Applying Military principles to manage your sports club

Managing a sports club is not an easy task. It requires a lot of skills, knowledge, and experience to run a successful and sustainable organisation that can achieve its goals and overcome its challenges. But did you know that you can learn a lot from the military leaders who have mastered the art and science of managing complex and dynamic situations? In this blog post, we will explore how the military principles of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) can help you improve your sports club management, and how they can benefit your club in various aspects.

The ADF has developed 10 military principles that guide its planning and execution of operations. These principles are based on the accumulated wisdom and best practices of the military profession, and they reflect the core values and ethos of the ADF. These principles are not only applicable to the military context, but also to any other domain that involves managing people, resources, and activities. Therefore, they can be very useful for sports club managers who face similar challenges and opportunities in their field.

The 10 military principles of the ADF are:

• Selection and maintenance of the aim

• Concentration of force

• Cooperation

• Economy of effort

• Security

• Offensive action

• Surprise

• Flexibility

• Sustainment

• Maintenance of morale

By applying these principles to your sports club management, you can:

• Have a clear and achievable vision and mission for your club, and align your club’s values, purpose, and objectives with them

• Prioritise and allocate your club’s resources and efforts on the most important and critical aspects of your club’s goals, and deliver quality outcomes and results

• Foster a culture of collaboration, trust, and respect among your club members, staff, and stakeholders, and work together as a team

• Use your club’s resources and efforts efficiently and effectively, and optimise your club’s productivity and quality

• Protect your club’s assets and interests from threats and risks, and comply with your club’s policies, rules, and regulations

• Take proactive and decisive actions to achieve your club’s goals, and anticipate and overcome your club’s challenges and weaknesses

• Surprise your club’s opponents and competitors by doing something unexpected or unconventional, and exploit your club’s advantages and opportunities

• Adapt your club’s plans and actions to changing circumstances and situations, and be prepared and resilient in the face of uncertainty and adversity

• Ensure that your club has adequate and reliable supplies and support for your club’s activities, and that your club’s impact and legacy are positive and lasting

• Maintain your club’s morale and spirit, and recognise and reward your club’s contributions and achievements

In the coming weeks, we will dive into the each of the principles and discuss their application to the management of a sports club. Following these principles will help you improve your club’s performance, culture, and sustainability, and achieve your club’s goals. You can also become a better leader, manager, and team player for your club, and inspire and influence others to do the same.

Next week – Selection and maintenance of the aim - High value customers are those who identify with you. By identifying your aim and acting in accordance with it, these customers become your promoters.