The Growth and Sustainability of Small Sports Organizations: An Analysis of Malaysia Ice Hockey Federation

Abstract

Sport organizations have had to face numerous challenges as society continues to demand more from sports in general. In todays changing world small sport federations face various challenges in terms of governance, human resource management and strategic planning. Majority of sports organizations today are nonprofit, run exclusively by volunteers and have few, if any, paid staff. Volunteers in this instance can be categorized as core and non-core units. Strategic management tools not only can help examine these organizations but also chart its future. Governance, volunteer management, role ambiguity, and strategic capabilities of the board provided the theoretical backbone for this study. This empirical study on the Malaysia Ice Hockey Federation shows how similar organizations can benefit from an alignment with stewardship theory as opposed to an agency theory through the use of situational analysis and in-depth interviews. In this study, four areas were identified as key themes in its current situation. They are: governance, lack of structure, funding and future growth. The operational and management reviews provided a reference point from which the organization can base its future strategic planning.