Strategy – Communication – Reputation – Education
Australia’s first specialist advisory firm dedicated to working with sporting organisations, of all sizes and across all codes, to enhance and protect their reputations and ensure their long-term sustainability, through the lens of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors.
Competition in Australian sport for corporate sponsorship, government funding, grounds and facilities, athletes and volunteers, has never been greater.
Along with heightened societal expectations of transparency and accountability, sporting organisations are under increasing pressure to lift their game across all aspects of their operations, if they are to thrive financially and remain relevant over the long-term.
Sustainable Sport Australia (SSA) provides specialist strategy, communication, reputation advisory and education services to the Australian sporting sector, and especially at the intersection of corporates and sport, and the growing expectations of ESG performance.
ESG programs help to attract funding, build loyalty, improve financial performance, make operations sustainable and, ultimately, gain a competitive edge.
Sustainable Sport Australia pays its respect to the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the valuable contribution Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have made, and continue to make, to Australian sport and society.
We (sports) all compete with each other. We compete for athletes, for facilities, for sponsors and for volunteers. The better organised sports will do better.
Sir Rod Eddington
Chairman of the Rugby World Cup (2027, 2029)
Our Approach
Sustainable Sport Australia (SSA) is focused on simplifying the overcomplicated for busy Boards and Executive Teams in the sporting sector. Organisations can sometimes fail to recognise and capture the ESG value that already exists within their ‘four walls’. At the outset, SSA’s approach is to help unlock and enhance that latent value.
Following that, SSA supports its clients in the development of strategies and practical programs that meet stakeholder expectations, at the very least, as well as drive quantifiable returns in the future.
Understanding ESG
ESG is an umbrella framework used to consider an organisation’s impact on their communities and economies through environment, social and governance dimensions.
An organisation’s approach to ESG – across any sector – will increasingly underpin its reputation with its stakeholders and its ongoing access to critical resources.
Put simply, the implementation of a sound ESG strategy is good risk management, which is mostly commonplace within the corporate environment. It is timely for Australian sport to adopt a more critical mindset with respect to its own risk management.
Sporting organisations that have a strong ESG position and strategy will outperform those without a clear plan.
John Gardner
Founder, Sustainable Sport Australia
The Intersection of ESG and Sport
Current ESG issues and opportunities facing Australian sporting organisations, include:
Environment
- Climate Action
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Carbon Footprint
- Water Consumption
- Energy Consumption
- Renewable Energy Use
- Packaging and Waste
- Facilities Management
- Activism (against Sponsors)
- Supply Chain Integrity
Governance
- Board Make-Up and Independence
- Member Rights
- Succession Planning
- Policies and Practices
- Sponsor and Partnership Selection
- Risk Management
- Wage Equality
- Executive Remuneration, Compensation
- Transparency and Reporting
What We Do
Sustainable Sport Australia (SSA) works with sporting codes, administrators, associations, clubs and athletes to develop and deliver communication and stakeholder strategies to enhance and protect their reputations and ensure their long-term sustainability, through the lens of ESG factors.
Our advisory services extend to include strategic communication, issues preparation and mitigation, reputation and crisis management, media relations, including media and presentation training, Board and Executive Team advisory, and ongoing strategic support.
We must use the power of sport as an agent of social change.
Kofi Annan
Former United Nations Secretary-General
Why do this?
A proactive ESG and Reputation Strategy will deliver several benefits, including:
Attraction of Funding and Sponsorship Support
Increased Resilience and Recovery from Issues
Stronger Fan and Community Loyalty
Improved Financial Performance
Greater Operational Efficiencies
Improved Attraction and Retention of Talent
Our Services
Our suite of services spans the development and implementation of practical strategies, tailored communication to engage relevant stakeholders and the proactive management of reputation to enhance and retain a sporting organisation’s value.
Our engagement with clients is typically on a project by project or retained basis, working collaboratively with inhouse resources and capabilities.
Strategy
- Qualitative and quantitative data, industry insights and technical analysis to develop practical operational, communication and engagement strategies, in alignment with business objectives and relevant sustainability frameworks, where applicable.
- Leverage SSA’s deep consulting experience and relevant industry relationships to embed, roll-out, monitor and refine strategies, on an ongoing basis.
Communication
- Professional reporting (half year, full year) on ESG and sustainability performance.
- Strategic communication to support and manage critical events, including partnerships, sponsorships, transactions and/or ownership changes.
- Proactive management of ESG performance between reporting cycles.
- Purpose-driven marketing and storytelling; media strategy, stakeholder communication, partner relations and engagement.
Reputation
- Proactive/Reactive management of issues – both those identified and the unforeseen – in the context of overall strategy.
- Using the power of sport to help our clients achieve a positive reputation profile through community programs, events and activities.
- Leverage profile to achieve business objectives in a highly competitive environment, including the attraction and retention of funding.
Education
- Supporting sporting organisations at a Board and Executive level to understand ESG and its relationship with the Australian sporting sector.
- Board immersion presentations; Executive training and familiarisation to become a more sustainable organisation across all facets of operations (environmental, social, financial, human capital).
Giving Back
Sustainable Sport Australia has an established track-record of ‘giving back’, through community and philanthropic endeavours to support mental health and cancer research.
Who We Are
Our Team
Headed by its founder, Sustainable Sport Australia draws on a network of relevant industry relationships and technical specialists to develop, embed, roll-out, monitor and refine strategies for clients across Australia.
Our Founder
John Gardner is known for his advisory experience, as Founder and Managing Director of Australia’s leading independent corporate and financial communication firm, prior to its sale to an international entity in 2022.
A visionary, he continues to share his strategic foresight and pragmatic stewardship with Boards and Executive teams of publicly-listed and private companies across most industry sectors.
John is committed to partnering with sporting organisations to ensure their long-term relevance and operational sustainability, thereby maximising their potential.
He has established Sustainable Sport Australia to provide codes, administrators, associations, clubs and athletes with pragmatic and practical solutions to better navigate the issues facing sport in an increasingly competitive environment.
John’s strategic approach and objectivity is highly valued by Boards and Executive teams alike, bringing important perspective and insight to the task.
John is a passionate and long-time participant in sport. He has served on several Boards, including his current roles as Director, WA Cricket Foundation (the philanthropic arm of WA Cricket), and Australian sports hydration product, eniQ.
He has a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing and Public Relations) from Curtin University and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Sports Environment Alliance (SEA).
Our Values
Teamwork
Sustainable Sport Australia understands the benefits of team collaboration and sharing, both in work and in life. We are committed to working side-by-side with our clients in an open and honest manner, to achieve shared success.
Integrity
Sustainable Sport Australia will achieve success through its adherence to ethical principles, the establishment of trusted relationships and a commitment to always delivering on its word.
Excellence
Sustainable Sport Australia is driven by the shared benefit of excellent work, to deliver success for its clients and to underpin its own future success.
Community
Sustainable Sport Australia’s team is a committed and consistent contributor to the communities in which it operates, including through the provision of ‘pro bono’ services and fundraising support for mental health and cancer research.
