factors as highlighted by professional rugby coaches and DOR's

As a reminder to the graphics please remember the following:

Green All participants deemed this as important.

Orange Half the participants deemed this as important.

Red Only some of the participants mentioned this as important.

Now in Part 2 we will be looking at what did Senior Management say are the on field characteristics and factors they are looking for in Professional Rugby Players.

1. On field characteristics (Senior Management)
Senior management in organisations were heterogeneous in their responses regarding on-field characteristics. There was not one characteristic that was mentioned by all interviewees as an on-field characteristic that added value to a player. Three areas were touched upon by two or more participants though.

a. Technical sporting abilities

“Players are like a phone straight out of the box. They come with pre-set factory settings”

(CEO – Currie Cup Franchise)

This is how a CEO described it when he looks at the natural ability of a player for contracting. The need for him to ensure the default settings of the player are good enough was of importance. The natural ability of the player to play the game was of importance.

b. Playing position

“The spine of the team is still important for me”

(CEO – Super Rugby Franchise)

The positions mentioned with an increased value were tighthead prop (3), a lineout lock (5), scrum-half (9) and fullback (15).

c. Zero talent moments

“They are the really important traits that get overlooked when you look at all the other stuff a player brings”

(Head of Rugby Operations – Pro 14)

When senior management mentioned ‘zero talent moments’ they were referring to it as ‘work rate’, ‘hunger’, ‘desire’ or looking for ‘warriors’. These are all characteristics that require zero talent on the field of play.

“We want players to punch well above their weight”

(Head of Recruitment - Premiership)

Figure 3: On-field characteristics as highlighted by senior management within professional rugby organisations.

2. On field factors

Once again heterogeneity in response of the interviewees was seen. Four common factors could be taken from the conversations.

a. Previous experience

Previous experience at a high level of play was mentioned by all to play a role in the monetary value of a player when joining an organisation. International experience was beneficial in this regard.

b. Consistent performance

“Players that play more regularly and often, with less injuries, are worth more and likely to be earning more”

(CEO – Super Rugby Franchise)

As senior management there was mention that players needed to be on the field of play regularly and perform consistently. The injury profile of players was mentioned as something that is evaluated when contracting takes place.

c. The way the team wants to play

Senior management needs to support the coach and the way the team wants to play. The style of play and players to fit into that model was therefore mentioned as a valuation factor.

d. Succession planning

“The depth chart in the club determines the value in certain positions. If there is a lack in certain positions, then we have to pay more to fill that position if need be”

(Head of Recruitment - Premiership)

Succession planning links in with the way the team wants to play and with the strategic plan of the organisation.

“There must be a pipeline in the organisation to make sure you have what you need in the organisation. Depth charts determine what you need and what you pay for it”

(CEO – Super Rugby Franch ise)

Figure 4: On-field factors as highlighted by senior management within professional rugby organisations.

In the next issue we will be looking at on-field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players from the perspective of the Agent representing the player.

Summary: A one page summary slide for your benifit:

1.On field characteristics that Senior Management said they are looking for

2.On field factors that Senior Management said they are looking for

Tip: Click on above links to open summary slides

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? - Part 1

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 13:19:05 GMT

On field characteristics and factors that Head Coaches and Directors of Rugby (DOR) said they are looking for.

Great question!

Through 2020 I had the opportunity to interview 24 role players within professional rugby organisations on what they think are the on and off-field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players.

These role players were divided into three categories:

1. Sport agent (7 participants)

2. Director of Rugby / Head Coach (10 participants)

3. Senior management (7 participants)

Work Based Project (Dissertation) for MSc Sports Directorship: “On and off-field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players”. Submitted to and accepted by the University of Salford, Manchester (UK), September 2020.

Figure 1: Representation of the three major role players that determines the monetary value of a professional rugby player.

Figure 2: Locations of the top professional rugby competitions globally, represented by the role players that were interviewed in the study

Over the next few months I would like to give you an inside view into what are the current characteristics and factors that determine the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players.

In part one we will be dealing with the on field characteristics and factors that Head Coaches and Directors of Rugby (DOR) said they are looking for.

1. On field characteristics (DOR/Head Coach)

a. Technical sporting abilities

“I have a very simple matrix where I measure every skill specific set in every player, and then weigh them among each other or among their peers. I try to weigh it that the competitions are the same, so we are measuring apples with apples, or certainly measuring apples in the same basket”

(Head Coach – RWC 2019 Participating Team)

The natural ability of the player to play the game is a characteristic that is mentioned by all coaches. Coaches are extremely specific in the way they look at players, as will be discussed at a later stage. Physical and motor abilities of players were also mentioned, without a large emphasis being placed on them.

“I look at guys that have above average explosive power in his position and have the athletic ability and applicable size for his position”

(Head Coach – Russian Professional Rugby League)

The technical capacities for players are broken down by coaches into the position specific roles that players need do fulfil above and beyond the natural ability to play the game.

“There are key fundamentals to each position. This is the basic job description, and you can’t even get past the door if you do not qualify and can do the basics in your position”

(Director of Rugby - Premiership)

b. Playing position

“Certain positions have a disproportionate effect on the outcome of the team, so that has an influence on the price, but also then the scarcity of that position or abundance of those players changes that. We feel that if we get those positions right, we can build the team around that”

(Head Coach – Super Rugby)

The ‘spine’ of the team was the focus for coaches when they spoke about positions with increased value. Coaches identified five positions that has an increased value in their perspective, Tighthead prop (3), a lineout lock (5), eighth man (8), scrum-half (9) and fly-half (10). Three other positions were mentioned by certain coaches that they would have a look at to have an increased value namely hooker (2), inside centre (12) and fullback (15).

c. X-Factor

“There is a player in a rugby team that you would pay for his X-factor, and that has a value, and that, well quite often is very difficult to measure. X-factor is not something that jumps at you from the stats in terms of volume. A player with X-factor can affect a game almost every time he plays in one or two instances.”

