ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the nature of the federal model of sport governance with a particular emphasis on investigating intra-sport cohesion between regional and national bodies charged with governing a sport. A central tenet of a not-for-profit sport system is the systemic or federated nature of the governance structures. The federated nature of sport systems has a significant impact on the governance of each organisation in the network and indeed the governance of the entire sport. The federal model of sport governance continues to remain steadfastly in place in the majority of sporting networks within countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and parts of Europe. The opportunity exists for scholars to explore in greater depth the key elements highlighted thus far, not only to increase understanding, but also to better determine the capacity of sport organisations to both implement and sustain collaborative governance arrangements in the long term.
