(How Much) Do Sports Results Matter for Schools' Reputation?
How important is it to win school sports fixtures against local rivals? There is no doubt that victories against significant opponents have been part of the fabric of school sports since matches first came to be organised in the early nineteenth century. They have long been seen as a kite mark of quality, illogically inferring a wider superiority.
In the competitive landscape of twenty first century independent schools, sports results continue to have significance. The recognition of the importance of "marketing" is widespread, bringing a temptation to feel that the results of some matches imply that one school is doing things better than another.
Reputation is important to the success of all organisations. Schools are no different. Having a successful sports programme is an integral part of this. However, to believe it that this success can simply be measured in terms of goals scored and conceded is deluded.
The numbers are a simple, but also simplistic, method of measuring quality. In the emotion of the occasion, they seem enormously important. But as a measurement, they are unreliable, being influenced by a range of temporary factors which might apply on the day. Not least is luck. Which way the ball bounces, which players are fit that day, the weather, the home referee? Should reputation not be built on something more substantial, and enduring, than luck?
On deeper reflection, most schools would conclude that reputation is more significant that the scores. How many players have the opportunity to take part in the fixture? How the game is played: behaviour, skill, creativity, sportsmanship, how staff and parents conduct themselves: these are factors at least as important (in the cold light of day) as the numbers. Trying to win is the substance of sport: the methods by which this goal is pursued are the real determinants of a school's quality.
A high quality programme aims to equip its players with a desire to be the best they can be, and an enthusiasm to work hard in pursuit of this goal. It also promotes commitment, an awareness of adaptive competition and respect for the game, the officials and the efforts of the opponents. It promotes an aspiration to win, alongside a recognition that it won't always happen, and that a last minute winner does not impoverish the efforts of the losing team. It also encourages coaches and parents to appreciate that school sport is a development environment, and that the example of their attitudes and behaviour influences the children. For better or for worse. Pressure from adults to win is proven to reduce both the creativity and enjoyment of the players. Their contribution is central to what outsiders think of a school.
Skill, strategy and effort are important in teams. The absence of these qualities suggests poor sports provision in a school. If teams are well prepared, enthusiastic and competitive, this confirms that a school has a strong culture of participation. If players are keen to play, are reliable, work hard to improve and conduct themselves well on match day, the then the opposition's extra goal cannot make that school a loser.
In assessing how important sports results are, schools should first consider what they would like others to think about them. What is the first response they wish to inspire amongst those who see the school's name on their fixture card? Or in the press? On every competitive circuit, everyone agrees on the schools they like to play against, and those where the match day is first dreaded, then painfully endured. The result of the game is only a part of this assessment. Often more prominent is the tone of the occasion, the fairness, fun and atmosphere. These are remembered long after the numbers have been forgotten.
Winning is an important thing. But reputation is more important. Every time.