European Scientific Journal September 2017 edition Vol.13, No.

27 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431

Strategies for the Management of Risks in Sports for

Sports Administrators in State Sports Councils,
South East, Nigeria

Dr. Linda N. Chukwurah

Dr. Godfrey C. Nji
Mr. Michael Nwokoji
Prof. O.A. Umeakuka
Department of Human Kinetics, and Health Education, UNN

doi: 10.19044/esj.2017.v13n27p459 URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/esj.2017.v13n27p459

Abstract
Risks cannot be completely eliminated from sports hence the need to
formulate strategies for the management of risks in sports such as risk of
injury, risk of financial or monetary loss and risk of damaging of sports
facilities. The study involved seven experts. A 33 items Risk Management
Strategies for Sports Administrators Questionnaire (RMSSADsQ) was used
for data collection. Copies of the questionnaire were given to the experts to
rate the appropriateness of the proposed strategies and the data were
analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.
2.50 was used as the criterion mean which implies that any item with less
than 2.50 mean score was not considered as a strategy. 30 out of the 33 items
were adjudged appropriate as strategies for managing risks in sports. Based
on the findings, the researchers therefore recommend that sports
administrators should adopt or adapt the formulated risk management
strategies in order to enhance effective handling of risks in sports in their
various sports councils and organizations.
Keywords: Risks, injury, financial loss and damage of sports facilities.

Introduction
Risks are unavoidable dimension of sports. Risks in sports cannot be
completely removed because risks make up greater part of what sports
activities are. Risk in sports is the chance of injury, damage or loss for sports
organizations; this means the chance of injury to the participants, damage to
property or other loss to the organization, directors, volunteers or other
(Duch, 2002). According to Miller and Veltri (2003), risk in sports has to do
with injury while carrying out sports activities, or financial loss or damage to

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sports facilities. Risks in sports from the above definitions means the
possibility of incurring unpleasant result from sports activities depending on
the classification or type of risks.
On the classification risks in sports, Ross (2005) classified risks in
sports to be risk of injury, loss of reputation, risk of damaging sports
facilities and risk of financial loss. Isaac (2009) classified risks in sports as
risk of injury, financial or economic loss and risk of damage to sports
facilities. This study focused on formulating strategies for the management
of risks such as risk of injury, risk of monetary or financial loss and risk of
damaging of sports facilities.
Injury is a part of sports activities that cannot be removed completely.
According to Liebert (2009), risk of injury stems from the nature of the game
and specific activities of the participants both during their participation and
during events that surround their participation. For example, collision sports
such as football and ice hockey characteristically have more acute traumatic
injuries than sports such as swimming and track; boxing has more head-
related trauma because of the focus of the sports. Sports activities are injury
prone, though some expose athletes to greater chance of incurring injury.
Football for instance involves collision and tackling which increase the
possibility of players experiencing serious injuries such as concussion,
fracture, among others. Basically, when athletes are injured they will not
participate in subsequent competitions or events, when which would
negatively affect the performance of the team, especially if the star player is
injured. For example; the injury records from the Australian Football
Tournament (AFT) (2015) show that over the last 20years, the premiership
has usually been won by the teams with the lowest, or one of the lowest
injury counts. Also, Hardman and Stensel (2009) stated that an injury to a
participation can lead to a lawsuit that will cost the organization and very
possibly higher future insurance cost.
Financial loss is another risk sports councils or sports organizations
are exposed to. Financial loss in sports occurs when sports
councils/organization lose expected income from sports events. Financial
loss in sports can be as a result of successful liability cases or teams
withdrawing from invited sports events. On withdrawing from sports events,
Tymoshenke (2013) reported that Euro Soccer Championship organizers
experienced severe financial loss when teams withdrew from the
championship in Ukarine. On the other hand, Miles (2013) published a legal
case involving Ridolfi Rlett and Trinidad High School sports organizers. The
report showed that the school coaches were found guilty after Ridolfi Rlett
suffered concussion during a practice section, and the jury awarded the
plaintiff the sum of 11.5million dollars as damages. Also, Miles (2013)
published another case in which Las Awaras County Sports administrators in