(Head Coach – RWC 2019 Participating Team)

Coaches pointed out that they are looking for the players with X-factor. Some coaches did not specifically call it X-factor, but mentioned players with a point of difference or game changers, will have a higher value.

d. Zero talent moments

“If you marry three top attributes with issues like work rate etc., the outcome of it is then how it manifest itself on the field of play”

(Head Coach – RWC 2019 Participating Team)

Zero talent moments are described by coaches as something that they value in players. These are all characteristics that require no rugby talent or skill. They are described as the ‘fight in the player’, ‘work rate’, ‘body language’, ‘grit’ and ‘toughness’.

Figure 3: On-field characteristics as highlighted by professional rugby coaches.

2. On-field factors

a. Previous experience

“If he plays a Tier 1 competition or other top competition and makes it, his value will be much more. You cannot go study for experience. You earn it”

(Head Coach – Japan Top League)

Coaches put great emphasis on previous experience at a high level. All coaches linked this with leadership which will be discussed in one of the later parts to follow.

“If I can get a player with ten years of experience at a high level and his body can still perform, I will pay him as much as I can for that, as they offer a lot to the environment from a learning perspective”

(Head Coach – Major League Rugby)

b. Consistent performance

“Finally the thing that sits on top, especially with the tight five and back row forwards, is how durable the player is. I look at his medical history over the last five years and see how many games they have played on average per season. That gives me a good idea of what he is going to cost me per game.”

(Head Coach – Major League Rugby)

Players that play and perform consistently are what coaches are looking for. There is a correlation with the amount of injuries a player has and how consistent his performance is.

c. The way the team wants to play

“It depends a lot on the plan you have as a coach and what type of game you want to play”

(Head Coach – Russian Professional Rugby League)

For coaches it was imperative that players fit into the game plan they have in mind. The coaches also linked up the role of the agent with the way the team wants to play.

“It is important that the agents knows what you as a coach are looking for and how you want to play”

(Head Coach – Japan Top League)

d. Succession planning

“Depth charts drive our recruitment, but also help us look at where we look to spend our money, rather than an agent telling me he has a player at value X and then tries to sell him”

(Previous Head Coach – Top 14)

Depth charts are a way that coaches and organisations do their succession planning. Depth charts are also representative of the way the team wants to play and how the coach compiles his squad. Certain organisations have different strategies in compiling playing squads, this links with the strategic plan of the organisation.

“There are two ways of doing things. Contract lots of players at a lower price and try to build a team from there, or replace quality with quality to keep the performance of the team consistent”

(Head Coach – Pro 14)

Coaches also emphasised the need for succession planning to be done well in advance, to prevent an increase in value of certain players as result of timing.

“There are times when you need a particular position or player in your squad and you need to go and get him and just say I am willing to pay extra for this guy for the value he will add to the team”

(Director of Rugby – Premiership)

Figure 4: On-field factors as highlighted by professional rugby coaches.

In the next part we will be looking at on-field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players from the perspective of the Senior Management within the organisation.

Summary: A one page summary slide for your benifit:

1.On field characteristics that Head Coaches and Directors of Rugby (DOR) said they are looking for

2.On field factors that Head Coaches and Directors of Rugby (DOR) said they are looking for

Tip: Click on above links to open summary slides

The Final Pass

Beyond Back-to-Back: How Symbols, Unity, and Belief Drive Winning Teams

Success vs Happiness: The Winning Formula in Sport

Navigating the Digital Lens: A Step-by-Step Small Business Video Marketing Manual

Understanding Types of Video Marketing

Targeting Your Audience

Setting a Realistic Budget

Enlisting Professional Help

Integration with Content Marketing

Measuring Campaign Effectiveness

Optimising Videos for SEO

Leadership in High Performance Environments

At the end of 2022 I was offered a different challenge within my rugby coaching career.

Finding your 'why'?

What is your purpose?

Do you know your 'why'?

Commitment vs Involvement

Discipline in Sport

Motivators for Discipline in Sport

Not just successful in sport, but also in life.

The importance of sport in our modern day society

What role does sport play in our modern day society?

A lethal combination: Culture and High Performance

The big buzzwords in sport currently are ‘Culture’ and ‘High Performance’. Can these two buzzers be a lethal combination within a sporting environment?

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? – Conclusions and Recommendations

A summary of the on and off-field characteristics and factors that play a role in the monetary valuation of a professional rugby player.

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? – Part 6

Off field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players as mentioned by Professional Rugby Coaches within professional rugby organisations.

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? – Part 5

Off field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players as mentioned by Senior Management within professional rugby organisations.

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? – Part 4

Off field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players as mentioned by Agents representing Rugby Union Players.

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? - Part 3

On field characteristics and factors determining the monetary value of professional Rugby Union players as mentioned by Agents representing Rugby Union Players

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? - Part 2

On field characteristics and factors that Senior Management of Professional Rugby Organisations said that they are looking for.

What determines the monetary value of a professional Rugby Union player? - Part 1

On field characteristics and factors that Head Coaches and Directors of Rugby (DOR) said they are looking for.

The big buzzwords in sport currently are ‘Culture’ and ‘High Performance’.
Can these two buzzers be a lethal combination within a sporting environment?