Getting culture club right
Crucial steps for support, growth, success and fun
The importance of creating a culture within your sport or training group sets up how you would like to grow.
Creating the right sports team culture is crucial for success. It’s not just about winning games, but also about building a positive environment that fosters growth, development, and teamwork.
To create the right culture, it’s important to have a clear vision and mission that everyone understands and takes ownership of.
Additionally, communication is key, and it’s important to establish open and honest lines of communication between coaches, athletes, and parents.
Finally, it’s important to promote a culture of accountability, where everyone takes responsibility for their actions and works towards a common goal. By creating and maintaining the right culture, it is possible to get good performance in training and competition.
So, what is culture? Culture is all about the way athletes behave, and this behaviour is a reflection of the individual’s or team’s values. That’s why it’s so important to develop a respectful set of values everyone can share and work towards.
When we’re all aligned on values and behaviours, we’re more likely to achieve success together.
With many national championships coming up, it is essential to create a supportive and respectful culture to increase the odds of success.
So many sports have a wonderful historical culture – respecting and recognising the history of their sport. AFL, rugby league, rugby union, cricket, basketball and others have a way of including past players. I admire this as history plays a huge part in developing a strong culture.
It’s interesting to look back on how some teams have struggled with a negative culture.
I suppose it is sometimes down to pressure and expectation and how athletes react to this.
In Australia, we’ve seen several high-profile examples of this, including the 2012 Olympic swimming team, the Australian Cricket team, the Australian Davis Cup team, and the Wallabies rugby union team.
I am not going to comment on the teams other than swimming, but the “powers that be” have obviously responded and changed the culture as it was so important for resultant performance.
I can remember listening to Cate Campbell a short time ago speak about how swimming changed its culture.
The main issue was that of the expectations of team members’ performances. It was expected (from history), that the swimming team would bring home medals from major championship events.
CONFIDENCE UNDER THREAT
When this doesn’t happen, athletes lose confidence.
Swimming brought together a leadership group to create a “mantra” that would create a positive culture within the group. It had to be simple and easy for all to commit to.
The leadership group came up with the mantra, “I’ve got your back”. This was particularly helpful when athletes did not perform up to expectation.
The thing is, as an elite athlete you expect the best performances from yourself without feeling the pressure from anyone else.
For the media and other reporting avenues to then place further pressure does not promote a healthy mindset.
All members of the team needed to take ownership of this approach to help establish a supportive environment. The resultant efforts created a winning and successful team – this is reflective of their current successes.
To help build a positive sporting culture I think it is important to start it from a young age. Some areas to consider are:
Foster a supportive environment to help create a space where everyone feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential.
Understand the team dynamics and any pressures they are feeling.
Build trust.
Create co-operation. Encourage development. Minimise conflict. Build collaboration, trust, and open communication among team members. This will create an environment where your team members feel valued and supported.
I certainly cannot comment on other teams that have had issues with culture, but efforts have certainly changed the demeanour of the sport with the culture now an expression of the team’s joint values, attitude, and goals.
Culture creates the atmosphere that permeates every aspect of a team’s experience. Your goal is to create a team culture that nurtures individual and team growth, success, and fun!
Coaches need to take an active (though not dominating) role in the creation of a team culture. Through their leadership and open discussions with team members, the team can identify the values, attitudes, and goals that they want to act on as the foundation of the team culture.
This collaborative approach to team culture will ensure that everyone on the team feels a sense of ownership of the culture and, as a result, is completely in agreeance.
I can only encourage coaches and sporting clubs to sit down with other coaches and athletes to discuss the kind of culture your team wants to have.
Proactively creating a healthy team culture will pay off in so many ways during the competitive season, including improved communication and reduced conflict, a more positive vibe, better team functioning and, almost always, higher levels of performance and success for the team and its individual members.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Gold Coast Academy would like to take the opportunity to remind parents and athletes that this is the last opportunity to apply for the two Queensland Carbine Club scholarships which are available. It is with great pleasure that the Academy, in partnership with the Carbine Club, launch the scholarship program where two athletes will be given funds to help them in their endeavours in their chosen sport.
We would encourage parents and athletes to apply for this scholarship to help their journey.
The Carbine Club bursary applications are now open and will close shortly – to be awarded in late April.
We would encourage all young athletes between the ages of 15 and 19 to apply to help with costs of training, competition, equipment and travel.
All information is on the Academy’s website: www.goldsport.com.au
In 2023, the Academy and the Carbine Club were able to offer bursaries to two young girls, helping them in their sporting journey. Julia Mannell in taekwondo and Charlie Guy in BMX.
Don’t hesitate – get your applications in.
Glynis Nunn is an Olympic champion and the executive director of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport