Responsibility in Sports Organisations Is No Longer the Future. Webinar Summary with Miłosz Marchlewicz

The fourth webinar of the CSR in Sport Academy is now behind us. During the meeting, participants discussed how ESG regulations and organisational responsibility are increasingly influencing the functioning of professional sport. The guest speaker was Miłosz Marchlewicz – an expert in PR and communication in the field of sustainable development.

The webinar focused primarily on the practical aspects of responsibility in sports organisations and on why ESG-related issues are no longer just an additional element of sports clubs’ activities, but are becoming part of everyday management.

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Sport Today Is a Fully-Fledged Organisation

One of the key topics of the webinar was viewing a sports club as a fully-fledged organisation operating similarly to other business entities. Miłosz Marchlewicz emphasised that modern sports clubs have their own infrastructure, budgets, staff and extensive relationships with their environment. As a result, they are responsible not only for sporting results, but also for the way they manage resources, organise events and build relationships with sponsors and local communities.

In practice, this means that sports organisations are increasingly subject to requirements similar to those faced by companies operating in other sectors – both in terms of transparency and social or environmental responsibility.

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ESG Is No Longer Optional

A significant part of the webinar focused on the changing approach to responsibility in sports organisations. The speaker pointed out that only a few years ago CSR activities were often treated as additional image-building initiatives. Today, the situation looks very different – sponsors, local governments and public institutions expect sports clubs to demonstrate increasing responsibility and professionalism.

Issues related to reporting, impact measurement and stakeholder relationship management are also becoming more important. As Miłosz Marchlewicz highlighted, sports clubs are becoming part of their business partners’ value chains, and the lack of ESG-related actions may directly affect sponsorship cooperation and organisational credibility.

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Transparency and Credibility

Another important topic discussed during the webinar was transparency in sports organisations. Participants highlighted, among other things, the role of public funding in sport and the responsibility clubs have towards local communities. During the discussion, it was emphasised that a sports club should be a trustworthy partner – both for sponsors and for fans or local authorities.

Transparency of activities and financial clarity were identified as some of the key elements in building trust in sports organisations.

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Environmental Issues Are Becoming Increasingly Important in Sport

A large part of the discussion was also devoted to environmental issues, which are increasingly affecting the functioning of sports clubs.

Topics discussed included:

• energy costs and infrastructure maintenance,
• waste management during sporting events,
• environmental regulations,
• organisation of mass events,
• growing requirements imposed by leagues and sports organisations.

The speaker emphasised that many sports organisations are already subject to environmental regulations – even if these are not always directly associated with ESG.

The discussion also touched on educating fans and event participants, particularly in relation to waste management and implementing more sustainable solutions during mass sporting events.

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ESG Starts with Management

One of the most important messages of the webinar was that responsibility in sports organisations does not begin with reports and documents. As Miłosz Marchlewicz pointed out, ESG starts primarily with management decisions, organisational processes and a conscious approach to managing a club’s impact.

The speaker also noted that many sports clubs are already implementing sustainability-related actions – often without explicitly calling them ESG activities. The key, however, is to organise these activities and develop them strategically and consistently over the long term.

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Responsibility as a Competitive Advantage

The meeting also showed that responsibility and ESG are increasingly becoming a source of competitive advantage for sports organisations. Clubs that start implementing professional impact management earlier can build greater credibility, attract partners more easily and develop their organisations more effectively.

The webinar provided an opportunity to look at responsibility in sports organisations not only as an obligation resulting from regulations, but above all as an element of modern and conscious sports management.

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CSR in Sport Academy

The CSR in Sport Academy is a series of nine online meetings with practitioners from the sports industry. Each webinar provides concrete examples, experiences and practical tips that participants can implement in their own organisations.

Next week, participants will meet another speaker – Jarosław Żubka.

There are still five webinars ahead of us, and registration remains open. Join us!

If you were unable to attend the webinar live, you can catch up by watching the full recording here. A complete transcript is also available, allowing you to revisit the most important conclusions and recommendations at any time.

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