Catch up on SportsinQ’s activities

Updates, Insights and Milestones

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Our research projects

PhD Research: Leadership Effectiveness in Sport Governance

How do we define and measure great leadership in sport? In an era where professional sport organizations face growing complexity, visibility, and societal responsibility, this question is more relevant than ever. At Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Bartel Berkhout is conducting PhD research that seeks to answer it — bridging academic rigor with real-world leadership practice in sport governance.

Supervised by Prof. Dr. Melanie de Ruiter (promotor) and Dr. Jan-Willem van der Roest (co-promotor), and supported by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) (link sportkunde, research), this research explores how sport executives develop, act, and perform effectively within their organizations.

At its core lies the creation of the Sport Leadership Competency Instrument (SLCI) — an evidence-based model that identifies and measures the leadership competencies that truly matter in professional sport.

The dissertation, titled “Developing and Measuring Leadership Competencies of Sport Managers and Understanding Their Leadership Effectiveness in Professional Dutch Sport Organizations”, consists of four interconnected studies that:

Develop and validate the SLCI through expert input and empirical testing;
Apply Upper Echelons Theory to examine how leaders’ competencies and experiences shape governance effectiveness;
Explore pivotal experiences that influence leadership growth and identity in sport executives;
Evaluate the long-term impact of the Sports Leadership Program (SLP) using the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Framework.

The project contributes to a deeper academic understanding of competency-based leadership while offering applied frameworks to strengthen governance, ethics, and high performance in sport.

The research directly informs SportsInQ’s leadership and governance programs, ensuring each intervention — from executive coaching to board development — is grounded in evidence, measurement, and real-world impact.

Project blue shift – Reimagining the Societal Value of Elite Sport

Project BlueShift is a groundbreaking national research and innovation programme exploring how elite sport can increase its visibility, meaning, and societal impact in the Netherlands. The project is led by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) in collaboration with SportsInQ, and funded through ZonMw’s “MOOI in Beweging” programme on the societal value of elite sport.

From SportsInQ, Bartel Berkhout and Simone van de Kraats are part of the project’s core team and serve as the project leads for WP 2 and 3.

Learn more:

Projectblueshift.nl
Mooibeweging.nl – Societal Value of Elite Sport

About the Project

Project BlueShift brings together universities, sport federations, athletes, media partners, and the business community to rethink the role of elite sport in society.

Its central question:

How can elite sport move from medals to meaning — from performance to purpose?

The project aims to strengthen the connection between high performance, culture, and community, ensuring that elite sport remains relevant and inspiring for future generations.

SportsInQ’s Role

SportsInQ plays a leading role in both the strategic coordination and applied innovation of Project BlueShift.

Our focus areas:

WP2 – Business → Elite Sport:
Building sustainable bridges between corporate high performance and elite sport systems. We design leadership and culture models that help organizations and athletes perform with intelligence and integrity.
WP3 – Media → Elite Sport:
Exploring how storytelling, visibility, and integrity shape the image of modern elite sport. SportsInQ develops frameworks to help athletes and organizations communicate their values and societal contribution more effectively.

Together with AUAS, SportsInQ co-leads network development, knowledge translation, and implementation across the consortium.

Consortium Partners

Project BlueShift unites a diverse alliance of organizations, including:

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (project lead)
SportsInQ (co-lead and implementation partner)
ZonMw (funding programme “MOOI in Beweging”)
NOC*NSF, KPMG, Mulier Institute, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, University of Amsterdam, and multiple sport federations and media partners

Full partner overview: projectblueshift.nl

Themes and Work Packages

BlueShift consists of ten work packages, organized under four main pillars:

Foundation – developing the theoretical and methodological framework
Outside-In – connecting elite sport with business (WP2) and media (WP3)
Inside-Out – athlete role models, local engagement, women’s and Paralympic sport
Innovation – digital transformation, esports, and new performance ecosystems

Why It Matters

As elite sport evolves, its societal relevance becomes increasingly vital. Project BlueShift provides a scientifically grounded, collaborative framework to help sport organizations strengthen their identity, leadership, and impact.

At SportsInQ, we translate these insights into leadership development, governance innovation, and culture transformation — ensuring elite sport continues to inspire, connect, and lead by example.

Learn More

projectblueshift.nl
mooibeweging.nl – Societal Value of Elite Sport

Contact: info@sportsinq.com