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Mexico were found liable and lost the sum of 3.1million dollars in
compensation. When sports councils lose financially, accomplishment of
planned objectives/activities would jeopardized thereby leading to poor
productivity of the organization. Kotecki (2009) opined that the effects of
financial loss in sports council include; relegation from elite competitions
because athletes may leave due to non-payment; loss of human resources;
and non-achievement of goals.
Sports facilities are important in the actualization of objectives of
sports councils, and damage to sports facilities puts an end to planned
activities. Damage to sports facilities can be caused by natural factors such
as erosion, storm and flood or vandalization. In the case of natural causes,
Orchard (2007) reported that in the year 2006, storm damaged University of
Northern Iowa sports and recreation facility leading to stoppage of activities.
Collin (2010) reported that flood caused the damage of 5million pounds
sports facilities in California; and Queen Elizabeth 11 park multi-use in
Christ church, New Zealand, with the capacity of 25,000 people was
damaged by the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. On vandalization, The Daily
California (2010) recounted that four teens vandalized UC Berkeley sports
facilities and the damages caused were estimated to be between 3-5,000
dollars. Similarly, Powell (2014) reported that vandals caused significant
damage to sporting facilities at an oval in the Northern Perth suburb of
Carine by igniting baseball batting nets, leading to a loss of approximately
60,000 dollars. The present study focused on these risks because they are the
risks that are pertinent to sports administrators and sports organizations,
including sports councils in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, Solabi (2005) stated that sports organizations and
administrators focus more in bringing funds to their organizations without
adequate plans on ways to manage risks as they occur in activities.
According to Ighodaro (2005), stakeholders in sports industry in Nigeria and
West African countries need to see the importance for the administrators not
only teach basic skills and techniques in their various sports, but also to
ensure that the environment and other logistics are put in place to prevent
risks to athletes and the organization. Ighodaro further stated that it is very
expedient for sports administrators in Nigeria to have basic knowledge of
risk management in sports so as to become aware of their legal roles in order
to avert litigations as this will help in the transformation of sports and sports
programme in the country. Without adequate and effective risks management
in sports, sports administrators would not only expose athletes to preventable
risks, but also expose themselves and sports councils to legal cases that may
lead to financial loss. Therefore, the prevent effort to formulate risks
management strategies for sports administrator in order to minimize the
occurrence and effects of risks such as injury, damage of sports facilities and

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financial loss, especially, those in State sports councils, South East, Nigeria,
because south east parades notable football clubs such as Enyimba of Aba,
Football Club Ifeanyi Uba of Anambra, Rangers FC of Enugu, among others.
Strategies involve different actions for the achievement of a goal.
Kvint (2009) defined strategy as a system of finding, formulating and
developing a doctrine that will ensure long term success if followed
faithfully. To Nickols (2012), strategy refers to a complex web of thoughts,
ideas and plans that provides general guidance for specific actions in pursuit
of a particular end. Strategy involves plans and actions for reaching a
particular goal such as mapping out ways to effectively manage risks of
injury, financial loss and damage to sports facilities in sports councils and
sports organizations. This is expected to optimize the effectiveness and
efficiency of organization and administration of sports councils.

Research Question
1. What are the strategies that can be formulated to manage risks in
sports?

Methods
The study adopted descriptive survey research design. In order to
formulate strategies for the management of risks in sports for sports
administrators in State sports councils, South East, Nigeria, copies of the
validated instrument titled Risk Management Strategies for Sports
Administrators Questionnaire (RMSSADsQ) which contained 33 items on
the proposed strategies were given to experts to rate the appropriateness or
inappropriateness of the items. The instrument obtained a reliability index of
.78 using cronbach alpha correlation coefficient. Statistical Package for
Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for all the data analysis, and
been that it’s a 4point rating scale, 2.50 was used as the criterion mean. This
implies that any item that obtained a mean score of 2.50 and above was
considered for inclusion as a strategy. However, any item with less than 2.50
mean score was considered not appropriate for inclusion as a strategy.

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Table 1: Proposed strategies for managing risks in sports (n=7)

Data contained in the table show that 30 out of 33 proposed risk

management strategies for the sports administrators were adjudged
appropriate. This shows that the experts acknowledged that the strategies are

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capable of bringing improvement in ways of managing risks in the State

sports councils, South East, Nigeria.

Final package of strategies of managing risks in sports for the Sports

administrators.

