Department of Youth, Sport & Recreation

Recognition of National Sport Governing Bodies is a very important process that the Department of Youth, Sport, and Recreation use to determine which sporting organizations will govern the various sporting activities in Bermuda.

The recognition process requires three steps:

1. All sport organizations should initially contact YSR to discuss its proposal application and request an application.
2. The completed application form, together with required supporting documentation should be returned to the offices of the Department of Youth, Sport, and Recreation. Applications for National Sport Governing Bodies recognition are considered by the Department of Youth, Sport, and Recreation twice a year normally in April and October. All application forms must be submitted by the end of the months mentioned above.
3. A formal letter will be issued to the Sport Organization with the decision of recognition from YSR no later than three (3) months after the application deadlines.

Criteria for Recognising a National Sport Governing Body
The principle criteria against which the Department of Youth, Sport, and Recreation assess sport originations is whether the sporting activity meets the definition of sport contained in the Sport Recognition Policy. This defines sport as:

"Sport is an activity which involves aerobic and anaerobic activity which can be structured or unstructured for the purposes of declaring a winner or simply for relaxation, personal enjoyment, satisfaction, physical health, and emotional growth and development."

Other criteria include:

• The essential purpose of the sport
• The competitive level
• Rules and organization

The Department of Youth, Sport, and Recreation will only recognize one governing body per sport. When considering the recognition of a National Sport Governing Body, the Department of Youth, Sport, and Recreation will look to see if the body is suitably positioned so that it is able to exert sufficient control and influence over its sport. This position can be reflected in the body's membership in terms of the overall participation in its sports, its affiliation to international bodies, and its governance structure.

The complete overview of the NSGB Sport Recognition Policy can be downloaded here.
Download a NSGB Recognition application form here.
For more information, view the NSGB Recognition Frequently Asked Questions.