Certificate in Sports Governance

Overview

Looking for a solid understanding of the principles of sports governance? The Level 4 Certificate in Sports Governance is the ideal foundation to build your knowledge.

An accessible and practical qualification, it’s relevant to organisations of all sizes — whether you're part of a national governing body, Active Partnerships, or a grassroots local club.

With no formal entry requirements, anyone with paid or voluntary governance responsibilities in a sports organisation can develop their knowledge. And if you're trying to get into a sports governance role, it’s a great qualification to help you stand out.

Details

Format: Guided learning
Cost: £1,177
Duration: 8-9 Months (Next start October 2025)
Discount for CGIUKI members
Bursaries available
No previous qualifications needed
Affiliated membership eligible

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What you’ll learn

By the end of the course, you'll be able to:

Understand the principles of sports governance and their importance in the sports industry.
Recognise the different types of sports organisations and their governance structures.
Analyse the challenges facing sports governance and propose solutions to address them.
Evaluate the impact of relevant legislation on sports organisations and their governance.
Identify the risks facing sports organisations and develop strategies for managing them.
Understand the importance of ethics, compliance, and stakeholder engagement in sports governance.
Apply the principles of good governance to evaluate sports organisations and their governance structures.

Suitable for

Anyone who has, or wants to have, governance responsibilities in a sports organisation, including:

Company secretary or assistant company secretary
Sports administrator
Non-executive director
Sports development officer
Policy advisor

What you’ll get

Award: Level 4 Certificate, equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree
Registration, one exam and certification fees covered
Digital copies of the syllabus, materials and study text
Live study support webinars
Access to online learning platform, where you can ask questions and discuss topics with other students
CGIUKI student membership throughout your course
MyCG access — member-exclusive online portal with past papers and mark schemes
Access to a community of practice with like-minded professionals via our online learning management portal
Eligible for CGIUKI affiliated membership upon completion
Networking opportunities for SGA bursary students

Content

The course is delivered through an online learning platform (LMS), where you can also ask questions and discuss topics with other students. There are live webinar events, which are recorded so you can catch up if you can’t watch them live. The course is divided into four modules, each covering different aspects of sports governance in the UK.

The learning content covered by the certificate is also available in a modular format. This allows students to undertake one or more modules which are of particular interest to them, without the commitment of completing the entire course and the assessment process.

Modules
Module 1	Common across a number of our Level 4 certificates and covers core governance knowledge and skills. This will give students an in-depth grounding in the principles of good governance.
Module 2	Introduces sports governance, including its principles, structures, and relevant legislation.
Module 3	Focuses on the challenges facing sports governance, including the influence of sporting federations and the role of governance structures.
Module 4	Covers risk, compliance, and finance in sports, including funding, risk management, ethics, and stakeholder engagement.

Assessment

Successful completion of this course will be dependent on you passing the assessment. Your overall grade at the end of the course is made up of marks from two components:

A written assignment worth 60% of your overall result
A multiple-choice assessment worth 40% of your overall result

To pass the course and achieve the qualification, you will have to achieve a pass for the written assignment and a pass for the multiple-choice question exam.

Bursary

We’re proud to offer free places on the Certificate in Sports Governance and individual modules via a bursary scheme from the Sports Governance Academy (SGA), our partnership with Sports England, UK Sport, sportscotland, Sport Wales and Sport Northern Ireland.

Apply for a bursary on the SGA website