The Role of Records Management in Football Administration: A Study of The Premier League Board(PLB)

ABSTRACT

Institutional records are the essential evidence of decisions, actions and transactions of the organisation’s interactions with the public, so records must be created and maintained as evidence of efficiency, effectiveness and accountability. Records support the decision-making process, enhance accountability, help the Premier League Board in litigation, reduces waste and many more. However, it has been realized that the Ghana Football Association and the Premier League Board pay very little attention to the management of records, despite the crucial role they play in an organisation. There have been instances the GFA and the PLB have struggled to provide records of their transactions, leading to loss of trust, litigation, etc, which raises questions on how records are managed, the policies in place in managing the records and if there is a professional who manages the records. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Premier League Board’s (PLB) records and records management practices with a view of proposing measures to streamline them. The study employed the case study research design with qualitative data collection method of interview as the primary data collection instrument. Twelve (12) respondents were selected through purposive sampling. They were made up of both senior and junior members of staff. The study revealed that the PLB lacks a record management policy and altogether lacks records management programme infrastructure. There is no qualified records management professional, even though some people without the requisite skills have been hired to manage the records. The collateral damage to PLB is that: · records are not created or acquired when needed · records are not found or are not accessible · records are poorly and inconsistently identified, described and filed · low value records are kept for too long vi There is a digital records programme. The study recommended that the PLB should adopt a records management policy, employ a professional records manager and put in place records management infrastructure.