Risks in Sports General Objectives Strategies

Risk of Injury  Protect athletes from 1. Sports administrators should ensure
preventable injuries. that playing surfaces are even or
 Reduce the rate and leveled at all times.
severity of injuries. 2. Sports administrators should always
 Avoid exposing athletes ensure that grounds-men pick round
to unnecessary harm. playing courts and field after training
 Ensure trainings are or practices.
appropriately planned 3. Using appropriate and standard
and followed. equipment and facilities should be
 Protect the sports made mandatory in sports councils.
administrators from legal 4. Sports administrators should always
cases as a result of injury insist that athletes or participants put
or injuries. on the appropriate outfit and
protective gear during every sports
activity.
5. Athletes or participants should be
made to adhere to rules of a game.
This could be done by the coach
officiating training sessions strictly by
the standard rules of the game.
6. Rusty equipment and facilities should
not be used, not even for practices.
7. Qualified coaches should be employed
by the sports councils.
8. Only qualified sports psychologists
and fitness coach should be employed
for all sports.
9. Beginning sports participants should
not be left unsupervised.
10. Sports administrators should always
ensure that injured athletes are
attended to immediately.
11. There should be proper documentation
of injuries that occur in sports
councils and reviewed periodically.
Risk of  To avoid liability cases 1. Sports councils should avoid liability
Financial Loss against sports cases by treating injured athletes or
administrators and sports participants adequately irrespective of
councils. the cost.
 Reduce financial burden 2. Sports administrators and sports
on sports councils councils should insist that athletes or
through insurance policy. participants sign the waiver form
 Avoid unnecessary and before engaging in sports activities.
unexplainable expenses. This could be achieved by coaches
collecting properly filled and signed
waiver form from the athletes before
activities begin.

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3. Sports councils should ensure that

experienced first aid giver is always
available during practices or events
with well equipped first aid box.
4. Sports events or competitions should
be properly planned. This could be
done by allocating enough time frame
for planning events.
5. Sports councils should insure their
sports administrators with the
appropriate insurance coverage or
policy.
6. Accidents insurance coverage should
be provided for athletes in sports
councils. This would help to
adequately treat athletes with severe
or life-threatening injury without
considering the cost.
7. Sports councils should insist that
sports administrators keep proper
account of their income and
expenditure. This would assist in
keeping track of money spent and the
purpose.
8. Sports administrators should always
insist on durable sports equipment and
facilities.
9. There should always be detailed
financial records in sports councils
and reviewed periodically.
Risk of  Avoid frequent damage, 1. Sports administrators should insist on
Damaging repairs and purchase of the use of quality material in
Sports facilities. constructing sports facilities.
Facilities  Preventing vandalization 2. Sports facilities should be maintained
of sports facilities. properly. This would prolong the life-
 Avoid further damage of span of the facilities.
and prevent abandoning 3. Guided by prescribed standard, trusted
of sports facilities. construction companies should be
given the contract of erecting or
renovating sports facilities.
4. Security alarms should be installed in
sports councils and around sports
facilities.
5. Experienced security men should be
employed from reputable security firm
to guard sports facilities and sports
councils especially at nights.
6. Original solar light should be installed
round the sports councils and sports
facilities to aid security at night.
7. Sports councils should not delay in
checking erosion incursion around
sports facilities.
8. Sports administrators should ensure
that damaged sports facilities are
properly repaired immediately.

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9. Sports administrators should always

carry out routine check on sports
facilities.
10. There should always be
comprehensive reports on the
condition of sports facilities kept in
the sports councils and periodically
reviewed. This would assist sports
councils to always know the status of
sports facilities and determine when
repairs, renovation or purchase is
needed.

The final package of the strategies for managing specified risks in

sports were mapped out after removing all items in the formulated strategies
that did not obtain up to 2.50 and above criterion mean (decision mean).
Also, items in the final package were carefully mapped out in simple forms
(languages and terms) that sports administrators would easily understand and
apply them effectively.

Recommendations
Sports administrators in Nigeria, especially, those in State sports
councils, South East, Nigeria, should endeavor to utilize the formulated
strategies for managing risks such as injury, financial or monetary loss and
damage to sports facilities. This would minimize the occurrence of risks in
sports and ensure effective risks management in sports generally.

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